Kevin Palmer

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  • Cave-in-Rock is a cavern carved out of a limestone bluff along the Ohio River. The 500 foot long cave has a skylight at the end so it's not completely dark, and a side room where bats were sleeping on the ceiling. Discovered in 1739 by a French explorer, this place has a colorful history. It was first used as a hideout for pirates and outlaws. They would rob riverboats carrying their goods down the river to sell. In the centuries since, this unique cave has been used as a tavern, a church, a shelter, and is now preserved as a state park.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: July 23, 2014
    Ohio River Cave
  • A series of lightning bolts strike in the distance beyond Spring Lake. This storm was part of a derecho that formed over Nebraska and caused extensive damage as it headed towards Illinois. Even though this part of the storm was weaker it still displayed a nice shelf cloud and put on a great lightning show.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: June 4, 2014
    Spring Lake Shelf Cloud
  • On a dark night in Sand Ridge State Forest I found these Black Eyed Susans blooming in a small prairie. The air was so calm that the flowers didn't even move.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 9/16/2014
    Prairie Night
  • A shelf cloud approaches a grassy field near Mackinaw, Illinois. This storm hit a half an hour before sunset. It actually became so dark that fireflies started to come out.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 8/28/2014
    Mackinaw Storm
  • Normally I like to explore a location during the day before taking pictures there at night. But the Southern California traffic robbed me of the time to do that here. Arch Rock was a little bit hard to find in the dark, but it wasn't too bad. I just had to be careful to avoid rattlesnakes. The 30 foot long arch is located near the White Tank campground in Joshua Tree National Park. The eastern part of the park has very dark skies the farther you get from the desert cities. To illuminate the scene, I shined my headlamp on the rock wall opposite the arch. A soft, warm light was reflected backwards. I was grateful the skies cleared up long enough to see the milky way. A few minutes after this clouds started to cover the sky as monsoon thunderstorms moved past the area.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 19, 2014
    The Opening
  • A rain squall approaches Peoria, Illinois. The heavy rain was close, but it never actually fell where I was shooting from. The top of a bluff in East Peoria provided a perfect view to the west of this storm.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: June 18, 2014
    Peoria Rain Squall
  • A rain squall approaches Peoria, Illinois. The heavy rain was close, but it never actually fell where I was shooting from. The top of a bluff in East Peoria provided a perfect view to the west of this storm.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: June 18, 2014
    Distant Rain
  • After hiking through the woods in Independence Park, I made sure I was in a clearing at the time of sunset. Even when all the trees are bare there is a certain beauty to them.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: December 23, 2014
    Bare Color
  • My camera captured these 19 meteors in only 93 minutes starting around midnight on December 14th. I was a bit disappointed that my camera battery died after this because I wondered how many more I missed. Despite the moonlight many meteors had no problem shining through. I couldn't think of a better place to watch the Geminid meteor shower than this remote island in Everglades National Park. I paddled out the day before and spent the night on Picnic Key. A lack of sleep, sickness, and battling the tide the next morning made it an exhausting trip. But it was worth it to see the best meteor shower of the year.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/14/2014
    Out of the Blue
  • This is what the end of  the beach on Picnic Key looks like. It was almost like quick sand at the edge of the water since my feet would sink deep into the sand with every step. The island on the left is Tiger Key, which is also a popular place to camp.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/13/2014
    End of the Beach
  • While climbing Ryan Mountain, I got a great view of a distant thunderstorm, along with shadows and sunlight. The road at the bottom is Park Boulevard.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 20, 2014
    Ryan Mountain Panorama
  • The stars of the milky way galaxy are reflected in a calm pond outside of Keosauqua, Iowa. Southeast Iowa has some of the darkest skies in the Midwest, perfect for stargazing. In this self portrait, I stood on the end of a dock and pointed my headlamp towards the stars. Because it was a humid night with fog moving across the water, the beam of light showed up well.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: June 25, 2014
    Stargazer
