Tag: spatterdock

Fighting bucks

On By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, Florida animals3 Comments

I have only gotten a few fleeting glimpses of this big guy at Chesnut Park recently. I was there early one morning in early December and saw him running through the woods off the back boardwalk.

I came off the boardwalk and was on the dirt trail when I heard a commotion in the woods. I went in a little ways and hid behind a tree and caught him and a slightly younger buck going at it. I couldn’t get any closer (not that I would have wanted to) so all I got are a few blurry shots of them locking antlers. They fought for just a minute and then the younger buck ran off and the older one went deeper into the woods.

A lady standing in front of the boardwalk.

The usual birds were a titmouse and a chickadee.

Spatterdock in the lake.

This cute pied grebe would flap her wings when coming up after a dive to get the excess water off.

I passed another lady on the trail.

This guy was not shy. I think this is the one fighting the bigger buck.

We were still in drought mode and the swamp was dry and full of the dead cypress leaves.

Saturday's Critters

 

Lots of color in the gardens

On By dinajohnstonIn flowers and plants2 Comments

In early September I went for a walk at the Florida Botanical Gardens in Largo. It was still pretty hot and I left my camera in the car and just walked with my phone. My first stop was the butterfly garden and it was pretty quiet there. I was hoping for some hummingbirds but I didn’t see any this morning.

Color along the path.

The spatterdock made pretty patterns in the water.

A few of the critters I saw.

Pretty fungus growing from the summer rains but the above in red is a stinkhorn mushroom and has a foul smell if it breaks apart.

The banana plants were blooming.

I grabbed my camera out of the car to catch this green heron catching a bug. He was feeding in a small pond next to the parking lot.

an image of a red sports car with a lady caricature going at Vroom Vroom high speed, Senior Salon Pit Stop Vroom Vroom Linkup

Linking to Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) at Image-In-Ing.

Fall was finally here.

On By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, flowers and plants4 Comments

We know it’s winter in central Florida when the coots show up at our ponds.  It looked like they were eating the grass they pulled up from the bottom of the pond.

I was up on the observation tower at Chesnut Park when I saw this osprey in the trees across the boat canal. The spanish moss has taken over these trees.

The spatterdock was blooming under the boardwalk.

The trees around the lake were finally turning colors in late December.

The bald cypress trees and red maples were finally showing off. We do get a fall here in the Tampa Bay area, just not until some time in December. This year it was really late.

The view from the top of the tower.

SkyWatch Friday

A two park morning

On By dinajohnstonIn bird photography, flowers and plants5 Comments

It was mid-October and I finally found some red leaves at Chesnut Park. We had just a touch of fall here in central Florida if you look for it. Although I think this is poison oak which turns red early.

The spatterdock blooms almost all year round here.

A few of the usuals posing for me. A Carolina chickadee and a blue jay with a snack.

I caught a glimpse of a male common yellowthroat. He was hiding and didn’t want to come out and pose like the usual birds do.

I didn’t stay too long at Chesnut Park. After a quick walk I went to Folly Farms Gardens in Safety Harbor before heading home. There were lots of things blooming here.

The butterfly garden has a lot of fun artwork for the kids.

The 17 foot gnome has been finished. It looks like they used the moss from the trees for his beard and eyebrows. I can’t decide if it’s funny or creepy.

an image of a red sports car with a lady caricature going at Vroom Vroom high speed, Senior Salon Pit Stop Vroom Vroom Linkup