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Dog Days of Summer Are Over – Siriusly

Header Image: Prothonotary Warbler It’s her fault, you know. She said: “Go birding. I have some crafting to catch up on.” I should have known to be wary. For some time now, I’ve wanted to explore part of the “Blue Loop Trail” at Tenoroc Public Use Area. According to the map, about a quarter mile from the trail head is an “overlook”. Along the way are huge oak, bay and hickory trees… Read More

Category: Birds, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: carolina wren, downy woodpecker, golden silk spider, great crested flycatcher, northern cardinal, orchard orbweaver, prairie warbler, prothonotary warbler, raccoon, red-bellied woodpecker, spicebush swallowtail, swallow-tailed kite, tenoroc public use area

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

Spring In Our Step

(Header Image: American Alligator) (NOTE: We apologize for being away the past few weeks. Computers apparently have a limited life span. Ours exceeded that limit. It took longer than expected to get up and running again. We are back. Rejoice.) I married well. Not only is my wife talented, intelligent, compassionate, possessed with an uncommon amount of common sense and the most beautiful woman I have ever seen – she is not… Read More

Category: Birds, Flora, Insects, Photography Tags: american alligator, blue dasher, colt creek state park, eastern lubber grasshopper, eastern meadowlark, great crested flycatcher, great southern white, green treefrog, halloween pennant, jumping spider, little blue dragonlet, mexican pricklypoppy, narrowleaf blue-eyed grass, ornate bella moth, phaon crescent, rambur's forktail, southern watersnake, swallow-tailed kite

Diversity Training

Once upon a time (stop me if you’ve heard this one), our primary consideration in planning an excursion into the Great Outdoors was limited to researching what birds might be found at a particular location. Was fall or spring migration in progress? Could we hope for wintering birds? Perhaps new bird families would offer an opportunity to observe chicks pestering parents for food or practicing flight lessons. As time progressed, so did… Read More

Category: Birds, Flora, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: black and yellow mud dauber, blue dasher, butterfly, colt creek state park, common buttonbush, dragonfly, great crested flycatcher, leaf-footed bug, leavenworth's tickseed, little blue heron, northern parula, pale meadowbeauty, purple passionflower, red-spotted purple, spurred butterfly pea, squirrel tree frog, wandering glider, wild turkey

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

Our Natural Places

Exploring - Naturally