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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

More Big Cypress National Preserve

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

Category: Birds, Flora, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: american crow, big cypress national preserve, blue dasher, cardinal airplant, common grackle, eastern lubber grasshopper, floating heart, moonflower, needham's skimmer, northern cardinal, pond apple, starrush whitetop, white ibis

Big Cypress National Preserve

(Click image to enlarge, click again to zoom.) We had not taken a road trip for quite awhile. March is the month in which we married, 56 years ago. Time to celebrate. Several locations in southwest Florida have been on our “sure would like to go” list for several years. As we reviewed the map, two new spots and one long-time favorite were declared the winners. The vehicle was serviced, hotel reservations… Read More

Category: Birds, Fauna, Flora, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: american alligator, big cypress national preserve, blue-winged teal, cardinal airplant, great egret, halloween pennant, leafy bladderwort, northern flicker, palamedes swallowtail, palm warbler, saltmarsh morning-glory, sunrise

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