  • Lake Sugema was alive on this night with insects chirping, bats flying, and bullfrogs croaking. The green lines are from a firefly that buzzed in front of my camera. Southeast Iowa has some of the darkest skies in the midwest and the milky way was breathtaking as the stars were reflected almost perfectly on the calm water.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: June 25, 2014
    Bugs, Bats, and Bullfrogs
  • A Geminid meteor burns up just below Polaris in Big Cypress National Preserve. I have never seen the North Star so low before since I have never been this far south.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/14/2014
    Meteor Under Polaris
  • Early in the morning a very active lightning storm passed by north of Peoria. An overlook on Grandview Drive was the perfect place to watch it approach. The overlook sits on a bluff 300 feet above the Illinois River. This is the part of the river where it widens and forms Peoria Lake. It was raining heavily with plenty of lightning bolts striking on the opposite side of the river. But from where I was it stayed dry enough to take over 400 pictures.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 9/3/2014
    Strike Three
  • An impressive looking shelf cloud approaches north of Peoria. I was in the perfect location to watch this storm. Heavy rain fell on the other side of the Illinois River but it stayed dry where I was.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 9/9/2014
    Grandview Drive
  • Distant flashes of lightning kept me awake much of the night at Joshua Tree National Park. Finally at 4am, I got up to try to photograph it. I never got any bolts because the lightning was too sporadic. In this image a flash of lightning behind me lit up the rocks, while a smaller storm moves under the moon and stars.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 20, 2014
    Night of the Monsoon
  • Inspiration Point is located in the Larue-Pine Hills in the far southern part of the state. Below the cliffs lies a marshy area that is part of the Mississippi River floodplain. In the distance the river itself can be seen, along with the hills of Missouri. The view can look different depending on the time of year and the water level. Even though the weather had been quite dry, a thunderstorm had just passed through a few hours earlier. The storm cleared the hazy air and seemed to make the colors even more vivid. Evening is the best time to visit this viewpoint as you can watch the sun set to the west and light up the cliffs and the wetlands below with a golden glow.<br />
Date Taken: July 23, 2014
    Inspiration Point Panorama
  • The views are spectacular from Inspiration Point. You can see the cliffs of the LaRue Pine Hills and the marshy area beneath. The sunset colors were reflecting on the still waters of the ponds below.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: July 23, 2014
    LaRue Pine Hills
  • On the side of the road near Mantle Rock, Kentucky, lies this scenic area. McGilligan Creek flows between moss covered rocks which looked especially colorful after the rain.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: July 23, 2014
    McGilligan Creek
  • While camping at Garden of the Gods, I watched a storm roll through at 8am. I would have liked to make a time lapse but the storm was just approaching too slowly. A proper shelf cloud never formed, it was mostly dark scud clouds that drifted across the sky. Once the rain started falling, and the lightning started striking nearby, I quickly made it back to my car where I waited out the storm.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: July 23, 2014
    Garden of Gods Storm
  • On the last day of June, 2 severe storms known as derechoes formed and moved across Illinois. After the 2nd storm passed through, it provided an amazing show of lightning. As the rain and wind ended, bolts of lightning slowly crawled across the sky, lasting up to 5 seconds. Even though it was 11pm, the field of soybeans was lit up like day.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: June 30, 2014
    Static Charge
  • A shelf cloud approaches a field of soybeans near Delavan, IL. The late evening light made the clouds a cool blue while the lightning caused a warm glow.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: June 19, 2014
    Dark Blue
  • Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge is one of my favorite places to catch the sunrise. The sunrise did not disappoint on this morning as wispy fog drifted across a golden sky. A viewing platform on the west side of the 2,000 acre Thompson Lake provides great views out over the water. Many varieties of birds and waterfowl live here, including bald eagles, geese, pelicans, egrets, herons, and much more. I especially saw a lot of pelicans out.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 9/3/2014
    Silence is Golden
  • I don't know how much of this rain was hitting the ground. It was in the direction of Yucca Valley from Ryan Mountain.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 20, 2014
    Desert Rain
