We saw so many contrasts on our hike at Blue Run Park in Dunnellon over the weekend.
The Wood Ducks are so colorful that they look artificial!
There are colored leaves from the Maple Trees and new growth in many trees too.
And then there were the vines of Yellow Jessamine blooming throughout.
It was a glorious day to be walking with the swamp on one side and the Rainbow River on the other!
And then to look out into the bare cypress branches and spot an Anhinga through the Spanish Moss,
was truly magical!
I know the weather is still cold in so much of our nation but were you able to get outside over the weekend to enjoy some of nature's splendor?
36 comments:
all of your photos today shout Welcome To The Sunshine State. the reason I love Florida is what the sun does to flowers and ducks and trees and palms. you have some of all of it. I remember when I got my first DSLR camera, we were in a preserve and I as my very first ever Anhinga… I said to Diane the bird person What the heck is that bird and what is it doing.. she taught me to see birds.
I always enjoy my virtual walks with you and your sweetie, Diane! I didn't get to enjoy the outdoors because we've had cold, drizzly weather here in Texas. Happy Valentine's week to you, sweet friend!
Hello Diane, I always enjoy your walks and photos. The Anhinga with the Spanish Moss is lovely. The Yellow Jessamine looks beautiful. The Wood Duck is so pretty, he does look artificial. It is cold and snowing here, wish I was in Florida now. Enjoy your day, have a great new week!
Hello, Diane! I love seeing your wood duck photos. They are my favorite! They look drawn with crayons! LOVE seeing the yellow blossoms. Hopefully they're a harbinger of an early spring!
Florida is one cool place, huh.
All from the weekend? Wow! That anhinga shot is a money shot!
I love ducks so so much. I have always been fascinated by them. We have a few here in the bayou most days, but January seems to be the month of conventions for them. They have not arrived this year. I wonder if the hurricane had something to do with that. I have missed them gathering by the hundreds out there.
wood ducks are a treat but pretty skittish. They are cavity nesters so many put boxes out for them.
Good morning! Such gorgeous photos! Our yellow Jasmine is blooming here in Texas, too. Not as profusely as yours, though!
Spanish Moss is fascinating and I think slightly creepy at the same time!
Happy Monday, my dear!
Wonderful photos! I love seeing the Wood Ducks and that beautiful Yellow Jessamine.
Diane, I love all your pretty pictures. The bird shot thru the moss is almost spooky. Oh I totally agree about the wood duck's markings and colors. But so pretty. Blessings to you for a great new week. xoxo, Susie
Those ducks are gorgeous! Your photos are always lovely!
Hi Diane, what beautiful nature you have to look at on your hikes. I love the duck and the pretty flowers. I really have had very fast and short walks since it is so cold here. Thanks for sharing at Cooking and Crafting with J & J. Enjoy the walks and your week.
Julie xo
The pictures are beautiful. I love yellow flowers. I see them for the first time.
Greetings.
Love seeing the cheery yellow of beautiful Jessamine!
Wood ducks are so beautiful - almost don't look real. The photos of the Spanish moss and flowers are fabulous!!
This area looks so much like where my sister lives (near Mt. Dora). I hated to leave. Great anhinga picture!
Diane, that Anhinga is absolutely amazing! Such wingspan! The ducks do look wooden - so pretty! And those yellow flowers remind me that spring will be here one day soon.
Sunny and warm here too of course and yes we played outside. I didn’t know the name of that flower even tho I see it here.. the name, Jessamyn, is as love,y as the flower itself! Beautiful arrangements with the gorgeous wood duck!
The Spanish Moss looks almost like snow - which is what we're seeing today! Another great walk. The Jessamine are beautiful and bright! We see wood ducks here, too, and I'm just in awe of their colouring - crazy!
Oh my gosh, I thought the duck was wooden! How pretty they are. The yellow jessamine is lovely and have never heard of that before. That is such a cool picture of the bird and the Spanish Moss. And an awesome picture of him alone. You saw many pretty things at the Park on your hike. These really are nice photos, Diane.
~Sheri
I did get outdoors. Filling feeders, snowshoeing, the sun was amazing.
The Spanish moss looks exotic to me and your collages are very beautiful.
Diane - you took the words right out of my mouth - those wood ducks do appear as painted decoys! The yellow jessamine is glorious - does it have a perfume-y smell? And then the anhinga - icing on the cake - he appears to have coordinated his outfit with the Spanish Moss! Thanks for sharing your terrific images with the Mosaic Monday crew!
Many waterfowl enthusiasts consider Wood Duck and Mandarin to be the two most handsome ducks in the world. In fact i have a book dedicated to just those two species. We are very fortunate that Wood Duck is quite common here, but we never tire of its jaw-dropping beauty.
Wow, lovign all these photos. It's just beautiful there.
Colorful ducks enchant me, they are fabulous. A bird in the midst of mosses is a great photo for me. Greetings.
Fantastic photos.
The wood ducks look like painted wood carvings.
gorgeous captures, what a great walk with so many lovely sightings!!
the wood ducks are such a favorite, they are only seen very rarely here and i have only seen them a couple of times!!
the jessamine is gorgeous and such a soft pretty shade of yellow!!
we did get out, but we were in an enclosed green house, it was too cold to be outdoors. we are getting some snow right now. light, pretty flakes!!!
The Anhinga is a magnificent looking bird and all that moss is magical. I thought for sure you were going to say that was a man-made wooden duck, it is hard to believe it's real. I've never seen anything like it.
This is a fairy-tale kind of duck. Gorgeous.
Amalia
xo
Nature's Wonder is under a huge pile of snow up here! Your photos are all so beautiful. And those wood ducks, they always do look artificial, don't they! All the flowers and birds you show us are so beautiful. Have a wonderful Valentine's Day tomorrow!
I don't know much about birds, so the pictures of the Wood Ducks was very interesting. Yes, for sure, they don't look real!
All of your photos are always superb! I enjoy them so much!
Your pictures are breathtaking, my friend! They should be made into post cards or put in calendars or framed and placed in homes :)
Wishing you a lovely Valentine's Day! Hugs!
Lovely to see all of your summery looking photographs.
Love how you've done your mosaics too.
Have a lovely week, and a Happy Valentine's Day.
All the best Jan
That Anhinga through the Spanish moss is wonderful!
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