I am delighted to report that two of my photographs from Costa Rica have been invited into a juried group show benefit for the Kansas City Zoo.

My encounter with this tiny gladiator tree frog happened at Osa Interactive Gardens, a privately-owned habitat restoration project near Puerto Jimenez. The Gardens features numerous small ponds surrounded by native vegetation, and the native Costa Rican frogs are reproducing and thriving.

What a contrast! The second image chose for the show is this not-so-cute but, IMHO, fascinating and beautiful in its own way creature, the green iguana. One of the big problems in photographing wildlife is getting a good background. This iguana paused on the bank of the Sierpe River in front of a curtain of green leaves. Voila!

And why is its face red? I don’t know and haven’t been able to find out. I can tell you these creatures are sometimes quite green, but their color varies. They are not color-changers like chameleons, but stress and context (sun vs. shadow), as well as breeding cycle affect their color.

These two printed and framed images will be at the Jones Gallery in Kansas City, MO, Oct. 2-24, 2019. Should the works sell, 50% will go to the Kansas City Zoo. I’m not yet sure I’ll be able to go to Kansas City to see the show, but if you’re there and can go, be sure to send me a photo of my work on the walls!