We have turned back the clock to mid-July. I guess it is a testament of sorts to how busy we have been that there are several trips which have gone unreported. As we have an opportunity, we shall attempt to catch up.
Weather-wise, today in the first week of September, it could just as easily be the middle of July. High temperatures, equally high humidity. Regularly scheduled thunderstorms. We recognize that the calendar has advanced as we are beginning to see warblers arriving in small numbers with their autumn suitcases packed with plumage for warm climes. Additionally, our Swallow-tailed Kites have left the area in favor of insect rich pampas in Argentina. Recently, we were rudely reminded that it is actually late summer as Hurricane Idalia raced northward along Florida’s western coast.
Back to mid-July. We had brunch by the lake as a Limpkin stalked an Apple Snail. Overhead, we were entertained by the aerial prowess of a Swallow-tailed Kite. An alligator peered at us from just beyond the shoreline. Gini remarked it was difficult to believe we had been exploring for two hours already.
Time flies …
The intense heat would soon encourage us to seek the air-conditioned refuge of our living room. Until then, we would immerse ourselves in close encounters of the natural kind. We have been to this area often enough that we could almost list what we would see before ever leaving home. Once here, it’s like greeting old friends. We know the address of a butterfly, the branch office of a dragon, the wading pool frequented by the egret.
It was a summer’s day. We loved it.
This bright male Northern Cardinal forced me to break my “cardinal” rule of not including photographs of birds on utility lines.
It was still a bit too early for warm air thermals to support the Swallow-tailed Kite’s preference for soaring. This one likely spent the night on this branch.
We don’t care that the Gulf Fritillary (Dione incarnata) is one of our most abundant butterflies. It is absolutely gorgeous from any angle!
A twig charred from a recent controlled burn makes a perfect ambush platform for this female Roseate Skimmer (Orthemis ferruginea).
So small that it could be mistaken for a wasp, especially when it flies with legs dangling, the diminutive Eastern Amberwing (Perithemis tenera) hopes would-be predators do exactly that.
Although it is not quite as bright as its Gulf cousin, a Variegated Fritillary (Euptoieta claudia) has a subtle beauty all its own.
It’s hard to believe one could not help but see a brightly colored lime-green spider just sitting out in the open. Unless it is sitting on a similarly-colored leaf where it blends in rather nicely. This Green Lynx Spider (Peucetia viridans) hopes an insect morsel won’t notice it either.
One of our larger black butterflies, a Spicebush Swallowtail (Pterourus troilus) has really striking markings.
Many of the lakes in this particular area are too deep for wading birds. Recent rains have created large puddles which attract all sorts of creatures, including this Snowy Egret which is busy looking for some of the smaller creatures enjoying the pool.
North America’s smallest falcon, the American Kestrel, is fascinating to observe. We were able to watch this one hunt from a fence perch and then from the air as it hovered and then streaked along just above a grassy field.
Our morning outing in hot July was incredibly enjoyable. Just like our outing in hot August. Very much like our outing in hot September. We’re confident cooler days are just around the hot, humid bend.
Enjoy your search for a natural place and come back for a visit!
Header Image: Carolina Wren
(Weather Note: Hurricane Idalia passed a couple of hundred miles west of us this past Tuesday and Wednesday. We experienced periodic intense rainfall and gusty winds up to about 50 mph. We are safe and had no problems. Please keep all those along the storm’s path who suffered damage and the many who are still without electric power today in your thoughts.)
Our morning in the Lake Wales Ridge State Forest has been glorious. We’ve had encounters with flora and fauna which grabbed our attention and we focused intently on specific subjects. We also took time to just relax and realize how fortunate we are to be able to enjoy this vast garden of delights which almost overwhelms our senses with sights, sounds, aromas, textures – truly an emotional experience. Small wonder we keep returning.
Thank you for indulging us as we shared bits of our visit. Although it’s time to head home, we know we shall return soon to – The Ridge.
Visiting an area containing several thousand acres of natural resources to explore is not available to everyone. Hopefully, you can find even a small spot where you may indulge your senses in the enjoyment of a blooming wildflower, the fluttering of a butterfly, a bird singing just for your ears, a sunset. In such moments, we should all be able to agree: Life Is Good.
Enjoy your search for a natural place and come back for a visit!
Header Image: Great Crested Flycatcher
We had been spotted by a gang and were soon surrounded. Either side of the path was covered with dense Saw Palmetto as far as the eye could see. Our only choice was to forge ahead and hope we would not be assaulted.
Late summer in Florida. Some of our smaller avian citizens begin to form in mixed groups as they prepare for long migratory flights to Central and South America. This morning, after our brunch by the lake, we struck out to explore. A loud group made up of Tufted Titmouse, Carolina Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Northern Parula, Downy Woodpecker and Great Crested Flycatcher let us know we had been detected. Truth be told, they were already in the area scouring for insects and they simply squawked a bit to let the rest of the forest know we were out and about.
