Morning Marvels

  Posted on June 14, 2023 By

 34 Comments

Header Image: Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina)

We missed sunrise. It was necessary to be home before lunch time. The decision to go for only a short while was, as usual, the right one. I take full credit. (Don’t let her know. I wouldn’t want her to be embarrassed.)

Our local birding patch has now become our “sure hope we see some stuff today” patch since spring migration has ended. Fortunately, there are plenty of resident birds who find the diverse habitat a fine place for raising a new family. Most of them were singing quite loudly about it today.

There was a prescribed burn here a few weeks ago and we were curious about how quickly the understory of the pine woods might recover. Green shoots of weeds and plants were in abundance. Flowers were blooming and pollinators were pollinating. Gini ticked off the calls of birds I mostly could not hear: Blue Jay, Northern Cardinal, Tufted Titmouse, Common Yellowthroat, White-eyed Vireo and more common and louder than most, Carolina Wren.

Fresh dirt was mounded up in several locations indicating the Gopher Tortoise community is healthy. A few Cicadas were practicing warm-up buzzes for their upcoming summertime concerts. Overhead were Ospreys, a Bald Eagle, Boat-tailed Grackles, herons and egrets. Dragonflies, butterflies and myriad other insects were all busily darting through the air and moving among the vegetation.

Gini and I enjoyed our mid-morning tangerines by the side of a lake and were entertained by Brown Pelicans crashing into the water, Common Gallinules gabbling in the lily pads, Snowy Egrets preening their graceful feathers and Anhingas swimming through the scene with just their long necks above the water remind us of childhood days when we called them “snake birds”.

Believe us when we say: Life Is Good.

We were very happy to locate a section of blooming Florida Alicia (Chapmannia floridana). The plant’s genus was named in honor of Dr. Alvin Chapman who authored one of the first field guides for the southern U.S., Flora of the Southern United States, which was published in 1860. Learning from past experience, I took pictures of the canary colored blooms as soon as we saw them. The flowers begin to close shortly after the sun comes up. Alicia is the only North American member of this genus and is endemic to Florida.

Watching Common Ground Dove feed gives one the impression they almost have no feet. Gini says they remind her of small wheeled toy birds we gave the kids. Smaller than their Mourning Dove cousins, the plumage is quite handsome.

Probably our most abundant dragonfly species is the Eastern Pondhawk (Erythemis simplicicollis). This male still shows a bit of green on its thorax. Immature males are all green like their emerald-hued Mothers. Soon he’ll be all powdery blue just like Dad.

We found a new plant! (For us.) Grassleaf Lettuce (Lactuca graminifolia) is a member of the Aster family and can grow to three or four feet tall. The lovely lavender blossoms caught Gini’s attention immediately, as that’s her favorite color.

Another of our very common dragons is the Four-spotted Pennant (Brachymesia gravida), They tend to perch horizontally atop taller plants, especially on dried stems, and on fence wires.

Female
Male

A boat ramp can be a good place to fish. Just ask this Little Blue Heron. As soon as he scratches that itch.

More yellow flowers. More favorite beauties! Carolina Desert-chicory (Pyrrhopappus carolinianus) is often mistaken for a dandelion and one of its other common names is False Dandelion. Call it what you will, I find the details within the flower mesmerizing.

When Gini smacked me got my attention regarding the above Grassleaf Lettuce, she pointed out a bright gold dragon hanging around. A male Needham’s Skimmer (Libellula needhami) let us have a few nice poses.

By Florida State Law, it is required of Florida bloggers to include at least one image of the State Reptile.

American Alligator

One more dragon. Ending with the species with which we began (header image). The Halloween Pennant (Celithemis eponina) is fairly well-named as it tends to perch on top of things performing its impression of a flag. The gaudy wing pattern and colorful thorax and abdomen help with visualizing a Halloween costume. In the header image, the salmon-colored stigmas identify the adult male while the pale stigmas of this individual indicate a female.

We arrived late, we departed early. In between we discovered so much at which we could marvel and be thankful that we are able to explore such a wonderful natural place.

Enjoy your search for a natural place and come back for a visit!

 Category: Birds, Flora, Florida, Insects, Photography      Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

34 Comments on “Morning Marvels”

  1. Another great share of finds Wally. I laughed at the no feet comment on the Common Ground Dove – I enjoy looking at their unique orange bills. With you on how mesmerizing the Carolina Desert-chicory flower is. Wat to avoid the Florida fine for not having a pic of the gator ha!

