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Local Color

(Click on images to enlarge, click again to zoom.) “Sounds like an alley-cat convention.” Gini’s hearing, which is significantly superior to mine, was picking up at least a dozen individual Gray Catbirds calling. During pre-migration, this species forms up into groups of one to a couple of dozen birds as they prepare to return to their northern breeding territory. After some far-flung adventures, it felt good to be in our familiar “patch”… Read More

Category: Birds, Flora, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: blue dasher, bluejacket, canadian toadflax, cucumberleaf sunflower, cutleaf evening primrose, eastern amberwing, eastern phoebe, eastern pondhawk, florida toadflax, gray catbird, long-jawed orbweaver, prairie/savanna iris, river sage, spicebush swallowtail, spider web, woodland false buttonweed, zebra longwing

Small Pleasures

(Reminder: Click to enlarge images. Click again to zoom.) A cool morning! Okay, perhaps not “cool“, but “not as hot“. It was a few minutes past sunrise and our target area for exploration was already buzzing, literally, with activity. Birds were chattering and insects were beginning to move about as the dew evaporated. Today was one of those unplanned excursions and we hoped to find a few subjects willing to pose for… Read More

Category: Birds, Fauna, Flora, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: abbot's bagworm moth, common ground dove, dainty sulphur, fire on the mountain, four-spotted pennant, green anole, horace's duskywing, hoverfly, mason wasp, milkweed assassin bug, needham's skimmer, plains snakecotton, rainbow scarab, rambur's forktail, roseate skimmer, spicebush swallowtail, variegated fritillary, wedge-shaped beetle

Fresh From Florida!

Heat. Humidity. Hurricanes. Mosquitoes. Traffic. Plus – the most incredibly diverse natural environment you could possibly imagine. Welcome to our home. Gini and I were both born in the Sunshine State. Our childhoods were remarkably similar. Fond memories of trips to the beach, going fishing, picking fresh tomatoes for canning (in Gini’s case, for eating as many as possible before her Mom scolded her), earning respect of our elders, learning the value… Read More

Category: Birds, Flora, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: balsampear, barred yellow, carolina wren, cassius blue, eastern amberwing, gulf fritillary, little blue heron, little yellow, rambur's forktail, red-shouldered hawk, slaty skimmer, southern carpenter bee, spicebush swallowtail, variegated fritillary, water moccasin, western honeybee

Stuck In Summer

We have turned back the clock to mid-July. I guess it is a testament of sorts to how busy we have been that there are several trips which have gone unreported. As we have an opportunity, we shall attempt to catch up. Weather-wise, today in the first week of September, it could just as easily be the middle of July. High temperatures, equally high humidity. Regularly scheduled thunderstorms. We recognize that the… Read More

Category: Birds, Flora, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: american kestrel, eastern amberwing, green lynx spider, gulf fritillary, northern cardinal, roseate skimmer, snowy egret, spicebush swallowtail, swallow-tailed kite, variegated fritillary

Field, Forest, Fun

Header Image: Sandhill Cranes Thank goodness we have venues nearby where we can travel less than ten minutes and enjoy birds, blooms and bugs! If we had to plan for a long drive, we might “accidentally” oversleep. Our unscientific research reveals that sunrise and the early birds wait for no birder. One of our current favorite patches is Tenoroc Public Use Area. It is near the city of Lakeland in central-west Florida… Read More

Category: Birds, Fauna, Flora, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: american kestrel, bald eagle, common ground dove, coyote, northern parula, ornate bella moth, palm warbler, prairie warbler, red-femured spotted orbweaver, sandhill crane, spicebush swallowtail, tenoroc public use area, tufted titmouse, wild bushbean

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Our Natural Places

Exploring - Naturally