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(Click on images to enlarge, click again to zoom.) It is a little cooler than expected this morning. The dirt of the old logging road is somewhat damp and it readily clings to the soles of our shoes. A path leading to the north is fringed with tall grass and our pant legs are immediately soaked as we veer off the track to look at a lavender wild petunia. Mourning Dove are… Read More

(Click on images to enlarge, click again to zoom.) (Note: This visit to Colt Creek State Park occurred on September 17, 2024. On October 8, during the night and the following morning, this area received between 15-20 inches of rain and experienced the 100 mph winds of Hurricane Milton. The roads and trails we enjoyed were inundated and completely covered in water for days. Thanks to amazing work by park employees and… Read More

(Reminder: Click to enlarge images, click again to zoom.) Gini and I tend to develop a routine when it comes to exploring. When we become familiar with a particular area through repeated visits, a pattern becomes “comfortable“. Today’s visit to one of our favorite “patches” is a perfect example. Tenoroc Fish Management Area is spread out over several geographically separated venues and consists of nearly 8,000 acres. That is a bit more… Read More

Header Image: Common Ground Dove “It’s orange!” The mistress of understatement flung her index finger toward the top of a small tree. I followed the track and located the indicated insect. It was, as described, orange. Not only that, it was something new, to us. The bright bug was a Clay-colored Leaf Beetle (Anomoea laticlavia), in the Family Chrysomelidae. There are over 1700 species in that Family, many of which have not… Read More

Header Image: Carolina Redroot (Lachnanthes caroliana) Wait. Don’t you mean “Escape FROM The Swamp”?? We review the news from around the corner and around the world. Local roads and businesses are packed with people. Drama inserts itself into our lives unexpectedly. A dirt road leads into welcoming green pine forests where we soon encounter a small stream flowing under an old bridge. Cicadas buzz in a cacophonous wave which washes over our… Read More