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We arrived at Lake Apopka just before “official” sunrise. Of course, the fog obscured the sun completely. It was now about three hours later and the marsh was awash in sunshine, skies were nearly clear and the natural world was beginning to make up for the daylight delay. It’s a bit eerie how fog dissipates. Like clock watching. (Remember analog clocks?) We know the hands are moving but can’t actually detect any… Read More
Header Image: Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis) Why does a plain boiled egg taste better when consumed under the branches of a huge oak tree in the middle of a forest where no sound of man can be heard? Following our wading bird extravaganza as we paused at one end of the old bridge over the Little Withlacoochee River, we found a nice clearing for brunch just beyond the other end. Lush Resurrection… Read More
Lake Apopka was essentially a dead lake in the 1960’s. Damage from pesticides and large-scale fertilizer runoff from muck farms was thought to be irreparable. To visit this area today is enough to make you believe in miracles. If we did not know the lake’s history, we would assume we were enjoying one of Florida’s premier birding locations and prime water recreation destinations. So much has been done to reclaim Lake Apopka… Read More
Header Image: Field of Purple Passionflowers We spent a couple of hours the other day ambling through one of our our favorite venues, Colt Creek State Park. Twenty minutes from the house, it is an easy decision to go often. Located on the edge of the vast Green Swamp, the habitat of pine and mixed hardwood forest, a couple of lakes, a couple of creeks, a bit of wetland, some open grassy… Read More