  • When the sun rose at Joshua Tree National Park, a vivid rainbow appeared. The rainbow was almost at a 90 degree angle to the ground. This can only happen right at sunrise or sunset.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 20, 2014
    Joshua Tree Rainbow
  • This morning in Joshua Tree National Park was unlike any other. Distant thunderstorms passed by throughout the night. Then around 5 am, it started raining. When the sun rose an hour later, it shined through a gap in the clouds which created a dramatic sight with vivid red and orange everywhere. To top it all off, this giant rainbow appeared. I know my photos did not do the scene justice. It was amazing how fast the light changed. One minute the sky was nearly colorless, then it exploded in color, and a few minutes later the display ended when the sun went behind a cloud. I felt blessed to see rain, considering I was only there for about 18 hours. Joshua Tree receives barely over 4 inches of rain in a normal year. When you consider that California is currently experiencing its worst drought ever recorded, this is a rare sight indeed.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 20, 2014
    Magical Morning
  • It is no wonder that lenticular clouds often get mistaken for UFO's. This kind of cloud forms often in the California deserts as strong winds lifts air up and over mountain ranges. The air then condenses to form a cloud that stays in the same area for quite awhile.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 19, 2014
    Flying Saucer
  • Puffy cumulus clouds float across the sky as they build into small thunderstorms. These storms passed over the farm fields of rural Mason County.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 11, 2014
    Fluffy Clouds
  • The line in the sky is the International Space Station, 262 miles above the earth. The ISS orbits the earth every 93 minutes at speeds of over 17,000 mph. When it passes overhead, the ISS becomes brighter than any star and can take as long as 6 minutes to cross the sky. There are many apps and websites (such as http://spotthestation.nasa.gov/) that tell you when to look for it. <br />
In the foreground is a mysterious abandoned structure that resembles a lighthouse. I don't know how old it is or what it was built for. I first found it a few months ago at Banner Marsh near the Illinois River.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 3, 2014
    Space Navigation
  • The sun sets behind two pillars at Garden of the Gods, Illinois. This part of the Shawnee Hills is filled with strange rock formations and extensive views of the surrounding forest.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: July 22, 2014
    Two Pillars
  • Inspiration Point is located in the Larue-Pine Hills in the far southern part of the state. Below the cliffs lies a marshy area that is part of the Mississippi River floodplain. In the distance the river itself can be seen, along with the hills of Missouri. The view can look different depending on the time of year and the water level. Even though the weather had been quite dry, a thunderstorm had just passed through a few hours earlier. The storm cleared the hazy air and seemed to make the colors even more vivid. Evening is the best time to visit this viewpoint as you can watch the sun set to the west and light up the cliffs and the wetlands below with a golden glow. At the bottom center of the photo you can see Snake Road. Twice a year this road is closed to vehicle traffic to allow the large population of snakes to migrate back and forth from the cliffs to the swamp.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: July 23, 2014
    Inspiration Point
  • Mantle Rock is located in rural western Kentucky. The 188 foot long arch is the longest in the US east of the Mississippi River. A thick green moss covers the moist and shady sandstone walls. This place also has historical significance as well. In the harsh winter of 1838-1839 almost 2,000 Cherokee Indians camped in the area as they waited for the nearby Ohio River to thaw. These Native Americans were forced by the government to relocate from the Deep South to present-day Oklahoma. A large percentage of them tragically died during the long journey, on what is known as "The Trail of Tears."<br />
<br />
Date Taken: July 23, 2014
    Mantle Rock
  • Cave-in-Rock is a cavern carved out of a limestone bluff along the Ohio River. The 500 foot long cave has a skylight at the end so it's not completely dark, and a side room where bats were sleeping on the ceiling. Discovered in 1739 by a French explorer, this place has a colorful history. It was first used as a hideout for pirates and outlaws. They would rob riverboats carrying their goods down the river to sell. In the centuries since, this unique cave has been used as a tavern, a church, a shelter, and is now preserved as a state park. It was a challenge to stay out of the rain on this day, but I liked the way the stormy clouds matched the darkness of the cave.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: July 23, 2014
    Pirate's Lair
  • Date Taken: July 22, 2014
