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It’s a beautiful day in our neighborhood patch. The pink/purple/orange dawn sky was clear. Relative humidity was 45% (amazing for Florida!). No wind. Cool air invited one to breathe in deeply. Regular flights of commuters were right on schedule as flocks of White Ibises, Cattle Egrets and Double-crested Cormorants moved from roosts to feeding spots. Quartets of Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks whistled at us as they swooped low overhead. Just like the animals we… Read More
(Note: We’re changing to a somewhat more stable header image which will probably be some sort of generic Florida habitat display.) We love exploring new places. The excitement of finding something different. Anticipating new birds, blooms and bugs. The unknown – what’s around the next bend? Today is not like that. Today is relaxing with a good friend as she and I talk about our grandson’s recent visit, our son’s European trip,… Read More
Header Image: Spotted Beebalm (Monarda punctata) Early morning sunshine illuminated the forest’s shadowy places and dried the dampness left by last night’s dew. Insects roused from their torpor to start their daily routine of survival. Just above the bugs on the food chain, hungry birds also began their daily routine of survival. Slightly next in line on that food chain thing, a couple of humans raised binoculars in unison to watch the… Read More
Category: Birds, Fauna, Flora, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: band-winged dragonlet, barred yellow, camphorweed, carolina wren, eastern amberwing, eastern bluebird, eastern pondhawk, giant swallowtail, gophter tortoise, great pondhawk, ovenbird, roseate skimmer, royal river cruiser, showy rattlebox, snowy egret, southern green-striped grasshopper, spicebush swallowtail, spotted beebalm, tenoroc fish management area, wild hogs
Header Image: Prairie Warbler Autumn. In many parts of the world, seasons are marked by distinct, often visible changes. Green in spring, white in winter, bright warm days of summer and colorful leaves in autumn. In our sub-tropical environment here in central Florida, we had to invent the calendar in order to keep up with what season we were experiencing. It is now (looking over at the wall calendar) “autumn”. Gini and… Read More
Category: Birds, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: barred yellow, blue-gray gnatcatcher, common ground dove, fiery skipper, hyacinth glider, indigo bunting, northern parula, prairie warbler, red-shouldered hawk, spicebush swallowtail, tenoroc public use area, tufted titmouse, two-striped forceptail green lynx spider
Are the drops on the leaves and blades of grass from dew or last night’s rainfall? It doesn’t matter. They reflect the morning sunlight as though a thousand prisms had been scattered about. Photographers are told the best time to experience the most favorable light outdoors is an hour before and after sunrise and sunset – “The Golden Hour”. This was more like “The Rainbow Hour”. Gini said the landscape looked like… Read More
Category: Birds, Fauna, Flora, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: barred yellow, black-bellied whistling-duck, ceraunus blue, clouded skipper, dorantes longtail, four-spotted pennant, halloween pennant, limpkin, little yellow, needham's skimmer, ornate bella moth, rambur's forktail, tenoroc public use area, tricolored heron, variable dancer, whirlabout, white ibis, white m hairstreak
Our Natural Places 