We are surrounded by a profusion of amazing animal life of many types, yet the birds especially appeal to the human mind as expressions of beauty and mystery. How many times have you gone to the beach and seen tiny […]
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Despite the fact that we have received little rain during this springtime period in SW FL, many flowers are blooming. This meadow beauty (Rhexia) is one of many that prefers wet meadows. It has unusually showy yellow anthers. Fertilization […]
As animal activities increase and migratory patterns continue to accelerate, a few species still remain in their winter haunts despite the fact that spring has officially come and gone. It is like an Easter egg hunt to sort through the […]
The disconnect between calendar Spring and that recognized by animals continues. March 20 has come and gone but there is a great deal of northward migration still to come. On the other hand warm weather has brought out many insects, […]
A male goldfinch I spotted drinking from our backyard water drip expresses very well the winter to spring transition this time of year. It is a “half and half” yellow bird which is re-growing its iconic yellow feathers in preparation […]
We have recently had a series of very low tides and this has revealed some interesting animals either on the beach or on shallow flats. The state shell of Florida is the magnificent horse conch which has a bright red […]
A recent family visitor asked me when Spring starts in SW FL. A cogent question which I answered by saying it depends on how you define “Spring,” by planetary motion (March 20) or by ecology, and then which natural signs […]
You do not normally expect to see native flowers blooming in winter, but this can happen in Florida after fires release nutrients and expose the soil to light. Although winter is not the natural time for most fires, which would […]
Despite the regular procession of cool fronts we continue to enjoy seeing a lot of wildlife and some flowers in SW Florida in early February. But you may notice that I feature more birds than insects since the cool weather […]
We have had at least one light frost within five miles of our house in December and a series of cold fronts in January on an almost weekly basis. But temperatures soar into the high 70’s and even 80’s in […]
Although SW FL gets its share of cooler weather with strong northerly winds during periodic cold fronts, there can be warm interludes during which many animals are quite active and even breed. One of my favorite signs of winter is […]
The variety of birds at the beach can be challenging but it is very rewarding not only to identify them but to learn about their habits. The variation in migration patterns is quite astounding. Some birds breed in SW FL […]
No matter where you find yourself at Christmas you can enjoy the natural world in all its splendor. In Florida we can be raking leaves instead of shoveling snow and working at attracting birds and butterflies to our yards. One […]
I am writing this in early December in Florida after a period of rains and some cool fronts. To attract butterflies you must provide flowers for nectar and larval food plants. […]
While many people celebrate Thanksgiving with football, shopping, and food, I continue to find my greatest pleasures in the natural wonders which surround us every day. Indeed some of the most overlooked aspects of nature can be the most intriguing. […]
I have for some time been dissatisfied with being primarily interested in one aspect of natural history such as birds or plants. The variety of fascinating creatures I have encountered this week illustrates the difficulty of restricting your scope of […]
I would have to say that I have never seen a natural area, in contrast to most urban landscapes, that I did not find interesting. But as frost rapidly envelops our Virginia Blue Ridge farm, […]
It is time for our annual migration to Florida so we are bidding a fond farewell to our beloved Virginia Blue Ridge mountain farm. During the brief interludes in rain over the past week I have been able to catch […]
We happened to be in the Salt Lake City area in early October to visit family so I made an excursion to two of my favorite aquatic natural areas, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area and Antelope Island. The Great Salt […]
A bonus of a recent visit to our kids and grandkids that live out west is that I got to experience some wonderful montane habitats in Montana and Utah. It is not only exciting to […]