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Plecia nearctica!

The season of the “Lovebug” is upon us. And upon the winshield. And upon the headlights. And upon the front bumper and grill and our faces and in our sandwiches. A plague one might think we would get used to since it occurs at the same time each year. I love bugs. I do not love Lovebugs. (If you’re interested, they are a type of fly in the Order Diptera.)

With the nasty bit out of the way, there we were once again visiting the Green Swamp. This time, it was a short trip in late afternoon. We continue to be amazed at the diversity of plant life to be found as we are still woefully short of rainfall. Flowers were plentiful in places but not yet abundant. Most blooms were busy hosting nectar-seeking insects.

Spring bird migration was still in progress and there were myriad calls, songs and warning cries. One more meal before sunset seemed to have our feathered friends flitting about the place with little regard for yours truly who was vainly attempting to chronicle their adventures.

Short but sweet. (She’s giving me THE LOOK.) Honest, I was referring to the trip.

A few things we encountered which held still for a moment. Click.

Southern Needleleaf (Tillandsia setacea) is an air plant in the Bromeliad family. One botanist has described its unkempt appearance high in the branches of oak trees as an airborne trash can, as it seems to accumulate all sorts of debris. Once you get past the scruffy looks, it has a remarkably beautiful bloom.

I almost stepped on this little dragon. The Little Blue Dragonlet (Erythrodiplax minuscula) is one of North America’s smallest dragonflies.

Often, one can smell its scent before spotting the bright yellow flowers of a Carolina Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens). CAUTION: Most parts of the plant are toxic.

We heard the clear whistling song of over a dozen White-eyed Vireos before finally finding one that held still for 1/2000 of a second.

The most abundant species of butterfly we found this evening were Crescents, which belong to the family of brush-footed butterflies. This is a Phaon Crescent (Phyciodes phaon) on Oakleaf Fleabane (Erigeron quercifolius). It has subtle differences to the similar Pearl Crescent shown at the beginning of the post.

The incredibly lovely Florida Bellflower (Rotanthella floridana) is a very small wildflower of damp meadows and marsh edges. Although it grows to 12-16 inches in height, it has very weak stems so is more often seen draped over neighboring plants. This beauty is endemic to Florida.

Quick! That bird is in the open! The Northern Parula is a woodland warbler which breeds in our area. At the moment, there are many dozens in the woods as the tourists are gathering for their return trip to more northerly nesting sites. The locals are not unhappy at their imminent departure. (“More bugs for us!”)

The adventure was short on time but long on pleasure. The shadows deepened as the sun sank toward the horizon and we agreed to return soon and linger longer in our favorite swamp.

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

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B3 – Our motto: “Birds, Blooms, Bugs”

B4 – Before

7 – Seven O’Clock

(It’s okay to shout “Bingo!” about now.)