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  2. Just now catching up on my favorite haunts – once again, you’ve presented a wonder of life forms. I’ve started using Merlin… but, dang, finding the birds it is hearing is nigh impossible! I’ll have to keep practicing 🙂

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    • Like anything else, apps can be a good additional tool. But none take the place of actually seeing that bird with your own eyes!

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  3. I’m not sure what it was that made my mouth water so much, Wally – was it the fabulous images of those dragons with the supporting cast of flowers and other fauna, or was it the thought of tangerines beside a lake? Whatever it was, I’m going to have to take a short break!

    – back now!

    I’m sorry for the very late visit. I’ve been away in Norfolk for four days without wifi for my tablet (just phone 4G) and so unable to visit blogs. It was a great solo trip resulting in a shutter count of 2,482 shots, so, hopefully some useable ones in there somewhere – it’s going to take weeks to process that lot!

    My very best wishes to you and Gini – – – Richard

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    • Pleased we could provide you with a case of “happy mouth”!

      A visit at any time is never “late”. Always valued.

      Best of luck processing that many images! Don’t forget to take regular breaks. (The voice of experience …)

      All is well here, We have to be out early as our daily thunderstorm schedule now begins by mid-morning. Lightning is fun to watch from a distance. Standing in a field with a chunk of metal in my hands – not so much.

      Gini and I hope you and Lindsay have a great week. (I imagine hers will be peaceful with you at the computer developing photos!)

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  5. The dragonflies are wonderful, the obligatory alligator made me smile, and that lovely lavender flower reminded me of something I found in east Texas and never identified. That will be another new project.

    But what really caught me and sent me down the proverbial rabbit hole was your pair of photos of Chapmannia floridana. My first thought was, “Pea family.” Then, I noticed all those little beads that looked very much like the stickiness of sundews. In fact, it is an all-over-sticky plant, but not related to sundews.It took a while to figure that out.

    Then, there was the name: Dr. Alvin Chapman. I wondered if that was the Chapman for whom the Chapman’s Fringed Orchid is named. In short, no — but while I was figuring that out, I learned that 90% of the Chapman’s Fringed Orchids left in the wild can be found in twelve Florida counties. They also can be found in east Texas, and I’m just waiting for them to make their appearance in July/August. Have you ever seen them? There’s a great article with photos and a list of Florida counties where they’ve been found here.

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    • Anything with a hint of lavender is cause for the “A.E.G.B.” to be engaged. It works whether or not we are in a vehicle. It can be painful no matter when or where it is deployed. (The pain is only experienced by the deployee but not the deployer.)

      (“Automatic Emergency Gini Brake”)

      That Grassleaf Lettuce has us looking for more. To date, we have only found the Florida Alicia in one location. Thankfully, for three years in a row and in abundance. Pretty unique plant.

      I have been aware of the Fringed Orchid for a long time but have yet to find it. My brother has run across it during his botanical explorations of Florida’s panhandle. Hopefully, we can mount an expedition soon.

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  6. What I like about Our Natural Places – are the clean fonts, the ample spaces and spectacular images and story telling. When I am unable to visit, I feel something’s amiss.

    I’m head over heels in love with the Eastern Pondhawk. Love the shade of blue. Having said that all dragon flies enchant. I keep having very animate conversations with them too. And the most wonderful part is to watch them understand and rotate their heads. Ever tried that? 🙂

    Ginni and you make the sweetest couple, Wally. And I send you both loads of love.

    Stay wonderful and keep enchanting us with your natural place. 🙂

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    • Also checking do you use any app like Merlin or eBird to identify the birds, or it’s a lot of reading and books?

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      • We have been birding for over 40 years but still use all the tools available when needed.

        Fortunately, Gini can hear the heartbeat of a hummingbird at a hundred yards. Me, I can’t hear a freight train crossing the road.

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    • What a nice compliment, Natasha! Thank you very much.

      Yes, the dragons definitely keep an eye (eyes?) on us as we approach and try to find a good photo angle. Some fly away, some remain in place. They are among our favorites not only because of their diverse colors and appearance but because they love to eat mosquitoes!

      You are half-correct about that sweet couple thing. Gini has enough sweetness to make up for my lack of it.