    Garden of Gods Panorama
  • The milky way shines in the dark skies behind a cliff at Garden of the Gods, Illinois. I used a flashlight to light paint the cliffs from an angle, which created shadows and texture. The sky was a bit hazy which made the stars a little less clear.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: July 22, 2014
    Behind the Cliff
  • Purple coneflowers bloom in the prairie as a nearly full moon rises in the east.The Nachusa Grasslands give you an idea of what Illinois looked like hundreds of years ago, before settlers arrived and converted it to farmland. 3,000 acres of this rolling grassland have been restored to their original state in this preserve. Less than 1% of the original tallgrass prairie remains, which makes this a rare sight in Illinois. Sandstone outcrops, many varieties of colorful wildflowers, and numerous wildlife make this a beautiful place. A herd of bison will soon be brought in from South Dakota as well. There are few paths in this preserve, so you have to go off-trail to explore the landscape.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: July 10, 2014
    Nachusa Coneflowers
  • I wasn't expecting to see such a scene on this day, since the storm chances were low. But once I heard the thunder rumbling at 11am, I quickly left the house. After driving southeast I let the storm overtake me near the town of Kenney, and shot this panorama shortly before it started raining.  This time of year the corn is often 8 feet tall which restricts the view of approaching storms. I have to look for somewhere else to shoot such as this field of soybeans.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: July 14, 2014
    Kenney Thunderstorm
  • An ominous looking shelf cloud approaches an old abandoned house near McLean, Illinois.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: June 21, 2014
    Approaching Shelf Panorama
  • As the storm clouds approached, the outflow winds provided a cool breeze that felt nice on a hot day. This view is from the top of a bluff in East Peoria.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: June 18, 2014
    Cool Breeze
  • On this morning there was a spectacular sunrise at Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge. I can't remember the last time I saw a sky this colorful. Both ends of the sky were lighting up, in the east and in the west. It's funny that a couple hours earlier I considered these same clouds an annoyance while I was trying to photograph the milky way. <br />
Emiquon is located in the Illinois River floodplain north of Havana. It was formerly used as farmland, and pumps were used to keep it dry. But recently the pumps were turned off and the land was restored to its natural state. Thompson Lake is now 2,000 acres and supports a large population of fish and waterfowl.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: June 6, 2014
    Emiquon Dawn
  • On the morning of April 15 the moon was eclipsed by the earth for over an hour. It snowed here most of the evening but the clouds cleared shortly before it started. From midnight to 5am I took a picture every 20 minutes and assembled them into this sequence. At first the moon entered the earth's penumbra, and a subtle diffuse shadow began to appear. When the moon entered the umbra, It became much darker and slowly started turning a reddish orange. Sunlight being refracted through the earth's atmosphere is being cast upon the moon. It is essentially the light from all of earth's sunrises and sunsets that is lighting up the lunar surface. After being fully eclipsed for 1 hour and 18 minutes, the steps repeated in reverse. By the time the moon came out of eclipse, it was a lot lower in the sky which is why it looks darker and more yellow on the bottom right.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: April 15, 2014
    Lunar Eclipse Sequence
  • A great blue heron wades in the swamp below hanging spanish moss. This was on the Kirby Storter trail.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/14/2014
    Heron Under Spanish Moss
  • Just after sunrise I drove along Turner River Road looking for gators. They can be very hard to spot, with most of their bodies underwater. This was the closest shot I was able to get. The alligators can also disappear in an instant, leaving only a cloud of mud underwater.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/14/2014
    A Watchful Eye
  • Big Cypress National Preserve was filled with many of these anhinga birds. They are also known as snakebirds. When hunting for fish, this bird will submerge most of its body underwater. Only the long neck and head will stick out. From a distance it can resemble a snake ready to strike. Unlike ducks, this bird does not have an oil gland to waterproof its feathers. This is an advantage that allows it to dive underwater for long periods. But it's also a disadvantage because they must dry themselves in the sun or else they have difficulty flying.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/14/2014
    Snakebird
