Road trip to central Florida

Posted on October 3, 2022 by dinajohnston

Bok Tower Gardens was bursting with color this summer.

I struggled to get a decent shot of the hummingbird. The light was bad but I managed to get the above. It was hot and muggy so it makes it harder to wait to get the hummer in those fleeting seconds of feeding.

It’s hard to ignore the cute cottontail bunnies

The bell tower

After leaving the gardens, I headed to a nearby fish camp to see if I could find any birds. It was quiet the morning I was there but I’m sure on the weekends it’s busy.

I did find two sandhill cranes feeding along the drive in.

Looking out over the lake, it was such a beautiful calm scene. It’s these small hidden places that make Florida special.

Wide open spaces

Posted on February 9, 2021 by dinajohnston

More shots from my trip to Bok Tower Gardens in November. I had a weekday off and Brett had never been so he took off and went with me. He was surprised at how big the koi fish were in the moat around the bell tower. You can feed them here so they are huge.

We took some time to just hang out and breathe with the wide open spaces here. It was quiet this morning and the oak trees were great shade.

Color on the path in the children’s garden.

We felt like we were on a farm for a few minutes.

Just outside the gardens in the parking lot, I stopped to look at the plants and noticed several caterpillars. I had already put my camera up so I snapped these with my phone.

After leaving the gardens, we stopped to check out some cows.

We really were just looking to see if the whooping cranes that hang out in a cow pasture were still around.

The cranes were still there but they were napping all the way across the pasture. This was with my 400mm and super cropped. It’s good to see them still there though. It was good to be out of the house and we had a nice day trip. We need to do more of these.

Flowers in the fall.

Posted on October 21, 2019 by dinajohnston

Lots of things blooming at Bok Tower Gardens in late September.

A few of the critters. I rarely see ladybugs anymore.

Early morning at the bell tower. This is a great spot to take a break. Sitting under the big oak trees looking out at the old orange groves far away.

I made a quick trip to Bok Tower in central Florida in late September. It was a quiet morning and not too many birds but lots of plants were blooming.

image-in-ing: weekly photo linkup Our World Tuesday Graphic

A walk after work

Posted on May 14, 2015 by dinajohnston

A baby grackle getting his footing.

“Ha, Ha, I got weeds stuck on my beak.”

A kildeer couple at the back pond. This is the first time I’ve seen kildeer here.

Mossy turtle drying off.

Tons of bunnies along the running path.

The bell tower in the middle of an office park.

When I got closer to the bell tower, I realized there was an osprey nest on top of it.

Taking off.

Heading over the lake.

Must be looking for dinner.

I stopped by Carillon Park after work for a walk around the lakes (or just really big ponds). Tons of people jogging and dog walking. I don’t get out before dark much anymore after work so this was a treat to get out.

Skywatch Friday

Bok Tower Gardens – Skywatch Friday

Posted on January 29, 2015 by dinajohnston

The bell tower at Bok Tower Gardens

High up.

The little lizard must feel safe resting on the head of St. Francis.

Lizards are everywhere here.

A juvenile red headed woodpecker was banging around on a dead tree near the historic home on the property.

Jiminy was sleeping.

There’s a small orange grove on the property.

You would have thought it was spring on this day. Sunny and 70 degrees and flowers and butterflies everywhere.

Pretty flowers blooming at the end of December.

An English garden.

More shots from my trip to Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales (central Florida). I had such a great time on my first visit in October that I dragged my sister there during the holidays.

Skywatch Friday

A first visit to Bok Tower Gardens – Skywatch Friday

Posted on October 30, 2014 by dinajohnston

The bell tower building contains 60 bells and was finished in 1929.

Looking straight up, it’s pretty tall.

The details in the openings at the top have different birds. The gardens started out as a bird sanctuary by Edward Bok. The 30 year editor of the Ladies Home Journal magazine would spend his winters in Lake Wales and developed the gardens with the help of Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr ( his dad developed Central Park and Prospect Park in New York) and many others.

The door no one enters. To tour the inside of the bell tower, you need to have a high level of membership to go inside on one of the very few tours a year.

The lily pads were amazing.

Beautiful purple buds growing around the lily pads.

I was hoping to see frogs sitting in them but no luck there.

I’ve never seen these blooms before.

Looking down over a citrus grove, the bell tower sits on one of the highest points in central Florida.

The gardens were decorated for Halloween.

When did black and white pumpkins become so popular? Some had the spray paint starting to peel off. I guess I like the traditional orange ones.

The spider was pretty cool, made with pumpkins and branches.

I’ve been saying I want to visit Bok Tower Gardens for the last 5 years. I finally made it there on a rare random Monday off. It’s just under an hour and a half from my house so I need to get there more often. It was a beautiful day and very few people there. I took a ton of pictures so more to come.

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