      Have a peaceful weekend!

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    • Thank you, Peter.

      As they told one of those musicians about how to get to Carnegie Hall – practice, practice, practice.

      It helps that our sub-tropical Florida habitat harbors large numbers of the beasties.

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  8. I’ve seen those Halloween Pennant dragonflies on barbed wire around here too. I enjoy the intersection between industrial looking things and natural things many times. Little blue are favourites too!!

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    • Thank you for dropping by, Judy!

      The juxtaposition of man and Nature can make for compelling images at times.

      Hope your weekend is off to a wonderful start!

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  9. I’m always amazed at how many dragonflies you are able to find, identify, and photograph during your outings. And not only to photograph, but to get such wonderful close-ups that show all their fine, beautiful details.
    The first photo of the Little Blue Heron made me laugh out loud: that must have been a hair-raising itch.

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    • Thank you, Tanja!

      Chasing dragons has definitely become an obsession.

      I’m wondering if that heron had to stop and think if that itch was bad enough to risk serious injury from scratching it with those claws?

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      • Chasing dragonflies is not a bad obsession to have. My husband always tells me I could have worse addictions than birding, and the same applies to “dragoning.”
        One hopes that the herons have learned to use their claws very gingerly.

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  10. The dandelion that most people know is an alien invasive from Eurasia. The so-called false dandelion is actually the true one here, native as it is across the southeastern United States. The chicory alluded to in the alternate vernacular name you mentioned is yet another alien invasive. People who settled in American from Europe likened some of the things they found here to relatives they’d known back home.

    I like that Florida law you whimsically cited. It might apply on parts of the Texas Gulf coast as well.

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    • The scientific nomenclature of life forms is fascinating. Tracing the lineage of a particular species requires the dedication of a skilled researcher, the acumen of a multilinguist and the instincts of a veteran detective.

      All appear to be qualities you have been blessed to possess.

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  11. Hello Wally and Gini. If I had seen and heard just a tiny few of those “sure hope we see some stuff today” things I would be exceedingly chuffed. As we know, it’s all relative and where bloggers sightings and pictures from their respective countries can be either very exciting or extremely mundane. If you know what I mean via my tortuous thought process.

    Florida Tangerines by the side of the lake sounds pretty good as any tangerines we get have flown many thousands of miles before we taste. Inevitably, some are not so good, some inedible. Egyptian the worst the Nile irrigation has a lot to answer for. However I did get another kilo of old English gooseberries from Pilling this week to make yet another crumble to top with Greek honey and Greek yoghurt. Beat that Florida.

    I never heard of a flower that opens at night only. Good that you were on the ball to get those photos.

    Out team had to return to the smarties today. We thought yesterday we had found an Avocet with babies – we did. Andy The Angler took his landing net and scooped them up just like a large pelican or a hungry alligator. We didn’t eat the chicks, just used three E rings.

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    • Good Morning, Sir Phil! Sorry for the late reply. I’m sure I was busy doing important things and am just now getting around to the massive pile of correspondence which needs answering.

      I would not purport to follow your thought process as I barely have one of my own. But I understand that one person’s “mundane” may very well be another’s “exciting”.

      I also understand Gini and I are spoiled brats which fortune has plunked down in the the midst of paradise.. Hope we don’t mess it up too much.

      Your gooseberry crumble just seems like petulant bragging. It also sounds scrumptious.

      You forced me to research the Florida Alicia further concerning its blooming times. From my understanding, it does not actually bloom at night, rather only in the early morning hours. On a cloudy day, it may bloom longer. From past encounters, on a sunny day, blooms have disappeared by 10:00 a.m.

      Baby Avocets! Nothing mundane about that! E rings sound preferable to the barbie. Especially if you’re an Avocet chick.

      Deep cleaning of salt flats mud and muck from shoes and equipment yesterday following an excursion to the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. Need another cuppa to begin processing 600+ images. I feel tired already.

      All the best from the two of us here in Paradise.

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  12. Very nice nature-y shots. So that’s what a little blue look like in adult plumage; I’ve only ever seen the juvenile versions. Thank you.

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  13. I especially like your flower photos in this post Wally – the focus, subject isolation, detail, and color are all superb!

    And thanks for the reminder about required gator photos. I’ve been lax, but haven’t been cited (yet).

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