Close Up & Personal at the Nature Center (Original Photography)

Howdy!

The Quarry Hill Nature Center in Rochester, MN has had a major renovation and the result has been a renewed interest on the part of the public. A new set of aquariums and some new live critters make it a great place to learn about local wildlife.

^{Pinocchio Fish!}
The main aquarium is kind of cool. I took a few photos through it, making the fish appear to be flying. It was much more fun, though, to pull out my macro and get macro photos of fish. How often do you get to take macro photos of fish?

^{Garter Snake}
I miss these guys! When I was a kid, we used to have garter snakes all over the place. They can bite, but it feels like sandpaper. We used to catch them and keep them as pets for awhile, before letting them go back to their exciting life of eating insects.

Eventually, fox snakes (fake rattlesnakes) replaced them. While not poisonous, fox snakes do have quarter-inch fangs (ouch!) and aren't afraid to bite hard. They don't have a real rattle, but can vibrate their tails against leaves or rocks to sort of imitate the sound a rattler makes.

^{Giving A Little Tongue}
I'm not certain what type of snake this one is. It was hard enough to snap a photo around all the kids' fingers and heads! I did kneel down and wait for it to "sniff" with its tongue, though.

^{"I Hate Mornings..."}
This little fella was snoozing away. I wonder if owls are just really good at ignoring noise, or if his glass enclosure was sound dampening. He seemed unaffected by the noisy room beyond his little world.

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