Resting “In The Grace of the World”*
(Click on images to enlarge, click again to zoom.)
“Withlacoochee”. I like the sound. I really like the river. The name may have evolved from Native American for “crooked river”, an apt description. Florida’s Withlacoochee River bubbles up within the depths of the Green Swamp and winds its way north and west for 140 miles where it empties into the Gulf of Mexico. It is a beautiful waterway.
Near the place where the Withlacoochee begins, Gini and I spend a lot of time exploring. It is quiet. Well, no, it really is not. It is devoid of human-originated noise. The orchestral composition of birds, insects, alligator growls and scolding squirrels – well, that is our kind of music.
We seldom see very many “wild animals” in this wilderness. The soft sand of the backroads tells us who lives here. Raccoon, opossum, white-tailed deer – these are the most common tracks we see. Less frequently found are the paw-prints of coyotes and the rounded image of a bobcat foot. We know the black bear resides within the vast forest but have yet to see one.
So, despite the presence of danger constantly surrounding us, we amble along and are contented with much tamer life forms. On this day in June, we spent time among a riot of color, bountiful bird beauty and incredibly interesting insects.
Normal summer rainfall has helped replenish the aquifer underneath the swamp, produced numerous clear creeks and enhanced the floral beauty we have come to love so much. The world contains much to make us feel depressed or angry. It also offers many natural oases where we may rest in its grace.
There are a half-dozen species of Rhexia in our area and I’m trying to be more diligent about trying to separate them. Not much luck so far. I’m calling this one Pale Meadowbeauty (Rhexia mariana), well, just because I can.
Gini heard it before she saw it. Typical. Soon, the bright red Summer Tanager gave us a glimpse as it chased bugs in the upper story of the tree canopy. Eventually, it hopped out in plain view to serenade us with a lovely loud burble for a moment.
Interesting bug. Interesting plant. A female Blue Dasher (Pachydiplax longipennis) on Bighead Rush (Juncus megacephalus).
Florida lists 30 (!) species of Ludwigia. Several are non-native plants imported for the landscape industry. Many of the natives are quite similar in appearance. Fortunately, this Narrowleaf Primrose-Willow (Ludwigia linearis) is easy to identify and we think it’s quite beautiful.
With lovely lavender arms open wide and a nice white runway, what pollinator could resist visiting the Spurred Butterfly-pea (Centrosema virginianum)?
Another red bird! This time, the abundant Northern Cardinal.
Brown. Orange. Gold. All have been used to describe the color of a Needham’s Skimmer (Libellula needhami). Handsome, no matter what you call it.
The Palamedes Swallowtail (Papilio palamedes) is one of the larger black swallowtails in our area and is fairly common throughout the southeastern U.S.
A few years ago, we were fortunate to find both Yellow Milkwort (Polygala rugelli) and Orange Milkwort (Polygala lutea) within a quarter-mile of each other. Each year since, they have returned to those same spots. The former is endemic to Florida while P. lutea is found in several southeastern states. (Some sources indicate these have now been placed in the genus Senega.)
Winged Loosestrife (Lythrum alatum). The flowers are somewhat small. The leaves remind me of Rosemary. Various references say the blooms are purple, lavender or pink. The bottom line, for me, is this abundant wildflower is simply gorgeous.
Formerly in the genus Gaura, the Southern Beeblossom (Oenothera simulans) has very small blooms which are white early in the season and eventually become more pink. Enjoy them early as they tend to fade as the day progresses.
Gini thinks this Yellow-eyed Grass (Xiris spp.) looks like a tiny flower atop an equally tine pine cone. Who am I to argue?
There are several species of camphorweed in Florida and none are reported to have a wonderful aroma, which some describe as akin to mothballs. This one is the Rosy Camphorweed (Pluchea baccharis). What it lacks in scent it makes up for in lovely pale green foliage and soft pink flowers.
A unique critter. This is a solitary wasp which digs a tunnel where an insect is buried into which an egg is laid. When the baby wasp hatches, it has plenty to eat. Good thing, too, since Mama doesn’t do any parenting after the egg is laid. Great Golden Digger Wasp (Sphex ichneumoneus) on Mohr’s Thoroughwort (Eupatorium mohrii).
