out back...still under water

amaryllis bloom

been a busy week.

haven't had time to venture into cyberspace...

which is kind of a good thing.

you can get lost out there...lose track of time,

and come out feeling like you've been drugged.

this morning we're heading to O'Leno State Pk to do an overnighter,

so i wanted to hurry up and get this post done (which i've been planning all week).

i'm hoping to get some cool pic's at o'leno,

of deer, maybe rabbits, hawks...butterflies, turtles.

last weekend we took the canoe out back again. where we used to hike.

the water has gone down maybe 6 inches or so...but it's been canoe-worthy for the past 9 months.
weird.

trees, vines, bushes...under water.

last sunday we were able to canoe much farther than we were ever able to hike!

a lot of the brambly vines have died and with some maneuvering 

and pulling down of those thorny vines...we were able to get to an open area.

a pond.

we had heard the was a pond back there...somewhere.  we found it!

a White Ibis
(either in winter plumage or a youngster) 

another White Ibis

i love dead wood. like bones. 

supposedly this 'pond' which is now part of all the surrounding water which leads into our back yard,

is on the property of a horse farm...although we didn't see any horses.

not this time.  no 'gators either.  or turtles.

(unlike last time, emo slept through this venture. maybe next time he'll come for a ride.)

* * *

back on solid ground.

a few butterflies spotted this week...

a Spicebush Swallowtail

a Phaon Crescent

Phaon Crescent

a Red Admiral

and for the finale...

emo & otis

up a tree

as usual.

"In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this." 

~Terry Pratchett

(RIP Terry Pratchett)

life's a journey.  enjoy the ride.

laura

love...is in the air - - - spring has sprung.

just the other day,

i opened the front door...stepped onto the porch, camera in hand...

i spotted this anole proudly displaying his dewlap.

aaaaah. love. he spotted a female.

they ran towards each other...

for an afternoon quickie. very quick.

today is the (official) first day of spring. (here in the U.S. anyway)

it may not FEEL like spring in some places...

but here, in north florida, the temp has reached into the low 80's.

some flowers are blooming...and a few butterflies are out and about!

spring has sprung.

a bromeliad bloom

spicebush swallowtail on azalea bush

mini daffodils blooming

a red-spotted purple

a cinnamon fern getting ready to unfurl

dragonfly

flatwoods plum

that's it for now.  catch ya' later.

"Science has never drummed up quite as effective a tranquilizing agent as a sunny spring day." 

~W. Earl Hall

life's a journey. enjoy the ride.

laura

(hmmm. for some reason when i hit 'publish', this post didn't show in feed.
so i reverted it to draft.  will try to publish again. if it still doesn't make it
into the feed...hopefully it will be found...and not lost in space!)  :)

winged things & the moon

'incoming!!'  Yellow-rumped warblers in winter plumage

(i had no idea what these birds were. 

i was going nuts searching through my bird books and online.

a friend of mine e-mailed this picture to 

the Alachua County Audubon Society Pres. she ID'd it!)

* * *

the past couple of weeks i see the same Red-bellied woodpecker

tapping away every afternoon in the same spot, on the same tree.

at first i thought he was bug hunting.

now i realize he's making a nest.  his hidey-hole. literally.

looks like he's almost finished!

* * *

last weekend we did a one night getaway at 

Mike Roess Gold Head State Park's campground...

and spotted a couple of 'winged things'...

Zebra Swallowtail

Little Blue Heron

* * *

from our campsite.

at first the moon was hidden behind the trees...

then...a clear shot of the (almost) full moon. 3.7.15.

"The night walked down the sky with the moon in her hand."

~Frederick L. Knowles

life's a journey. enjoy the ride.

laura

nature's hoarder

the

eastern gray squirrel is a scatter-hoarder.

unlike me...

who tends to be a scatter-brain.

(at times)

i'm not a hoarder...i'm a collector.

this past week i took so many pictures of squirrels,

i couldn't decide if i should climb a tree,

stick my head in the bird feeder

or squat & bury some acorns!

it took me so long to pick out a few squirrel pictures...

i didn't have time to do any of that.

my favorite...

i had to 'morph' this guy. 

here he is in 'emboss' mode...

and now...what would a blog post about squirrels be, without squirrel bones.

well, yes, i do have squirrel bones, but decided to just go with the skull.

squirrel skull

flip side, squirrel skull. look at those 2 front teeth!

time to get outa here...signing off with last night's moon.

life's a journey.  enjoy the ride.

laura

“My friend is going to save a little girl from monsters. I am going with him. That's what friends do.” 

~Jim Butcher, Changes

(i read  A LOT! right now i'm loving Jim Butcher's 'dresden files' series!)