Falling In The Afternoon
(Click on image to enlarge, click again to zoom.)
Previously, in “Falling In The Morning”, I alluded to the fact that Ranger Sunny provided a nugget of information which I had hoped to hear. It put into motion our plan to have a relatively short morning at Colt Creek State Park in order to return later in the day.
She let us know the lilies were blooming. One of those, the Pine (also known as Catesby’s) Lily is the largest member of the wild lily family in North America and mighty colorful. Additionally, she said there were Celestial Lilies also in bloom. That’s what I’d hoped for. These lovely flowers only bloom late in the day. Try to find them before 4 or 5 o’clock and all you’ll see is what could be blades of grass.
Again, thank you to our “Ranger Extraordinaire “! (She, along with the rest of the park staff and volunteers have been incredibly busy working to restore the damage caused by Hurricane Milton. Kudos to all who are helping.)
On the walk to an area where I had seen the lilies before, I ran across three different groups of butterflies “puddling”. They are able to extract minerals from damp ground which are vital to their health. A nice bonus appeared in the form of a Longhorn Bog Orchid.
Once our target lilies had been recorded, we still had about an hour before sunset so we wandered around a bit. It’s amazing how different the same landscape can appear at a different time of day. More flowers, birds, butterflies, a young alligator and more than a few deer rounded out an incredibly rewarding day enjoying nature.
Yes. Another American Alligator. A young one barely three feet long and quite colorful. The epitome of “cute“.
A new plant for us! I failed to get a decent photograph but hope to find a Longhorn Bog Orchid (Habenaria quinqueseta) again.
Our main target. The Celestial Lily (Nemastylis floridana). Dozens of these lovely flowers littered the pine forest this afternoon.
Puddling butterlies. Species in this group include Cloudless Sulphur (the yellow-green larger ones), Sleepy Orange (brighter yellow) and at least one Little Yellow (smallest one).
Big and boldly colored, it is always a delight to find the Pine (or Catesby’s) Lily (Lilium catesbae).
Just at sunset, White-tailed Deer begin to materialize from the edges of the forest to browse. Groups of does, fawns and first-year bucks remain together and mature bucks typically stay apart from these herds.
What a day! Florida autumns may not offer the awesome display of colorful foliage found further north, but we have a few specialties all our own of which to be proud. Gini and I “fall” for them every year.
Enjoy your search for a natural place and come back for a visit!
(Medical Update. Gini had successful heart valve replacement surgery last week and is resting well at home. Thank you so very much to all who wished her well.)
Our Natural Places 
I thoroughly enjoyed this pleasant afternoon walk, Wally. Wonderful narrative and photos.
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I’ve been hoping you would publish a new post. Today I decided I would jump back on this post to let you both know I am thinking about you today and praying for Gini. I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. Hugs, Diane
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Hi Wally,
Checking on both you and Ginny. How are things? I hope Ginny is fit as a fiddle before the festivities arrive.
Blessed healing vibes and hugs. Take care.
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Good to hear Gini’s replacement went well. Linda went through that several years ago up at Mayo. Such a dramatic improvement in her life as a result of the surgery, now able to keep up with the dogs, feels so much better and beyond the fact she ticks now (she sent mechanical valve), absolutely good as new (probably better ha). Make sure she is diligent about her cardiac rehab protocols.
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It definitely paid off to return later in the day. I’m glad you were able to find a cluster of Celestial Lillies in bloom. And so much more. But: Alligator and cute still don’t go together for me.
I hope Ginny continues to recover well.
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Thank you, Tanja. I guess “cute” really is in the eye of the beholder. Those lilies have become my favorite flower.
We appreciate your positive thoughts for Gini’s recovery. So far, so good.
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I’m glad Gini is doing well.
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Hello Wally and Gini. It was great to hear your medical update and I hope that Gini is now rested and almost ready to join in the trips to your wonderful venues. For my own part, inspiration is missing somewhat with a recent death in the in-law family, the usual bad weather and my focus on things political. The UK is in a sorry mess and some of us are working to rid the country of the communists who now have control.
Thankfully DT showed us the away to do it followed by a recent petition where almost 3 million people asked for a rerun of the July election.
I am currently reading Hillbilly Elegy, an inspiring read.
Best of luck you both. Maybe I will return to my blog soon. We are both well and looking forward to a cold Christmas and a Happy New Year.
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Gini’s recovery is not as quick as She would like, but it is proceeding pretty well. Driving on smooth roads is okay but our usual bumpy-lumpy backroads shall have to wait just a bit longer.
Our condolences on your recent loss. Never an easy event to process.
We’re still doing the Trump Dance around here. I don’t know if Nigel is your answer, but it certainly seems the populace is waking up – in the traditional meaning of the phrase. Communism/socialism has always looked great on paper: “You will own nothing but will be happy!”, but as long as more than one human being is involved in the process, there shall be conflict.
Blogging is still a bit lower on our priority list also at this time. Soon, we’ll both be birding, blogging and dancing again!
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Dear Wally and Ginny,
First of all a blessed thanksgiving week. I pray Ginny is feeling better now, after the surgery. Sending her loads of good vibes and healing hugs.
