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(Click to enlarge images, click again to zoom.) We consumed the open sky and nearly infinite tan and green-flecked prairie as if it were an addicting and healing tonic. Which it was. We lingered at our breakfast as the serenade of Meadowlarks and Yellowthroats continued unabated. Sigh. Time to move along. A splash of bright purple flashed into view and a large white bird materialized among the greenery. Water. Pickerelweed and a… 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

(Click on images to enlarge, click again to zoom.) Just after sunrise, by the side of a lake, we take delight in the distant, slightly eerie calls of Limpkins. Do they know they are the only living members of their avian Family (Aramidae)? Would they care? We are fascinated with the strange call, answered by calls from several different areas. An Osprey crashes into the surface of the lake, submerges briefly and… Read More

(Click on images to enlarge, click again to zoom.) I saw a pretty red flower. Gini whispered: “That’s an orchid.” We were enjoying the final leg of our anniversary road trip. About 30 minutes north of our hotel in Naples, Florida, is the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. Consisting of over 13,000 acres, the sanctuary is a testament to citizen action to preserve an ecological treasure. Logging threatened to completely destroy what remained… Read More

(Click on images to enlarge, click again to zoom.) Sea breeze. Invigorating. Gulls calling, mullet jumping, the unique aroma of low tide, fiddler crabs scurrying for cover. Gini and I grew up with these sensations along Florida’s Gulf of Mexico coast. It feels like home. Today we are visiting the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island just west of Fort Myers, Florida. Sanibel is a barrier island jutting into… Read More