Photographer of the Month – Jack Ollis

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Jack Ollis grew up in the mountains of NC. His interest in photography and hiking began at an early age. After completing undergraduate studies at Appalachian State University and graduate work at Duke, he taught Chemistry and Physics in high school and Danville Community College in Danville, Virginia. After spending several summers working with a Christian outdoor leadership program, he and his family moved to Asia where they lived in India, Thailand, and Singapore.
Retirement has given him the opportunity to continue to develop his interest in nature photography. The hiking trails within driving distance of his home in Black Mountain provide a variety of interesting plants, animals and vistas which inspire him to continue exploring new places. He often hears from others who can no longer hike long distances but enjoy seeing pictures of natural beauty via Facebook (Jack Cathy Ollis) and Instagram (Jack.Ollis).

Garter Snake

Male Mandarin Duck, Montreat, NC

Northern Cardinal

Great Blue Heron Eating Catfish

Great Blue Heron

Yellow-Fronted Bumble Bee

Honey Bee

Swallowtail Butterfly

Fritillary Butterfly

Luna Moth

Unusual butterfly from Thailand

Tiger Swallowtail

Buckeye Butterfly

Swallowtail

Red Spotted Admiral Butterfly

Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly

Orange Sulphur Butterfly

Monarch Butterfly

Swallowtail

Gray’s Lily

Inspiration

Photographer of the Month – David Heavner

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Birch Sawfly Larvae

Snail

David L. Heavner is a retired environmental analytical chemist who lives in Leicester, NC. He is a native North Carolinian from Conover whose parents instilled in him a life-long interest of the Blue Ridge and Southern Appalachian Mountains through frequent visits to the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Great Smoky Mountains. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from Appalachian State University in Boone, he enlisted in the United States Army and served on active military duty for 2 years, 8 months and 29 days (but who’s counting?) with a one year deployment in the Republic of South Korea.

Upon returning to civilian life, he received a Medical Technology (ASCP) certification from the Forsyth Hospital School of Medical Technology in Winston-Salem. Then he returned to Boone and received a Master of Science degree in Chemistry from Appalachian State University. After a thirty-two year career in an industrial laboratory setting, he returned to the mountains of North Carolina with his significant other, Debra, and their Redtick Coonhound, Sammy.

In retirement, he spends his days involved in photography, birding, butterflying, mothing, botanizing, native plant gardening, landscaping, watching his favorite professional baseball team (go Braves!) and following his favorite college football team (Go Apps!). He has one class remaining in the Blue Ridge Naturalist Program at the North Carolina Arboretum in order to fulfill the curriculum requirements and is searching for a final project in order to complete that certification.

His photo gallery can be found directly on FLICKR , through his “budding” native plant/nature blog and helpful links “Go Native!” website or on Facebook “Go Native Blue Ridge”.

Luna Moths

Meadow Fritillary

Blue-tipped Dancer

Orange Robberfly

Orange-fringed Orchid

Turk’s-cap Lily

Spotted Mandarin

Southern Catalpa

Roundleaf Sundew

Yellow Birch

Eastern Screech Owl

Hooded Merganser

White-cheeked Pintail

Inspiration

Photographer of the Month – Derek Wheaton

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Tennessee Shiners

Derek Wheaton is a biologist at Conservation Fisheries Inc. in Knoxville, Tennessee, where he helps propagate, reintroduce, and monitor rare fish species across the southeastern US. Previously, he worked as a nongame fish technician for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. He runs a social media outreach page called Enchanting Ectotherms on Facebook and Instagram, and serves on the Board of Directors for the North American Natives Fishes Association (NANFA). He spends as much time as possible in the water, snapping photos so as to share the wonders of the natural world with others.