WWW – 7.3.2019
Pitcher Plants in Florida
If you enjoyed the movie Little Shop of Horrors, you’ll no doubt remember Audrey, with her toothy smile and endless appetite for human flesh. I suspect, after a trip to Tarkiln Bayou State Park, that Audrey was fashioned after the flower of the White Pitcherplant, Sarracenia leucophylla.
Continue reading “Pitcher Plants in Florida”WWW – 6.26.2019
Florida Panther is Recovering . . . Slowly
Recently Steve and I attended the third in the IFAS series Living with Wildlife. The topic this time was the Florida panther. While reading to prepare for this presentation, I was happy to learn that the Florida Panther, Puma concolor coryi, which once numbered less than 3 dozen, is making a slow recovery.
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A Naturalist’s Trip From Jewfish Creek to Big Pine Key
Crossing Jewfish Creek marks the official transition from Mainland Florida to the Florida Keys. It lies at the end of the infamous 18-Mile Stretch, the part of US 1 where perfectly nice people lose their minds and drive as if they are the only person on the planet who wants to get to the Keys (or needs to get home from the Keys). Since Henry Flagler completed the Overseas Highway in 1910, we’ve all been trying to be in the same place at the same time on that road! At any rate, we almost always open the windows as we cross the Jewfish Creek bridge so we can get a breath of fresh Keys air. I recently learned that the distinctive shade of blue used for the median barriers is called Belize Blue.
Continue reading “A Naturalist’s Trip From Jewfish Creek to Big Pine Key”WWW – 6. 19.2019
Travels with the Trouble Puppies
We took Sconnie and Max along on our recent trip to the Keys. We usually use a dog sitter, but this was a long trip and we knew they would miss us. Well, in all honesty, we knew we would miss them! At any rate, after we packed our own stuff, we added beds, food, bowls and various other stuff that two yorkies might need on vacation.
Continue reading “Travels with the Trouble Puppies”WWW – 6.12.2019
No Name Key
With both the wind and tide against us, we decided to paddle around No Name Key for our Friday adventure. This was not our finest hour: we forgot the sunscreen. Although we completed our course in under 4 hours, we were burnt to a crisp and exhausted at the end of it.
Continue reading “No Name Key”Big Lagoon State Park
Big Lagoon State Park is the westernmost state Park in Florida. On the day we visited, we were dodging rain and would have liked to stay longer…so we will plan a return trip soon. Even during our brief visit, we managed to paddle across the channel to Perdido Key, commune with hermit crabs and snails, climb an observation tower, and check out the camping loop.
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