The swamp surrounding the “Crooked River” has certainly been a wonderful venue for us to explore. We look forward to many more adventures there. It is truly a place where we can “rest in the grace of the world”.
Enjoy your search for a natural place and come back for a visit!
*The Peace of Wild Things by Wendell Berry https://onbeing.org/poetry/the-peace-of-wild-things/
Our Natural Places 
I am seeing bad pictures and reels from FL. Stay safe and well. We are with you friends and cousins.
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Thanks to your positive thoughts, we had very little damage from Comrade Milton. Now, if you could just make your way across that small pond with a rake and large supply of trash bags, we will know you are a true friend of the Colonies!
Gini and I are well and hope the same may be said for you and Sue.
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Here we go again! I’m keeping you both in my prayers this week…and all of our beautiful state of Florida! Hugs, Diane
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Thanks, Diane! And you’re in our prayers, too.
Lots of strong wind gave us more small branches to clean up and knocked down a fence we’ll have to fix one day. Didn’t lose power and came through just fine.
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Dear Gini, dear Wally,
I’m a few weeks behind on reading this post and I can’t help but wonder how you are. I hope you survived Helene without too much damage and that Milton won’t be too destructive for you either.
It makes me very sad to imagine what happens not only to people and their homes, but also to all the other wonderful creatures that populate your home state (and your blog posts).
Thinking of you and wishing you well,
Tanja
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Thank you for the well-wishing thoughts, Tanja.
Just like nature and its creatures, we are all subject to the ravages of time, tide and that weather thing. And, just like nature, we bounce right back.
No big problems from either hurricane, except a sore back from raking small branches.
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I’m glad to know that you didn’t suffer too much damage from the hurricanes, Wally. Thank you for letting me know.
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Thank YOU for the positive thoughts!
We’re doing well. Tired of raking limbs and leaves, but that’s the price we pay to live in Paradise.
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I hope your sore arms and backs recover, just as I hope your prediction of nature bouncing back will prove true.
And may the hurricane season end soon!
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It is always a special day when one is filled with a Summer Tanager..at least in my book. They pass through rather quickly on the migration and if not timed right, never to be seen again during the year (no idea why, but NEVER see them passing back through in the fall migration). That Wasp is very intriguing. Had an experience with a Tarantula Hawk in Arkansas which has a very similar parenting approach except with large spiders as the host. Both sport orange by the way, must be the calling color of Wasps that paralyze their baby food. Not sure about your species, but mine has a sting that ranks right up there in the top 5-10 of all species.
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We’re lucky that the Summer Tanager spends all year in our area. Still, it’s startling to see that bright red in those green pines.
This big wasp is one of our favorites. Good news. The female has very weak venom and seldom stings humans and the male – he doesn’t even have a stinger! My kinda wasp.
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Stellar photo of the Blue Dasher on his Bighead Rush – the repeated maroons are wonderful. I’ve been thinking of you two, hoping that Helene’s progress was northerly enough to spare you the worst of her tantrums. Mother Nature being what she is, though, I’m sure that, even if momentarily disturbed, her grace will return.
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Thanks, Sam.
Madame Helene spawned some wind and rain which caused localized flooding nearby but the house was not affected. Will need a roof inspection as we had 24 hours of 50+ mph gusts breaking off oak tree limbs which felt like we were on a bombin range. A few shingles displaced but extremely minor stuff compared to all those who were in Her direct path.
Indeed, the grace shall return.
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There are so many wildflowers blooming right now and that brings butterflies and bees! I hope the weather improves this week. Take care and hugs to you and Gini both!
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Thank you, Diane.
Doggone medical appointments getting in the way of important nature outings. We appreciate those hugs!
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Lovely post. Found your link on Wildlife Intrigued.
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Thank you, Jet.
We are happy you found us! Posts are a bit unscheduled lately but should return to normal by this time next year.
Oh, wait. We never have been normal.
Welcome anyhow!
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Thank you so much, Wally.
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We have a swamp like that here. We call it Labour Government. A bunch of Marxists disguised as democrats who hate old folk because old folk are small c conservatives who have seen socialism in action, unlike the younger generation.