This tract of the Lake Wales Ridge State Forest consists of one dirt road which runs straight for about five miles. Most of the time, we must turn around at a locked gate and return the same way we came. Which is fine with us. There are several parking spots and multiple trails to explore. Taking a path in one direction will lead to the shore of large Lake Arbuckle. An alternate trail sends you through upland pine forest. Choose differently to explore low-growing scrub oak and saw palmetto terrain. Follow a creek among large hardwood trees such as oak, hickory, sweetgum and magnolia.
This diverse habitat is a magnet for an incredible variety of flora and fauna. It’s why we are here.
We only spent about four hours in the forest on this day. I know we have shared quite a few images and there will be one more segment before we move along to another area. We hope you don’t mind how much we have shared. Hopefully, you understand why.
Enjoy your search for a natural place and come back for a visit!
Header Image: Brown-headed Nuthatch
“Rubber Ducky!”
We were meandering along the forest road toward Lake Godwin, a small lake surrounded by Longleaf Pine trees and Saw Palmetto understory. Gini’s sharp ears heard the squeaky calls of Brown-headed Nuthatches as they foraged among the tops of the pines. Late summer finds these gregarous birds remaining in loose family groups, sometimes with two or three families intermingled. In typical nuthatch fashion, the little birds ran down tree trunks and hung upside down to investigate pine cones for an insect snack.
Our morning in the Lake Wales Ridge State Forest continued to be a relaxing, slow-motion type of exploration and discovery. Lake Godwin is our “brunch spot”. After our snack we breathed deeply and realized this could easily become our “take a nap spot”. In the distance we (mostly Gini) could hear the calls of Sandhill Cranes, Red-headed/Red-bellied/Downy woodpeckers, White-eyed Vireos and the non-stop admonition of Eastern Towhees to “drink-your-teeeeeaaa”. Natural pine air freshener seems so different than the concoction sprayed from a can.
Flowers were the highlight of the day. In another few weeks, migratory birds will begin to arrive in small numbers and by October there will be over 50 species of birds enjoying all the forest has to offer. In the meantime, resident birds and an incredibly diverse selection of blooms and bugs will suit us just fine.
Our day in the forest has been so rewarding. Forgotten is the hectic pace demanded of one on a crowded highway, in a supermarket, keeping up with current events. Instead, our focus on Nature has united our souls in a common bond of appreciation and serenity.
More Ridge adventures ahead.
Enjoy your search for a natural place and come back for a visit!
Header Image: Florida Scrub Jay
Wisps of fog hugged the pastures. Still just below the horizon, the sun was turning the eastern sky pink as we drove past the fields of drowsy cattle and moved through several miles of orange groves. Big Lake Reedy loomed to the north as we turned eastward toward the even larger Lake Arbuckle. We slowed to scan the wetlands on either side of the road and made the turn south onto Rucks Dairy Road. In another mile, we would enter the Arbuckle Tract of the Lake Wales Ridge State Forest.
But first, an impossibly blue White-mouthed Dayflower demanded our attention.
Millions of years in the past, what is now called the state of Florida was covered by water. Tectonic shifting eventually pushed land masses around and the southeastern peninsula of North America began to form. As ancient seas receded, sands were deposited and formed a ridge along the north-south axis of the state. The largest remnant of this activity is now called the Lake Wales Ridge as it extends about 50 miles north and south of the community of the same name.
Over the past 20 million years, this spine of sand dunes became a haven for all sorts of land life forms as the surrounding area was still under water. Eventually, the oceans uncovered the remaining part of Florida just in time for the tourists to arrive. In the meantime, a plethora of unique flora and fauna flourished among the groves of scrub oak trees, upland pine forests, saw palmetto, white sand and many fresh-water ponds of The Ridge.
Human beings went about developing the area for agriculture, cattle ranching, housing and, of course, that most important of commodities, huge venues to keep us entertained. A few radical thinkers looked around and said: “Hey, what about the Sand Skink?” Naturally, they were shouted down. In time, more radical thinkers discovered the Florida Scrub Jays were living in ever more crowded conditions and someone decided to set aside a bit of land where bugs, birds and blooms which couldn’t survive anywhere else could eke out an existence.
On this day, Gini and I spent a wonderful morning along the Lake Wales Ridge.
Join us.
So much to see. This is one of our favorite areas for exploring nature. At any time of year, we find something unique, something beautiful, something to talk about. Stick around. There is more to come.
Enjoy your search for a natural place and come back for a visit!
Additional Information
State Forest ( https://www.fdacs.gov/Forest-Wildfire/Our-Forests/State-Forests/Lake-Wales-Ridge-State-Forest)
Our Natural Places 