Learning to See the Beauty of Nature in Our Gardens
As I do every morning, I was walking around the property enjoying nature at its best. I took my normal route past the Rusty Lyonia, Pawpaws and Dwarf Oaks, among others and headed down the bank of the pond into the section that dries up during Florida dry season. I checked two small temporary pools [...]
In my garden, I always savor the often unheralded plants. Plants that many remove from their own landscapes because they are unattractive “weeds”. If you remove Thistle (Cirsium spp.), you are missing out on experiences better than any action movie. Meet Nuttall’s Thistle (Cirsium nuttallii) a resident of my landscape. This guy took forever to [...]
Meet the Avocado Weevil (Heilipus apiatus). I spotted him (her?) on a dried grass stalk back in May 2012. I don’t have avocados (at least not planted) but I do have Red Bay, which is a Florida native in the same genus (Persea spp.) Note that avocado is an exotic. There is also indication that [...]
Have you ever noticed how frog clip art always features froggies sitting atop a lily pad? Honestly, I always found it a bit far fetched since I have hundreds of water lily leaves and lots of frogs but never the two did meet. Always seemed like a staged frog fantasy. That is until yesterday. I [...]
My beautiful wildlife garden is always filled with surprises and this week was no different. Whenever I take the trashbin to the curb, I always walk along the front of the culvert that runs along the property and see what I can see. I caught a glimmer of purple, less than the size of a [...]
Garden cleanup can sometimes be a touchy subject. Some people just can’t tolerate any type of dead branches, leaves or signs of untidiness. But, if you are a neatnik, you are doing a disservice to much of our fauna. Please don’t roll your eyes at those of us who choose to leave this type of [...]
This is the time of year when the warblers are a sea of yellow and gray around here. The two most prolific of these birds at my place are the Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata) and the Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus). The Butterbutt The diet of the Yellow-rumped Warbler consists of mostly insects including caterpillars and [...]
While walking around the other day, my nose took to the air and I felt a little like my English Setter, a scent hound if ever I saw one. My nose, however, wasn’t intent on a cute rabbit or bird, the smell made me gag and I was certain that there was a dead “something” [...]
I remember when I first moved to Florida I saw what I thought was a HUGE mosquito, thinking that there were mutant bugs down here, big enough to drain a body of blood in one gulp. They certainly look like mosquitoes, but the poor critters are swatted and squished all due to a case of [...]
A while back, fellow Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens team blogger Carol Duke of Massachusetts provided an awe-inspiring poetic and photographic tribute to the spring return and nesting habits of the Tree Swallow (Tachycineta bicolor). In Florida, we provide the winter, non-breeding area for this interesting bird thus seeing a different side of behavior. A [...]
In 2010 and 2011 as my last post for the year I have shown a critter or plant that was a special encounter or a photographic moment for each month of the year at my place. Once again I will keep with tradition and do the same. May I present to you, Two-thousand and twelve: [...]
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