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Out There

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

Category: Birds, Fauna, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: common grackle, eastern pondhawk, glossy ibis, gopher tortoise, northern flicker, red saddlebags, saw palmetto, snail, swallow-tailed kite, tenoroc public use area, white ibis

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

Ups and Downs of Nature

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

Category: Birds, Florida, Insects, Photography Tags: barred yellow, blue-gray gnatcatcher, common ground dove, fiery skipper, hyacinth glider, indigo bunting, northern parula, prairie warbler, red-shouldered hawk, spicebush swallowtail, tenoroc public use area, tufted titmouse, two-striped forceptail green lynx spider

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

“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

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Our Natural Places

Exploring - Naturally