  • These trees are what Big Cypress National Preserve is named after. It was the dry season so the water level wasn't very high.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/14/2014
    Big Cypress
  • This was the first gator I saw in Big Cypress National Preserve. He was taking a nap in the evening sunlight.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/14/2014
    Alligator Nap
  • A Geminid meteor streaks across the sky above Picnic Key in Everglades National Park, Florida. The star Canopus is reflected on the water with the brightest star Sirius in the middle of the picture and the constellation Orion above. My flashlight lighting up the trees was actually unintentional. When a raccoon approached me I instinctively shined a light in its direction. The raccoons here are very bold because they have no source of freshwater and attempt to steal from campers.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/13/2014
    Make a Wish
  • Perfectly clear skies made for boring sunsets and sunrises at Picnic Key But the light was nice as the sun neared the horizon. The 2 islands in the distance are the Stop Keys.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/13/2014
    Picnic Key Beach
  • A group of pelicans gather at Indian Key during low tide. Indian Key is a popular place to stop while exploring the 10,000 islands unit of Everglades National Park.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/13/2014
    Pelican Gathering
  • Keys View in Joshua Tree National Park is a great place to watch a sunset. You can see 5,000 feet below to the Palm Springs area, the Salton Sea, and the San Andreas Fault.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 19, 2014
    Keys View
  • Among the purple prairie clover, milkweed plants shoot up as well as a few coneflowers. Darkness had fallen on the Nachusa Grasslands as the nearly full moon rose higher in the east.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: July 10, 2014
    Moonlight Breeze
  • An old house sits on the prairie as a storm moves overhead.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: June 21, 2014
    Storm Structure
  • This large, ivy-covered barn is located outside of Keosauqua, Iowa. This area has some of the darkest skies in the midwest and the milky way was breathtaking.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: June 25, 2014
    Ivy Barn Night
  • Reeds shake in the wind as the colors of sunrise fill the sky above. This view is from the boardwalk at Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: June 6, 2014
    Shaking Reeds
  • The trees in the cypress swamp glow in the late evening sunlight. This was on the Kirby Storter trail in Big Cypress National Preserve.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/14/2014
    Golden Swamp
  • A piece of coral on the Picnic Key beach lights up in the evening sunlight. This was one of many small islands in the Ten Thousand Islands Unit of Everglades National Park.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 12/13/2014
    Golden Coral
  • Normally I like to explore a location during the day before taking pictures there at night. But the Southern California traffic robbed me of the time to do that here. Arch Rock was a little bit hard to find in the dark, but it wasn't too bad. I just had to be careful to avoid rattlesnakes. The 30 foot long arch is located near the White Tank campground in Joshua Tree National Park. The eastern part of the park has very dark skies the farther you get from the desert cities. To illuminate the scene, I shined my headlamp on the rock wall opposite the arch. A soft, warm light was reflected backwards. I was grateful the skies cleared up long enough to see the milky way. A few minutes after this clouds started to cover the sky as monsoon thunderstorms moved past the area.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 19, 2014
    Arch Rock Galaxy
  • These little lenticular clouds repeatedly formed over the same area as seen from Keys View. Lenticular clouds form when strong winds encounter a mountain range. The air is forced upward where it condenses into a cloud. These strange disc-shaped clouds form often in the California desert.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 19, 2014
    Little Lenticulars
  • Stars rise over Salt Creek in Weldon Springs State Park. This startrail sequence covers shows the stars movement in 73 minutes. <br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 13, 2014
    Weldon Springs Startrails
  • I spotted this rainbow a in rural Mason County. The small pop up thunderstorms made it a great day for rainbows, and this was one of the lowest ones I've seen. The height of a rainbow can be determined by the height of the sun. The radius of a rainbow is always 42°, centered at a point opposite the sun called the "anti-solar point." If you subtract the height of the sun (in this case 33°) from the 42°, then you get the approximate height of the rainbow above the horizon (9°). That is why the biggest rainbows are found near sunrise or sunset. They cannot occur in the middle of the day when the sun is higher than 42°.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 11, 2014
