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“One of the Forever Gifts …”*

(Click on images to enlarge, click again to zoom.) Here we are again. We don’t exactly know each tree by their name, but we know we are among friends. The arching branches provide shade for our late morning breakfast. A breeze by itself makes no sound, but when it rustles pine needles above our heads it gives the impression of waves breaking along the shore of our souls. No matter how ingenious… Read More

Category: Birds, Flora, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: bahaman aster, blue-eyed grass, blue-gray gnatcatcher, carolina desert-chicory, cloudless sulphur, common ground dove, common yellow stargrass, downy woodpecker, eastern leaf-footed bug, four-petal st. johnswort, leavenworth's tickseed, little yellow, mexican primrosewillow, north american racer, northern parula, oakleaf fleabane, prairie/savanna lily, red admiral, regal jumping spider, savannah sparrow, spotless lady beetle, walter's viburnum, yellow-rumped warbler, yellow-throated warbler

Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

(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

Blooms Among The Pines

(Gini and I have just returned from a week-long road trip to southwest Florida. We wanted a change of venue to celebrate our 56th wedding anniversary. Instead of exploring the familiar swamps near home, where else would a couple of native Floridian nature lovers go for such a momentous celebration than — bigger swamps? More to come. In the meantime, this post will be a description of our visit to a favorite… Read More

Category: Birds, Flora, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: black-and-white warbler, blue-gray gnatcatcher, coastal plain honeycombhead, deer fly, florida toadflax, lake wales ridge state forest, lupine, netted pawpaw, northern parula, pileated woodpecker, pine warbler, pinebarren frostweed, rabbitbells, sawtooth blackberry, shiny blueberry, shortleaved rosemary, sweetscent

Shades of Green

(Click on images to enlarge, click again to zoom.) Spring. According to the calendar, it will be here next week, arriving precisely at 11:06 p.m. on March 19, 2024. Nature. It adheres to it’s very own schedule, every day of the year. I reckon it may be useful (?) to know that on the date and time above there will be an equal amount of day and night. Equinox. Plan accordingly. So,… Read More

Category: Birds, Flora, Florida, Photography Tags: blackeyed susan, blue-gray gnatcatcher, blue-headed vireo, brown-headed nuthatch, carolina chickadee, floating bladderwort, green swamp, northern cardinal, pine savanna, red maple, smallfruit beggartick, turkey-tail, yellow-rumped warbler

Spring In Winter

(Click images to enlarge, click again to zoom.) Good news and bad news. The good news: Our central Florida winter has not had any days below freezing. That means we have been pretty comfortable as we explore. The bad news: Our central Florida winter has not had any days below freezing. That means mosquito larvae have not suffered much degradation and there will soon be many hungry adults looking for a feast…. Read More

Category: Birds, Fauna, Flora, Florida, Photography Tags: bald eagle, blue-gray gnatcatcher, burmarigold, climbing aster, double-crested cormorant, eastern phoebe, indian blanket, limpkin, opossum, osprey, rosary pea, yellow-rumped warbler

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