Flying Tongue Blogs cover the variety of areas of Flying Tongue Pictures. From the wonder images you'll see, to pollinator habitat guidance, environmental advocacy, to the merchandise we offer, to the inspiring pollinator habitats we witness and to the classes we teach, you will find these topics and more in these blogs.
As we launch in 2026, the blogs will appear in more general formats. They will find their way into separate categories as we they grow over time.
We offer a variety of classes at Flying Tongue Pictures. Our audience can also cover a wide range. Whether you run a school, community organization or a P-patch, we provide a wide range of knowledge across many topics.
Insects flying with extended tongues. That is my specialty. Flying Tongue Pictures is way more than these show pieces, but I also think it's a catchy name. I'm Tony Dickey and Flying Tongue Pictures is my answer to what to do with a growing catalog of inspiring images.
In many ways, FTP extends from my ongoing experience with Washington Native Bee Society and Pollinator Plus at Beacon Food Forest in Seattle. It also comes from an expanding survey of pollinators and their habitat across Seattle neighborhoods. The last part began the first steps of launching FTP. Cities have turned into important wildlife reservoirs. I've also witnessed a trend of movement away from grass lawn culture. It really requires only little bits of land to start helping pollinators thrive.
The Strategy
I love the adventure of insect photography. Love is much more secure when the bills are paid. And, a steady income creates more possibilities. But how? How can pictures make money? The answer is in the question. I take interesting photos of insects because I keep learning more about them and their world. The knowledge helps me figure when and where I might find them. My photography keeps improving because every exploration is a practice session. The next step photographers often take means selling my work. This approach comes with another benefit: professional pursuit sharpens your skills.
Calendars and More
Calendars will likely growing into our most popular offering. Just about everyone needs one. Flying Tongue Pictures will pick from a growing gallery of pollinator related images. "Pollinator related" may come to mean images of what we will call "Pollinator Neighborhoods". We see some amazing pieces of work worthy of publication. It will for sure mean pollinator pics from neighborhoods in the Pacific Northwest.
What I learn about pollinators truly helps me improve my craft. I can only do with the direct and implicit help of many colleagues, friends, associates, non-profits and pollinator focused citizens. Funneling some of what I earn through calendars, pollinator portraits, magnets, clothing, etc to those who contribute to my success only make sense. How much for now is TBD, but consider this approach in whatever you may acquire.
Habitat Consultation
Habitat Consultation at Flying Tongue Pictures comes with a long-term focus. We love digging in the soil, planting a variety of plants and watching the results. We leave jobs like lawn conversion to more trained hands, however. Our expertise really is an amalgamation of many voices in the field.
Pollinator Classes
Pollinator Classes come naturally because I have taught a few
A core reason I launched Flying Tongue Pictures come from the inspiration I see in neighborhoods in various locations. I can now walk 10 minutes or less in multiple directions from my very urban Seattle home and begin snapping pollinator pics. There's a school with a 1/4 acre native garden plot in my neighborhood. I continually see sidewalk grass strips converted to very suitable habitat for ground nesting bees. I also see over time how one lawn conversion to natural habitat in a neighborhood inspire more of the same from neighbors. And, yes, all the images are "street" photos of converted spaces.