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(Click on images to enlarge, click again to zoom.) I saw a pretty red flower. Gini whispered: “That’s an orchid.” We were enjoying the final leg of our anniversary road trip. About 30 minutes north of our hotel in Naples, Florida, is the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Consisting of over 13,000 acres, the sanctuary is a testament to citizen action to preserve an ecological treasure. Logging threatened to completely destroy what remained… Read More
Category: Birds, Fauna, Flora, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: american alligator, blue dasher, blue-gray gnatcatcher, bretonica peluda, brown anole, bulltongue arrowhead, buttonbush, cardinal airplant, chapman's arrowhead, corkscrew swamp sanctuary, cypress tree, great crested flycatcher, green magnolia jumping spider, leafy beaked ladiestresses, mexican primrosewillow, nuttall's thistle, orchid, pickerelweed, prairie/savanna iris, purple thistle, rabbitbells, rice button aster, southern dewberry, strangler fig, virginia sweetspire, white ibis, yellow-crowned night heron
The sound of nature can be incredibly silent. We scanned in all directions and saw no sign of human existence. We strained to listen in all directions and heard no sound made by a human being. No traffic noise. No sirens. No electronic emissions disguised as “music”. No one yelling at someone. The wet prairie of sawgrass, reeds, palm trees and cypress trees awakened gradually as the sun rose higher. Barred Owls… Read More
Streaks of light from the sun rising above the cypress trees lit up the opposite shore of the lake where a Great Blue Heron and Great Egret were wading in search of breakfast. Stepping onto the wooden fishing platform caused a splash from below my feet. A young alligator surfaced several feet into the lake and gave me “the look”. An Osprey splashed just to the right and flew away with a… Read More
Category: Birds, Flora, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: barred yellow, blue dasher, blue-gray gnatcatcher, clay-colored sparrow, common yellowthroat, eastern phoebe, loggerhead shrike, pine warbler, red-shouldered hawk, salt marsh moth larva, snail, tropical checkered-skipper, yellow-throated warbler
(Reminder: Click to enlarge, click again to zoom on images.) During the first week of September, Gini and I spent a morning roaming around the Richloam Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The location is part of the Withlacoochee River State Forest and is within a portion of the vast Green Swamp. It’s about a 30 minute drive north of our house so we visit frequently. As we enter the area, we pass by… Read More
Category: Flora, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: blue dasher, blue waterhyssop, common eastern bumble bee, crane fly, dorantes longtail, eastern amberwing, great black digger wasp, mole cricket hunter wasp, needham's skimmer, pearl crescent, pinebarren goldenrod, red-femured spotted orbweaver, richloam wma, skyflower, yaupon holly
(Reminder: Click to enlarge images, click again to zoom.) Gini and I tend to develop a routine when it comes to exploring. When we become familiar with a particular area through repeated visits, a pattern becomes “comfortable“. Today’s visit to one of our favorite “patches” is a perfect example. Tenoroc Fish Management Area is spread out over several geographically separated venues and consists of nearly 8,000 acres. That is a bit more… Read More
Category: Birds, Flora, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: american redstart, band-winged dragonlet, barn swallow, barred yellow, blue dasher, carolina chickadee, goldern-reined digger wasp, great pondhawk, green anole, green lynx spider, northern parula, northern waterthrush, olive-shaded bird-dropping moth, roseate skimmer, salt marsh moth larva, savannah false pimpernel, tenoroc fish management area, turkey vulture, variegated fritillary, viceroy, white peacock
Our Natural Places 