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 […]
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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 […]
While continuing to cut trails at the new 78 acre Wildflower Preserve south of Englewood, FL (owned by Lemon Bay Conservancy) I am always aware of any interesting features of the natural history of this area that was a […]
I am sure that each of us has favorite places on the planet where we are particularly fond of enjoying Nature. However it is beneficial for the mind to leave these special places occasionally and venture out into new […]
What is your favorite time of the year? I would have to say Spring with late Summer a close runner-up. In Spring-time the birds are all singing and beginning to breed, the frogs are making a huge racket, and life […]
It is interesting and amazing how sometimes a small amount of time spent outdoors yields such a profusion of wildlife encounters. In a one hour visit to Wildflower Preserve (WF) near our Winter home in Englewood, FL, yesterday late […]
Folks continue to be extremely interested in an old golf course in Charlotte County, FL, now being transformed into a wildlife preserve. We had about 45 people on a nature walk this morning to ramble along the new trails […]
I am writing this in mid-September while enjoying the sights and sounds of early Fall in the Blue Ridge Mountains. At this time, many of our breeding birds have left and migration is well underway so that there is […]
Two of the most striking plants in bloom at the end of Summer on our farm are red and blue lobelias, in the bluebell family. Both tend to be found in damp, disturbed areas where there is reduced competition […]
On a cool day in early Fall there was reduced insect activity, but I amused myself by watching the large number of spiders that have spun their webs in our marshlands. The main spiders suspended upside-down on their webs […]
It is a normal reaction for the human mind to become accustomed to certain things and not to question them. So among the myriad of things I come into contact with every week I often see a large black […]
When you plant a garden you often end up feeding the critters more than yourself. So rather than get too mad about this and spray dangerous chemicals, why not enjoy the experience and observe the intriguing lives of the […]
Two of the most striking plants in bloom at the end of Summer on our farm are red and blue lobelias, in the bluebell family. Both tend to be found in damp, disturbed areas where there is reduced competition […]