Our chosen place for escaping the winter climate of eastern N America has been the SW FL coast around Englewood for more than 26 years. Not only is it warmer here than up north but you can continue to enjoy […]
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A recent walk at Lemon Creek Wildflower Preserve (LCWP) near Englewood, FL, in the third week of November with members of the Peace River Butterfly Society was notable for the interesting butterflies seen in addition to other animals. Thanks to […]
My wife Margaret and I are embarking on a new adventure in our elder years. In a desire to be closer to our son who lives in Durham NC, we have purchased an 18 acre property and old ranch house […]
Our groups (bird and native plant clubs) recently had the opportunity to visit one of the least known state parks in NC, which is virtually in VA up near the tiny crossroads of Mouth of Wilson. This park, […]
As the end of summer approaches, some things change and some do not. Every morning when I look out the back window I now often see fog in the New River valley due to the cool moisture laden air. This […]
As Summer progresses you may expect to see different natural events that change with the seasons. Birds sing less after many of them complete reproduction, some reptiles reproduce, there are changes in flowering (phenology) and some butterflies […]
Summer is a time of many pleasures, among which flowers and butterflies are at the top of my list of natural wonders. Indeed you might even say that butterflies are “flying flowers.” The abundance and types of butterflies varies […]
We have lived for long periods in State College, PA, Chincoteague, VA, Englewood, FL, Galax, VA, and now Boone, NC (in our 4th summer). Planting for the benefit of wildlife (especially birds, butterflies and bees) has become a […]
In middle June in the area near Boone NC the butterflies have suddenly been appearing in larger numbers when the weather is suitable (warm and sunny). The most common large butterfly near our house at about 3400 feet elevation […]
Bass Lake (and adjacent Heart Pond and an extensive network of trails) are part of Moses Cone Memorial Park within the Blue Ridge Parkway. As such it receives numerous visitors who walk, often with their dogs, ride horses in places, […]
If you must be in the city of Sarasota for some reason and need to find an escape from the traffic and the built environment, try stopping at a park named Red Bug Slough which is on Beneva […]
Don Pedro Island State Park on the Cape Haze Peninsula, Charlotte County, FL, is not a high profile natural area. If people know anything about it they would think that it is simply a mainland gateway to the island park […]
If you are familiar with the annual spring wildflower extravaganza in the eastern US, which is especially prominent in the mountains of the Blue Ridge, you may have enjoyed the remarkable displays of dogwoods, rhododendrons, azaleas, and amazingly beautiful flowers […]
Myakka Islands Point is a 100 acre park that is just over the border from Charlotte County in Sarasota County FL along the eastern bank of the Myakka River. It is a very interesting mixture of distinctly different terrestrial, […]
The newly restored Lemon Creek Wildflower Preserve (LCWP) is 80 acres of three major habitat types, upland, freshwater marsh/ponds and tidal creeks and lagoons. Indeed the wide variety of such habitats is very unusual and perhaps even unique in […]
The long process of initial environmental restoration has now been completed by the Lemon Bay Conservancy (LBC) at the newly named Lemon Creek Wildflower Preserve (LCWP) ( https://lemonbayconservancy.org/ ). This 80 acre former golf course was overgrown with […]
The Rohlwing Preserve (Sleeping Turtles North) may be one of the least visited nature parks in Sarasota County FL in part because it is very close to three other better known parks (Ligon, Carlton and Deer Prairie Creek- north). […]
Sarasota County is to be congratulated for preserving a significant amount of natural habitat despite an overwhelming tide of human development. The area of Pinebrook Rd just north of Venice Ave is a good illustration of this with Pinebrook Park […]
Deer Prairie Creek Preserve (DPC) along the east bank of the Myakka River in North Port has two distinct types of wetlands. There are those that are “riparian” along the river and creek, and those that are distributed […]
One of the more obscure local natural areas in the Sarasota/Charlotte County FL area is S Venice Lemon Bay Preserve which is roughly broken up into three main areas. The northern-most area (NE and N trail sections on map) is […]