    Partial Rainbow
  • Once you are in the middle of the Nachusa Grasslands, the views are expansive making the place feel much bigger than it is. On the top of the rolling hills are outcrops made of St. Peter Sandstone.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: July 10, 2014
    Sandstone Prairie
  • On June 3rd, a derecho formed in Nebraska and moved across Iowa causing plenty of wind and hail damage. By the time it reached Central Illinois after midnight it had weakened. Spring Lake was hit by the northern part which wasn't as severe. But it still displayed some nice structure and put on a good lightning show.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: June 4, 2014
    Illuminated Shelf
  • I was in Joshua Tree National Park when monsoon thunderstorms passed by throughout the night keeping me awake. Just before sunrise it started raining. With thick clouds above I was not expecting a very colorful sunrise. But then this happened. The rising sun highlighted the wisps of rain as they fell into the dry air. The clouds cast an orange glow across the desert floor as flashes of lightning streaked across the sky. And a minute later a spectacular rainbow appeared behind me. This entire light show only lasted a few minutes so I had to rush to capture it all. It was the most awe-inspiring sunrise I've ever seen and my pictures could hardly do it justice.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 20, 2014
    Raining Fire
  • Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge is one of my favorite places to catch the sunrise. The sunrise did not disappoint on this morning as wispy fog drifted across a golden sky. A viewing platform on the west side of the 2,000 acre Thompson Lake provides great views out over the water. Many varieties of birds and waterfowl live here, including bald eagles, geese, pelicans, egrets, herons, and much more. I especially saw a lot of pelicans out.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: 9/3/2014
    Stillness
  • The rainbow was contrasting strongly with the dark storm clouds and sunlit rocks. But seconds later, it faded away as the sun went behind the clouds.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: August 20, 2014
    Sunlit Rainbow
  • A turbulent sky moves above a soybean field near Tremont, Illinois. The gust front brought very strong winds that made it hard to take a steady picture. Seconds after this shot, it started raining heavily.
    Tremont Turbulence
  • The milky way sets in the west shortly after sunset. This was taken from the top of a hill prairie in Jim Edgar State Park. It was a great place to watch a meteor shower.
    Hill Prairie Milky Way
  • After hiking to the top of a bluff I noticed a couple horses in a nearby pasture. They walked up to see what I was doing when they noticed me.
    Curious Horses
  • The Mackinaw River is a very scenic river that flows past rolling hills, bluffs, and woods. There was only a little bit of fall color left on this warm November day.
    Mackinaw Bend
  • Early Morning Visitor
  • A partially eclipsed sun sets over the skyline of Saint Louis, Missouri. About 40 minutes before the sun set, it moved behind some thick clouds to the west. There was a small gap in between clouds, but it kept getting smaller. As the sun sank lower, the gap wasn't big enough to fit the entire disk of the sun. So I just shot the upper portion of the sun where the moon was. I had to time it just right, because this lasted only a few seconds. The sun looked like it would appear one more time, but it never did. <br />
To see the sun setting over the city skyline, I had to find a location a few miles northeast of the city, with enough height to see over the trees. The 100 foot high mound at Cahokia Mounds turned out to be the perfect place. 100 feet may not seem very high, but this mound was built entirely by hand over 1,000 years ago by an ancient Indian civilization. The base is as wide as the Great Pyramid of Giza and it took hundreds of years to build by hauling baskets of soil and clay. Dozens of mounds in the area are preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
    St. Louis Eclipse
  • Stars appear to rotate above this abandoned barn in 3 hours time. In reality it is the stars that are stationary and the earth that is rotating. In 23 hours and 56 minutes, the stars make one counterclockwise rotation of 360 degrees. This 4 minute difference is what causes the stars to change position from night to night, and the constellations to change from season to season. Earth's northern axis happens to be pointed at Polaris, or the North Star. It hardly moves at all in the course of a night. For thousands of years people have been using Polaris to navigate. It not only tells you which way is north, but it also tells you your latitude. In this case the North Star was 40 degrees above the horizon. Those in the southern hemisphere do not have such a star to guide them.<br />
I found this old barn in Jim Edgar State Park a couple nights ago.
