The Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo has become one of my favorite spots to work on my butterfly and flower shots. The volunteers there have done an amazing job with the butterfly garden in front of the activities building. After walking around the gardens, I stopped by the butterfly garden thinking I would stay a few minutes and then head home since it was so hot. I sat down on a bench and the butterflies were all over the place. I finally headed home two hours later.
I went looking for a grasshopper sparrow that had been reported at Possum Branch Preserve before heading over to Chesnut Park. This was all I got, trees full of yellow rumped warblers.
And pigeons flying overhead.
And fruit that is toxic if you eat it in this state even though it’s pretty.
Chesnut Park wasn’t much better. Palm warblers. Really? I should have slept in.
Bees and flowers were still blooming.
At least the squirrels were cute holding the berries in their tiny hands.
The usual titmouse were looking for a handout.
They get pretty close.
The lake was full of these blooming. Bees were enjoying them.
View from the end of the dock. You would almost think fall was here. There were a few trees turning red. It was the weekend before Thanksgiving and the high was going to be 80 degrees by noon.
I stopped at the little Possum Branch Preserve to look for the rare (in this area) grasshopper sparrow. There were 3 other birders there looking as well. No luck even though he was sighted the afternoon before. I moved on to Chesnut Park a few miles away. Not a lot of birds there but people were coming in fast. Every picnic shelter was booked and everyone was hauling in food, coolers and decorations. It was a perfect day for a family outing.
Labor Day weekend was hot as usual. I headed out Saturday morning to the Florida Botanical Gardens to see if there were any flowers left that hadn’t wilted. There were a few still blooming. The gardens were almost empty of birds. Only a few osprey hanging around.
