Photo of the Month

Photo of the Month is an intersection between art and science. By showcasing the beauty and intriguing behavior of these often misunderstood species, Tracy Karplus, our Director of Communication, hopes to inspire a new generation of wildlife enthusiasts, naturalists, and conservationists, who, armed with both artistic appreciation and scientific understanding, can become the advocates these animals so desperately need.
Pictured here alongside two crayfish burrow chimneys is a large, gravid Kirtland's Snake (Clonophis kirtlandii) discovered at a previously unknown site within the Grand Prairie Division of Illinois.

Kirtland’s Snake

Kirtland's Snakes are perhaps most well-known for their microhabitat associations with burrowing crayfishes, where they traverse the aquatic-fossorial and predator-prey...

Timber Rattlesnake

Timber rattlesnakes are a species of conservation concern throughout much of their distribution. The reasons for this range from habitat...

Carolina Pygmy Rattlesnakes

Pygmy Rattlesnakes range throughout the southeastern United States, occupying densely vegetated areas within flatwoods, sandhills, and wetland ecotones. -Samantha Dillon

A light shines on a Sonoran Desert Toad in the night, tarantula legs are protruding from its mouth.

Sonoran Desert Toad

This Sonoran Desert Toad (Incilius alvarius) was photographed on a monsoon night in Arizona. If you look closely, you can...

Spotted Turtle

“On a sunny day back in mid-April, I was hiking through one of Virginia’s remaining pond-pine pocosin wetlands…

Aruba Island Rattlesnake

“In the summer of 2022 a few friends and I took a trip to the Dutch island of…

Blanding’s Turtle

An endangered female Blanding's turtle in a Massachusetts vernal pool. I took a risk taking this shot, but thankfully I...

Green Palm Pit Viper

“Since I was a child I dreamed of being able to meet the green beauty and last night…

Photo of the Month: Gopher Tortoise

"This portrait of a Gopher Tortoise represents a lot of my love for longleaf pine ecosystems, especially in southern Mississippi..."...

Photo of the Month Archives