    Dark Barn Startrail
  • Near the center of town in Presque Isle, Wisconsin, lies a small park on Little Horsehead Lake. I loved the variety of colors in the trees surrounding the lake.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: September 30 2014
    Little Horsehead Lake
  • This was a wild day of weather in Illinois. It was the first warm day after a cold and snowy winter.  A cold front moving across the midwest caused severe thunderstorms to form. This storm produced a tornado earlier, but at this point it had weakened. The snow that remained on the fields caused a thick ground fog to form, which reduced visibility to near zero at times. It was an interesting scene.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: Febrary 20, 2014
    Destination Unknown
  • The peaceful Black River winds its way through the Saint Francois Mountains before it reached a series of waterfalls. These waterfalls are known as shut-ins.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: May 7, 2014
    Black River Falls
  • I find it hard to sleep while backpacking when this is above my head. This part of Missouri has very dark skies, the only problem is the thick forests leave few places to see the stars clearly. But the top of Bald Knob in Buford Mountain Conservation Area was the perfect place to spend the night and photograph the stars.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: May 6, 2014
    Sleep Eludes Me
  • Bald Knob in Missouri is a great place to go backpacking and watch the sunset. Most of the area is a thick forest, with no view. But once you reach this glade, there is a beautiful view of the Belleview Valley below.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: May 5, 2014
    Belleview Valley Sunset
  • The moon wasn't even full on this night. But the clear arctic air along with the powdery snow made the moonlight extra bright.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: February 11, 2014
    White Shadows
  • The average temperature in space is -454° F. It wasn't quite that cold at Spring Lake, but it nearly felt like it. I've been looking forward to the milky way's return to the morning sky for months. I would have preferred warmer temperatures for my first shot of the year. But the best thing about arctic air is it often brings perfectly clear and transparent skies. Venus was just 2 weeks past it's peak in brightness, casting a nice reflection on the ice.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: February 26, 2014
    Ice and Space
  • Ever since I found this area of dead trees in the water at Banner Marsh, I wanted to get some pictures of it under the milky way. After driving out here, clouds began covering the sky. I thought I wouldn't get any pictures of the stars, but then it cleared shortly before 2am.<br />
<br />
Date Taken: June 6, 2014
    The Dead of Night
  • This thunderstorm formed ahead of an outflow boundary near Goodfield, Illinois. The updraft at the beginning was strong enough to keep the rain aloft. Then suddenly, a column of sinking air within the thunderstorm rushed to the ground, bringing strong winds and torrential rain. This is known as a microburst. It is a very localized event that can be difficult to predict. For a pilot, a microburst is the most dangerous part of a thunderstorm. Microbursts have caused numerous plane crashes, they are especially dangerous when an aircraft is trying to land.<br />
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Click 'Videos' above to watch a time lapse of this scene.<br />
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Date Taken: May 28, 2014
    Wet Microburst
  • After a severe thunderstorm passed through Snakeden Hollow, it looked like mammatus clouds were trying to form.<br />
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Date Taken: April 28, 2014
    Ominous Clouds
  • These natural steps are on the top of Bald Knob in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. The newly green trees were catching the golden rays from the setting sun.<br />
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Date Taken: May 5, 2014
    Stone Steps
  • This swamp is among the northernmost cypress swamps in the country. It is one of the most unique sites in Illinois and it makes you feel like you're in the deep south. The Heron Pond trail takes you to a boardwalk where you can see the swamp up close. <br />
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Date Taken: July 23, 2014
    Illinois Cypress
  • I never expected to find this lighthouse in Banner Marsh State Wildlife Area. It is about 60 feet tall. I took a peek inside, and I heard a fluttering sound. I was expecting to see bats, but instead saw dozens of barn swallow nests, with each of the birds staring at me. I'm sure they were wondering who this strange visitor was at 3am. The inside was split into several sections, and there were ladders going up and down. In this shot, I was standing off to the left and illuminated the structure at an angle with my headlamp.<br />
