In SW Florida we start having some very warm weather in late March and early April, but there is still very little rain. Bird migration is in its early stages and we are eagerly anticipating the arrival of neotropical migrants […]
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I “ramble” a lot at the new Wildflower Preserve in Charlotte County, FL, while I am building new trails through the tangle of Brazilian pepper and salt bush that covers much of the old golf course that was abandoned […]
One might think that nature would not lie, but it can sometimes be difficult to discern truth from what is essentially falsehood in nature. The reason for this is obvious- a bluff can be as succesful in avoiding predation […]
There are a number of special wetlands where marsh birds rarely seen elsewhere may be commonly observed at close range. Most of these are impounded, constructed, and/or restored wetlands that are shallow with lots of emergent plants and receive […]
During our annual early spring visit to our farm in the SW VA Blue Ridge mountains, one of my main goals is to enjoy the sights and sounds of breeding amphibians. Since we usually go in mid-March the wood […]
After the “long hard winter” it is definitely Spring at Wildflower Preserve. There were some unmistakeable signs of warmer weather this first week of March. The most significant change was that lots of dragonflies were present flying around up […]
During a two hour morning nature walk at Oyster Creek Park, Charlotte County, FL, we observed an unusual number of interesting flowers and animals. This is a 250 acre park surrounded by urban development, primarily made up of hydric pine […]
In Florida during the winter we enjoy enormous flocks of tree swallows soaring overhead and periodically dropping down to swarm over female wax myrtle bushes and eat the fruit (see photo taken at Wildflower Preserve). It is amazing that […]
Just recently bobcats have been seen at the 78 acre Wildflower Preserve in Charlotte County, FL. I had seen bobcats on three separate occasions previously, but today I saw what must have been three different cats which I believe are […]
Sometimes while leading nature walks I encounter the idea that if one has walked an area once, there is little reason to return. Nothing could be further from the truth since repeated walks at the same location continue to […]
nature walk was held Jan. 15 at the newly purchased 78 acre Wildflower Preserve owned by the Lemon Bay Conservancy. Approximately 159 people attended the walk which was advertised in local outlets such as the Sun-Herald and Waterline. This astonishing […]
Despite the repeated cold fronts sweeping over Florida and NE North America, there is much of natural history interest to be found at the new Wildflower Preserve in Charlotte County, FL. Here are a few examples of the many […]
To celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of another, I did what I like best- to walk on the wild side in an interesting natural area, in this case Wildflower Preserve in Charlotte County, FL. The […]
In this area of SW Florida we are lucky to have adjacent terrestrial, fresh water and marine habitats to explore for natural wonders. While on a walk at Wildflower Preserve I found two insects that specialize on feeding on […]
While digging in a stream bed to expose a spring on our farm in SW VA, I came across some very interesting salamanders that could easily be over-looked if you do not flip over rocks in spring seeps. These wonderful […]
The different meanings of the color red/orange as used by plants and animals as a means of communication are fascinating. What woman does not have “a little red dress” to be worn on the right occasion? Who is not […]
One of the common spiders I encounter while cleaning out bird boxes and removing growth tubes from planted trees and shrubs around our VA farm is the bold jumper, Phidippus audax . It seems to prefer closed structures and […]
On a late November visit to o ur VA farm, we find birds are feeding on the banquet of seeds and fruits which we have spread for them by our cultivation of grasses, flowers and shrubs that are especially good […]
Although I can get excited about any type of habitat, I will admit that water attracts my interest more than any other areas. For this reason when we bought the 97 acres behind our 10 acre house site in […]
On a cool day in SW Florida we had an unexpectedly large group of 41 hikers who showed up to look over the new 78 acre Wildflower Preserve that is now owned by the Lemon Bay Conservancy. This is […]