Photo of the Day: July 27, 2015 "The Dart Frog"

This cute little amphibian was living in its tropical exhibit at an aquarium that I visited today. It is known as the Blue Poison Dart Frog (Dendrobates azureus) and is native to south america. I have always had an interest in amphibians and the various species of dart frogs have always been some of my favorites!

Grand Teton National Park

Grand Teton Mountain Range, Grand Teton National Park, WY

In Wyoming, not far from the world-famous Yellowstone National Park, sits the beautiful, but less popular, Grand Teton National Park. The Grand Teton Mountain range is absolutely beautiful, and the winding roads and trails within the park give many spectacular views of these geological behemoths. Gorgeous lakes and prairie space, along with a stunning river add to the beauty of the park. This August I took a day out of my trip to Yellowstone to explore the Teton park...I am very glad that I did!

Grand Teton Mountain Range, Grand Teton National Park, WY

I found many forms of wildlife along the shores of Jenny Lake; the parks largest lake. 

Toad, Grand Teton National Park, WY

Spider, Grand Teton National Park, WY

When first entering the park from the Yellowstone side, one comes to the main visitor center/lodge. A gorgeous back porch on this building offers some stunning views of the range.

Grand Teton Mountain Range and Marina, Grand Teton National Park, WY

Herds of Bison and Pronghorn dotted the prairie landscape of the park. Absolutely beautiful!

Bison, Grand Teton National Park, WY

The American Toad

The American Toad is one of the most common amphibian species in the U.S. They come in all sorts of colors and are medium sized (4 inches). Here are some photos that I took of some of these amazing little creatures.

"Herps"

Reptiles and Amphibians - also known as "Herps" or "Herptiles" by their ever growing group of fans are some of my favorite animals. They tend to get a bad reputation (especially snakes) but I personally find them very fascinating. Therefore, I love to photograph them.

The Northern Prairie Skink is a small lizard (their max. size is about 7 in.) native to the upper midwest of the United States. They seem to be everywhere on my property so I tend to get some good shots of them, despite their lightning fast movement and skittish behavior.

A Grey Treefrog. This little guy has been living in a crease in our grill cover all summer long. Every time I grill I move him over to a nearby bush. By the next evening he is back in his little "fort" where he will stay until I move him again. This picture was cropped for better detail.

As you can probably tell, this picture doesn't look like it was taken outside in the deserts of Pakistan. But thats where these little geckos - Leopard Geckos - live. However this little guy is the latest addition to my captive herp collection. Look at those colors!

Some anuran pics...

Anura...that is the scientific name for the frogs and toads. So heres some pictures that I got in MN recently of a couple little amphibians. This is a Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor)

This is a Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica)

This is an American Toad (Bufo americanus)

And this is another Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica)...actually its the same one that is above. =)