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Date Taken: June 6, 2014
    Banner Lighthouse
  • An old barn sits in the middle of a corn field outside of Eureka, Illinois, while stormy skies approach.<br />
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Date Taken: May 28, 2014
    Tunnel Barn
  • After the microburst occurred the rain continued to increase. The lowering on the right resembled a wall cloud, but I'm not certain what it was. <br />
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Click 'Videos' above to watch a time lapse of this scene.<br />
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Date Taken: May 28, 2014
    Torrents of Rain
  • A severe thunderstorm approaches the farmland near Edgington, Illinois. This storm brought strong winds, large hail, and frequent lightning as it marched across Iowa and crossed the Mississippi River a few miles away.<br />
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Date Taken: May 12, 2014
    Edgington Squall
  • At the end of April, I went out to photograph severe storms to the northwest of my town. I found myself in the area of Snakeden Hollow State Park, a place that I've always wanted to check out. So I went into the park and waited as the severe squall line approached. Seconds after this was taken, heavy rain and hail started falling along with strong winds and lightning.<br />
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Date Taken: April 28, 2014
    Snakeden Gale
  • The Elephant Rocks are part of a small state park in Missouri. The area contains many large and round boulders made of granite. This was taken shortly after sunrise, when the early morning light gave the boulders a golden hue.<br />
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Date Taken: May 7, 2014
    Elephant Rocks
  • This part of the Missouri Ozarks has very dark skies that allow for a stunning view of the milky way. The thick forests can make it hard to find a clear view. But the top of Bald Knob was the perfect place to spend the night and see the stars above the small town of Belleview in the valley below.<br />
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Date Taken: May 6, 2014
    Belleview Milky Way
  • This is Missouri's highest waterfall, Mina Sauk Falls. The total height is 132 feet although it is split into several sections. It's a little tricky to get down to it, but it's a great place to cool off on a hot day.<br />
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Date Taken: May 6, 2014
    Mina Sauk Falls
  • This is one of many small cascades above Mina Sauk Falls. The waterfall below this is the tallest in Missouri at 132 feet.<br />
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Date Taken: May 6, 2014
    Above Mina Sauk
  • On May 6, the earth's orbit brought it through debris left behind by Halley's Comet. This caused the annual Eta Aquarid meteor shower. There aren't very many meteors visible in the northern hemisphere. But I did capture one from the top of Bald Knob in Missouri.<br />
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Date Taken: May 6, 2014
    Bald Knob Meteor
  • Bald Knob is the only part of Buford Mountain Conservation Area that has a view through the thick trees. The spectacular view is to the west, perfect for watching the sunset over the Belleview Valley.<br />
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Date Taken: May 5, 2014
    Bald Knob Dusk
  • This rocky, treeless area is known as a glade. This glade is on the top of Bald Knob and provided the perfect place to watch the sunset while on a backpacking trip.<br />
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Date Taken: May 5, 2014
    Ozark Sunset
  • I'm not sure what animal made these tracks in the snow, but I think it was a coyote. The bright moonlight was illuminating the snow covered landscape on this clear night. Despite the subzero temperatures, this creek was not frozen.<br />
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Date Taken: February 11, 2014
    Coyote Steps
  • The morning sky lights up with color over Elephant Rocks State Park. This state park contains numerous large granite boulders that have been eroding for many years to make them round and smooth.<br />
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Date Taken: May 7, 2014
    Granite Glow
  • A bluff on the rock river turned to gold as the sun rose.A seasonably cool night caused fog to form on the surface of the river, which lingered for a couple hours.<br />
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Date Taken: July 11, 2014
    Golden Rock
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