This was a magical walk. The baby croc looked stunning and there is something so divine about the celestial lillies.
The White-tailed deer look so handsome. 🙂
Take good care both of you. Stay warm.
I’m sharing a post I dropped recently on the rainforests on my blog.
Exploring Agumbe Rainforests | Learning Adventures in Nature’s Classroom
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Thank you very much, Natasha, for the great vibes and hugs! They are really appreciated.
We have a bit more to take care of before we’re back to the blogging universe, but overall things are good.
Thanksgiving is a terrific reminder of how much we take for granted but underscores the fact that Life-Is-Good!
Looking forward to savoring your latest post.
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Beautiful! I didn’t realize some of those don’t bloom until later in the day. I need to get out more later.
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Any flower that let’s me sleep late is a good flower.
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I’m so glad that Gini has had the operation and is resting now. I hope she has a window to look out to enjoy these beautiful time of year. I love the lilies you saw! WOW! And look at all of the beautiful deer. I get so excited when I see them. Happy Fall! Hugs to you both!
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Thank you so much Diane.
Gini’s been watching the back yard visitors: Eastern Phoebe, new Cardinal family, Tufted Titmice, Carolina Chickadee, Mourning Dove, Whitewinged Dove and Downy Woodpeckers.
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Best wishes to Gini as she recovers, and hope you are bringing her some sunflowers and rhubarb pie or blueberry muffins to brighten her day. Your puddling butterflies are charming, and I love the angle of the shot, showing their wings like bright sails on a lake. The Celestial Lily is wonderful – I’ve never seen one, and had no idea such a species existed. And I’m looking forward to more surprise orchids – you two have the gift of clear eyes and close examination!
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Thank you very much, Sam.
Gini’s doing well. Looking forward to a long ride in the country with the windows open. Soon.
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Thank you so much for the Gini update. I hope that she recovers quickly and can stay out of the medico’s clutches. And thank you immensely for sharing a wonderful day. I am not certain that cute is the word I would have chosen for the young alligator though.. Yes, I know, I am a wimp.
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Thank you so much, EC. We appreciate your kind thoughts.
I reckon you’d have to see that little ‘gator’s Mom to think he’s “cute”.
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My goodness! Look at all the “same, but different” species here! Your Habenaria quinqueseta made me run for my photos. I wasn’t certain of the genus of ours, but that green color was unmistakable. Sure enough, our water spider orchid, Habenaria repens, is a pretty green genus mate of yours.
The pine lily is gorgeous. Again, the colors are similar to our Carolina lily, although the growth habit of our uncommon Lilium michauxii is somewhat different. Carolina lily’s limited to a very few counties in deep east Texas and the Florida panhandle, but it looks from the maps as though your pine lily is widespread.
I envy your finding of the celestial lily. Our so-called prairie celestial is in the same genus (Nemastylis geminiflora), and looks almost identical, except for color. I hoped to find some this year, but failed. It’s interesting that your celestial lily blooms in the afternoon; the prairie celestial opens late morning and closes by mid-afternoon. It’s a springtime bloomer, too — March, April, and May.
Those are some fine looking deer. We’re still so warm that the rut is late this year. In certain quarters, frustration abounds!
Now, the most important note: somehow I missed that Gini was scheduled for another surgery. I’m glad she’s home, and I hope her recovery’s uncomplicated. Clearly, she’s not going to be tossing a hefty Thanksgiving turkey around, but it sounds like there will be a lot to give thanks for.
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Turns out we have two more species of Habenaria to find in our immediate area and one more a little further south. They blend in too well with all the other green stuff.
It’s hard not to like the relatively large and bright Catesby’s Lily. Pretty startling among the normally drab grasses and palmettoes of the pine savanna. We’re in love with the Celestial Lily. Probably the fact we have to wait for the right time of year as well as the right time of day to find them.
Yeah, hunters are whining here, too, as Hurricane Milton left much of the hunting territory flooded. Still standing water in a lot of the area.
Regarding hefting a turkey, you clearly do not know Gini. Sigh.
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Those butterflies could pass for leaves on a vine spreading along the ground.
Glad you found your celestials, which look similar to the prairie celestials (Nemastylis geminiflora) in central Texas. And your deer look similar to ours, which is no surprise, given that they’re the same species.
Happy new orchid for you, and Catesby’s lily for me (via your photograph).
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There was more than one group of “puddling” butterflies, all along the same trail and all with a similar mix of species.
We were happy to find the “fall” lilies in bloom. Since there is no hunting within the park, the deer have learned it’s safe to browse in the open. Much to the delight of some photographers.
Wild orchids are usually a happy accident. Finding a new species is really special for us. Our pleasure to introduce you to Catesby’s.
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Did the puddling lead to muddling of the water?
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I found no evidence of muddling while puddling. Neither did I find that all that fluttering produced no buttering, despite confirmation with my eyes all the participants were butterflies.
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You could double-check, except probably by now all the butterflies will have butterflown away
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Nice photos 🙂
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Thank you!
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