Insects | Our Natural Places

Scratching An Itch

It is 0645. Sunrise. Not a hint of a breeze. The grass path is wet from last night’s rain. Or morning dew. Both. In the distance, Limpkins call from opposite ends...

Category: Birds, Flora, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: bandana of the everglades, black-bellied whistling-duck, black-crowned night heron, bulltongue arrowhead, butterflies, common gallinule, common green darner, dragonflies, great blue heron, great egret, hyacinth glider, itchepackesassa creek wetlands, long-tailed skipper, pin-tailed pondhawk, spicebush swallowtail, string lily, whirlabout, white ibis

Metamorphosis

I was recently reminded of a series of books developed for children which explained various aspects of science. That was a v-e-r-y long time ago, but one in particular stuck with...

Category: Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: butterfly, gulf fritillary, metamorphosis

Diversity Training

Once upon a time (stop me if you’ve heard this one), our primary consideration in planning an excursion into the Great Outdoors was limited to researching what birds might be found...

Category: Birds, Flora, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: black and yellow mud dauber, blue dasher, butterfly, colt creek state park, common buttonbush, dragonfly, great crested flycatcher, leaf-footed bug, leavenworth's tickseed, little blue heron, northern parula, pale meadowbeauty, purple passionflower, red-spotted purple, spurred butterfly pea, squirrel tree frog, wandering glider, wild turkey

Anticipation. One dictionary definition describes it as “pleasurable expectation”. As my memory cells fade into unreliability, a few still meld and conjure up examples of “pleasurable expectation”. Fishing trips. When I...

Category: Birds, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: blue dasher, cuban brown anole, eastern amberwing, eastern pondhawk, four-spotted pennant, green anole, hardee lakes park, needham's skimmer, pileated woodpecker, purple gallinule, red-bellied woodpecker, robber fly, roseate skimmer, slaty skimmer, sweat bee

On The Ridge

June in Florida. Very early in the morning, one can imagine the air still has the lingering coolness most people associate with spring. It’s a hallucination. If you take more...

Category: Birds, Fauna, Flora, Insects, Photography Tags: american white waterlily, arbuckle tract, bar-winged skimmer, bumble bee, butterfly milkweed, carolina satyr, eastern tiger swallowtail, eastern towhee, florida scrub jay, great crested flycatcher, green anole, lake wales ridge state forest, northern parula, red saddlebags, red-headed woodpecker, southeastern five-lined skink, summer tanager, tufted titmouse, wild turkey, yellow milkwort

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