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Morning In The Wetlands

I gave up wearing hiking boots. For one thing, my days of going on lengthy hikes over rough terrain are in my rear view mirror. Water-resistant linings and treatments for preventing water soaking through footwear can be somewhat helpful, but walking through Florida’s eternally wet grass is pretty much like wading a stream and your feet are just going to get wet. So I now have a pair of very comfortable shoes… Read More

Category: Birds, Fauna, Flora, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: bandanna of the everglades, black-crowned night heron, blue dasher, bumble bee, common buttonbush, eastern gama grass, eastern pondhawk, great blue heron, great egret, itchepackesassa creek wetlands, marsh rabbit, pickerelweed, purple gallinule, queen, rambur's forktail, sachem, scarlet skimmer, seven sisters

Stay Curious

Header Image: Hummingbird Clearwing (Hemaris thysbe) “Those are some tall thistles!” My mistress of understatement was right. Soon, I would be threading my way through that sticky forest and would discover most of these plants were two to three feet above head height. Did I mention they were sticky? Our day began later than some as we were heading to one of Florida’s state parks. Apparently, adding the word “state” to a… Read More

Category: Birds, Fauna, Flora, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: bandana of the everglades, bar-winged skimmer, blue dasher, bumble bee, carolina desert-chicory, carolina saddlebags, colt creek state park, cypress tree gall, eastern bluebird, eastern lubber grasshopper, flower beetle, great crested flycatcher, hummingbird clearwing, mexican pricklypoppy, palamedes swallowtail, pickerelweed, red saddlebags, swamp rose, white-tailed deer, wild turkey, zebra heliconian

Babylon! Blood! Beauty!

A review of last year’s records began as a search for early fall migration arrival dates. It soon devolved into a tragic tale of ancient Babylon, unfulfilled love and blood-soaked — I’m getting ahead of myself. The data indicated a few early American Redstarts might begin arriving as early as the last week of July. Where would be the most likely place to search for them? Several choices presented themselves. Wait. What’s… Read More

Category: Birds, Fauna, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: american grasshopper, black and yellow argiope, bumble bee, cloudless sulphur, colt creek state park, delaware skipper, dorantes longtail, eastern lubber grasshopper, hummingbird clearwing moth, needham's skimmer, northern parula, prince baskettail, red saddlebags, red-bellied woodpecker, red-shouldered hawk, river otter, roseate skimmer

On The Ridge

June in Florida. Very early in the morning, one can imagine the air still has the lingering coolness most people associate with spring. It’s a hallucination. If you take more than two steps through the greenery, your feet and calves are immediately soaked in dew. Humidity manifests itself by making you feel as though you have stepped into a sauna. As there is no breeze, walking briskly helps evaporate the drops… Read More

Category: Birds, Fauna, Flora, Insects, Photography Tags: american white waterlily, arbuckle tract, bar-winged skimmer, bumble bee, butterfly milkweed, carolina satyr, eastern tiger swallowtail, eastern towhee, florida scrub jay, great crested flycatcher, green anole, lake wales ridge state forest, northern parula, red saddlebags, red-headed woodpecker, southeastern five-lined skink, summer tanager, tufted titmouse, wild turkey, yellow milkwort

Daring Duo Dragon Hunters In The Swamp of Doom !

Now that I have your attention, hope you are all well today. We are. About two weeks ago, we escaped went out for a bit of fresh air and found ourselves on the edge of the Green Swamp. In a recent post, Brian at Butterflies To Dragsters described the sensation of our local swamp perfectly: “The rich, dank smell of bog, ditch, mud and water plants is nicer than the finest perfume.”… Read More

Category: Birds, Flora, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: bald eagle, blue dasher, bumble bee, butterflies, carolina saddlebags, dragonflies, gray-green clubtail, green swamp, halloween pennant, mason bee, needham's skimmer, purple thistle, roseate skimmer, scarlet skimmer, white peacock

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