Your Summer Tanagers are incredibly red. That, followed by the blue dasher made me gasp at such colour on our first but grey, rainy day back in England. Yes, we have been in Greece at 30 degrees as you probably guessed. We saw Swallowtails in Skiathos but very few birds. The island is just not on a migration route, rather more, a destination for lost souls seeking to escape from that event which recently took place in Britain. I
I do hope that Gini is doing OK and with your continuing love and devotion, will be fully well soon. For now, Sue is unpacking the honey and ouzo and I am busy on the keyboard.
Best wishes from the Socialist Upopia of Once Great Britain where a 20% man can become a world statesman, allegedly.
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Similar swamps abound around the world.
That Tanager was Gini’s first to give her a really good look, so she was happy the rest of the day.
I know it must have been tempting to seek a way of not having to return to the not-so-United Kingdom. I would be in the same boat when considering a return to the not-so-United States.
However, as my Dad used to say, “Us infernal optimists need to keep spouting Common Sense in the hope the Morons of the World may one day see the light.” I fear that light continues to fade.
Tests next Wednesday for The Beautiful One then waiting to be assigned a slot for surgery. Small trips until then.
From one involuntary Socialist Utopian to another – Cheers!
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a beautiful post
thank you
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Thank you, Sandi, for taking the time to look at our post and say something nice. We really appreciate it.
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Love your first picture of that flycatcher! Barb and I have fished that river a few times over they years. Hope to get out on it again this winter!
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Well, now you stirred up some big Bluegill memories. It’s a beautiful waterway.
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And I like the sound of Wothlacoochee too ‘coz I love all things/beings Indigenous.
Stunning photos as always and a serene walk to boot. I got the grounding I needed, and a dose of nature that I’ve missed.
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Withlacoochew**
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I need to get some sleep😅😂 my typos are insane. Good night Gini and Wally. Take good care. Ease and peace always.
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If typos are all we have to worry about, we are in a good place, indeed.
Sweet Dreams.
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Thank you very much, Natasha.
Grounding and a dose of Nature are good things to have.
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I do love those red birds! 😍
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So do we!
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I didn’t need to consult the asterisk; that’s one of the first Wendell Berry poems I found, and I’ve loved it ever since.
These are wonderful photos. I seem to have lost the ability to produce sharp images, even though I have in the past. I suspect erratic time with the camera’s responsible, and that the issue will resolve in time. That said, these certainly provide motivation!
I really like the unusual framing of the butterfly pea. I have an image of one in my current post, but I took a more traditional approach. Our winged loosestrife’s time seems to be over now, to my regret and that of the pollinators that visit it. I was most intrigued by the Bighead Rush; is that the flower the dragonfly is perched on, or a seedhead?
The Rhexia, milkwort, and yellow-eyed grass are making me miss east Texas. Gini’s description of the grass is on target!
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Mr. Berry can certainly turn a phrase.
Thank you for the compliment on the photos. Practice makes perfection appear nearer – sometimes.
The dragon is perched on a flower. The blooms are initially green and turn reddish-brown as they mature.
Note, this trip was in early June, although a trip to the area a couple of days ago revealed most of the same plants are still blooming.
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Beautiful details in those tiny blooms! Looks like a great walk.
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Thank you, Dina.
Yep, it was a very nice morning. Well, except for the humidity, heat, skeeters – you know, the usual.
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That bright red of the male cardinal and tanager sure stand out against the greenery. Likewise for the violet of the pea flower and the yellow and red of the Ludwigia before that. Excellent closeups of the dragonflies and wasp. Kudos for catching the flying flycatcher.
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Thank you, Steve.
It may be called the “Green” Swamp, but it certainly contains a wonderful variety of other colors.
We waited for awhile, hoping the flycatcher would return with a beak full of bugs, but no joy.
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Thank you so much for the grace and beauty that you so generously share with us.
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You are very welcome, EC.
Gini and I hope your new week will be pain free and filled with peace.
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Stunning colour on that Tanager and the flora is beautiful and photographed so well. That certainly is a lovely place to rest (if you remove alligators, bears etc).
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Thanks, Brian.
It really is a great place to explore. If we removed the creatures the place would be overrun by those two-legged animals which are far more dangerous (and annoying)!
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