Nature Notes by Bill Dunson

  One of my favorite local coastal natural areas is one that you may never have heard about, Manasota Scrub Preserve: https://www.scgov.net/Home/ShowDocument?id=30028   The trails west of Bridge St are off limits to dogs and you will encounter very few people, which […]

  Parks are developed for many purposes, ranging from entirely human recreation to nature preservation with considerable variation between these two extremes.  Sometimes the preservation of green space can have significant benefits both for the human need for communing with […]

    One of my favorite natural areas in the SW Florida region is Myakka State Forest since it is almost 8600 acres of relatively undisturbed habitats. In the future it is likely to become the “Central Park” of this […]

  It may be common to think that interesting natural sights are only to be found over the next hill or in some exotic place. But more often than not if you are alert to nature’s sights and sounds, you […]

  While it is generally still winter-like up north in February, things are quite different in SW Florida when signs of spring occur in February. The seasons are not so much set by astronomical events as they are by biological […]

– I regularly check the local beaches on Manasota Key to look at the birds to see what interesting species might be present. Strangely enough the public beaches often have considerable numbers of resting gulls and terns; my theory is […]

  As I was heading home after my three mile morning walk I stopped by Englewood Beach to see what birds might be there. To my complete shock and surprise there were NO BIRDS on the beach except one. Since […]

When a housing development is created, it is rarely good news for wildlife. But something amazing has happened on eastern Cape Haze where one good wildlife habitat has been substituted for another as the land was cleared. The areas sometimes […]

      Something amazing is happening in Rotonda West. A former golf course is being changed into Broadmoor Park. One of the simple but profound changes that is occurring to transform this formerly bleak mowed landscape into a natural […]

For those who are interested in nature study it is intriguing to consider what areas are the “hottest” in terms of biodiversity. You might think it would be the official nature preserves, but this is often not the case. Sometimes […]

Fall and the approaching winter have finally gotten my attention with a low temperature of 38 F on our back deck the second week of October. The leaves have hardly changed due to an extended period of cloudy/rainy and warm […]

Although temperatures are still relatively mild in late September in the mountains of NC, there are many changes that indicate that Fall is well underway and that winter is coming. The cool mornings often cause formation of fog in the […]

As summer progresses into early Fall we can see additional signs of the changing seasons. From my bedroom window I observe that the whitetail deer “twins” continue to grow although they still have their spots. Their grazing in our wildflower […]

As the summer season progresses into the infamous dog days, which are historically associated with the rising of the dog star Sirius, nature undergoes some profound changes. Spring bird migration is over as is most breeding, fall migration has begun […]

One of the little known secrets of southern Sarasota County, FL, is the presence of a large piece of Old Florida within the Myakka State Forest ( https://www.freshfromflorida.com/Divisions-Offices/Florida-Forest-Service/Our-Forests/State-Forests/Myakka-State-Forest ). This massive 8593 acre tract along the tidal Myakka RIver is […]

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a marvelous linear necklace of natural attractions. One of the gems in this necklace is Price Lake, near Mile Marker 297. We enjoy walking the 2.3 mile loop around the lake and watching for seasonal […]

Some areas with great natural beauty and lots of wildlife are rarely visited because they are in an out of the way location. This is certainly true of South Venice (FL) Lemon Bay Preserve (SVLBP). It is on the mainland […]

Too often we think that we have to go to a far country to see fantastic animals. However if you extend your gaze towards the insect world you may find a remarkable menagerie right in your own backyard. Here are […]

Most who live in SW Florida will have noticed in their yards a very common small lizard, the brown or Cuban anole. It is an exotic species which has long been established here. The males extend a colorful orange/red dewlap […]