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It Is Our Nature To Be Happy

Header Image: White-tailed Deer “What a really nice morning!” This was the second time Gini had made that statement since we left the state park. As we pulled into the Bar-B-Que restaurant, she observed that we always seem to say that no matter where we have been. She is right. This particular morning had not been particularly unusual. We saw a few birds, a few insects, enjoyed nice scenery and we talked… Read More

Category: Birds, Fauna, Flora, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: bar-winged skimmer, black-and-white warbler, blue-gray gnatcatcher, dorantes longtail, eastern black swallowtail, fiery skipper, gold-marked thread-waisted wasp, green lynx spider, red saddlebags, white-eyed vireo, white-tailed deer

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

“Then it doesn’t much matter which way you go.”*

Header Image: Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) on Brazilian Vervain (Verbena brasiliensis) Sweet, tart and juicy slices of tangerine were refreshing as we rested on the shore of the lake a couple of hours after sunrise. We had already seen a lot. New bird babies, morning flowers in bloom, ducks flying overhead and now that the dew was drying from the grass, insects were beginning their day. Earlier, we entered the Tenoroc Public… Read More

Category: Birds, Flora, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: bald eagle, brazilian vervain, carpenter bee, eastern amberwing, eastern towhee, gulf fritillary, indian blanket, lantana, man-of-the-earth, osprey, pricklypear, red saddlebags, showy rattlebox, tenoroc public use area, water moccasin, wild bushbean, xylocopa

Finding The Extra In The Ordinary

Header Image: Northern Waterthrush It was a day similar to other days. The sun rose. So did we. Ate breakfast. Read mail. Ate lunch. Accomplished chores. Ate supper. The sun set. We went to bed. Ahhh. But during the hum-drum ordinary routine of the day, we discovered a few “extras“. Shortly after the sun rose, we did, too, and drove a short way to have breakfast in the park. Tangerines and boiled… Read More

Category: Birds, Flora, Florida, Photography Tags: american bittern, american kestrel, blue-gray gnatcatcher, carolina chickadee, cooper's hawk, eastern phoebe, goldenrod, grasshopper sparrow, house wren, liatris, narrowleaf sunflower, northern waterthrush, pine warbler, primrosewillow, red saddlebags, red-shouldered hawk

The Wrong Shoes

Header: Great Blue Heron At Sunrise An Osprey called as she flew over my head while I was getting out of the car. She was followed by a flight of several White Ibises heading from their nightly roosting area to some spot they knew would provide an adequate breakfast. A nice paved path led from the parking lot to the dock which jutted a short ways into Lake Crago. Boat-tailed Grackles cranked… Read More

Category: Birds, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: four-spotted pennant, great blue heron, lake crago park, little blue heron, mushroom, northern cardinal, osprey, red saddlebags, sleepy orange, variable dancer, wood stork

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