Our Natural Places

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Header Image: Northern Flicker (Female) A trio of sleek Swallow-tailed Kites appeared above the cypress trees on the bank of the lake. Gini and I were enjoying a mid-morning brunch of fresh tangerines and granola bars and were content to sit back and enjoy the show. Long tails acted as rudders and the pointed wings hardly moved as they glided effortlessly just above the tree tops. Having spent the winter in South… Read More

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

Header Image: Prairie Warbler Autumn. In many parts of the world, seasons are marked by distinct, often visible changes. Green in spring, white in winter, bright warm days of summer and colorful leaves in autumn. In our sub-tropical environment here in central Florida, we had to invent the calendar in order to keep up with what season we were experiencing. It is now (looking over at the wall calendar) “autumn”. Gini and… Read More

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

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