One of the many perks of wintering in FL is that we get to watch birds up close and personal that we are familiar with, but at some distance up north. For example how often do you get to […]
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On a recent walk at Myakka State Forest I was pleased to come across a large patch of small butterworts, Pinguicula pumila, some of which were in bloom. The delicate bluish flowers are a delight, especially in the middle […]
I came across an old acquaintance today while walking near Arcadia,FL, the bagworm. This curious caterpillar of a moth with an unpronounceable name, Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformis , has a very strange habit that makes it very distinctive and easy to identify. […]
While on a walk at Amberjack Preserve in SW FL we noticed an interesting phenomenon – a mating pair of walkingsticks. This appears to be the large two striped walkingstick, but there are northerly species also. This cousin of […]
If you travel or live in southern states or in California you will have noticed the exotic oleander plant (dogbane family) which is widely planted for its beautiful flowers and attractive foliage. It is used a lot due to […]
On a nature walk this morning at Stump Pass State Park in Englewood, FL, our group came across two caterpillars of the Io moth (see attached photo). At this stage they are a striking light green, with a red […]
It is hard to believe that anyone has not at some time had snake plants ( Sansevieria ) in their family households. The ability of this interesting but strange plant to survive almost any treatment made it popular around […]
With a maelstrom of four grandsons running around in all directions over the holidays we had a wonderful time chasing critters. Isn’t it interesting how humans have the propensity to catch live things? Even in modern times when we try […]
You might be interested to know that there is a huge effort to band and track shorebirds underway in the Gulf of Mexico and some of these birds may come your way at some point. I was at Don Pedro […]
Another one of those things that go on in our backyards without much notice is the occasional destruction of plant leaves by small caterpillars. Sometimes we get annoyed by this and spray the plants or try to figure out […]
In our desire to provide sources of nectar for insects, we often are tempted to plant exotic plants which can provide beautiful flowers for the garden and hopefully nourish some of our “flying flowers”, the wonderful butterflies. It is not […]
While working in the yard I came across an interesting mystery bug that is still making itself known in a big way this time of year by its buzzing call from the trees. Few people ever actually see the perpetrator […]
Lemon Bay Preserve in southern Venice, FL, is an interesting place for many reasons, but it has some remarkable butterflies illustrating the role of habitat differences in speciation. For example during a nature walk there yesterday we saw a […]
The real secret to learning new species of animals and plants is study and repetition, but one thing that works especially well is to focus on the 10 commonest species within each group you are trying to learn. Another […]
Our Florida location is on a barrier island (Manasota Key) only a short distance from the mainland, but a very dry location in terms of freshwater for critters to drink. The “soil” is basically sand with a maximum elevation of […]
I came across a bald-faced hornet nest (actually a type of yellowjacket) in a tree while I was cutting brush. After most of the hornets had died from cold weather, I cut the nest open to examine the contents, and […]
We just returned to Florida for the Winter and after several weeks of frosts at our VA farm, are enjoying seeing numerous flowers and insect life again. We have spent considerable effort in planting native and exotic plants in our […]
As we prepare to flee to FL from the onset of Winter in our Virginia mountain farm, the first hard freeze of the season last night made it very clear what is coming. We enjoyed a bit of “Indian Summer” […]
I was walking in the yard this morning and heard a group of bluebirds making a racket in one of our big red maple trees, but not using their normal call notes or song. This was more like a chattering […]
We are having a glorious week of Fall weather here in SW VA- hard freezes at night and warm sunny afternoons. This is decimating the flowers of course and the insect world. Yet today when I made my afternoon […]