Coral Honeysuckle, Shrub Verbena and Wild Poinsettia
Zebra Longwing Butterfly on Verbena
So what do they have in common?
They are all on the same page of my The Nature of Florida ID book AND we saw all three of them on our hike on the Withlacoochee Bay Trail this week.
I had the book out to make sure I had the proper ID for the Wild Poinsettia. It still amazes me that after all our hikes here in Florida that we can see something we've never seen before.
Wild Poinsettia
It's not a rare wildflower but it has eluded us all these years.
Shrub Verbena
We had a great hike and for awhile we thought we were all alone in the world. We only saw a few people on this beautiful trail and we stayed there for lunch and more hiking in the afternoon.
Coral Honeysuckle
I had mentioned that I would love to see a Manatee and we did!
And while we were eating lunch a Dolphin swam by. It just doesn't get any better than that. (I handed my sandwich to hubby, grabbed my camera and ran to the bank of the canal to watch him glide through the water but I didn't get a good pic of the Dolphin! )
Here are some of our other sightings.
Great Blue Heron
Willet
Little Blue Heron (juvenile)
Little Blue Heron (breeding colors)
Bald Eagle
Gulf of Mexico
We are having such beautiful weather that I am out on the trails more than at my computer. But I'll catch up soon. After all....it will get HOT before we know it here in Florida!
46 comments:
...beautiful flora and fauna.
Hello,
Love the beautiful native Florida flowers. The honeysuckle is pretty, I am sure the hummer love it. Beautiful butterfly. Awesome shots of the Manatee and great bird sightings. I love the herons and egrets and the Bald Eagle is a favorite. Beautiful photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, enjoy you day and happy weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.
That Zebra wing is a stunner. Many wonderful sightings here but that one -- wow!
How great you got to see that manatee!
I have seen all of these except for the wild poinsettia, 39 years here and have never seen it
Hello. Beautiful place. A great number of different bird species.
What great photos as usual and I love the picture of the manatee!
Looks like a good field guide. I suspect that the wildflower had "eluded" you rather than "alluded" you! A Manatee would not only make my day, it would make my whole year.
Thanks David. I only misspelled a word? I got my ID's right? Well, that's something! lol Thanks everyone for the sweet comments!
Fabulous sightings Diane. I think I would like to see and experience a manatee almost more than birds and that's quite something coming from a life long border like me. The butterfly is amazing too, and of course those colourful Florida birds and blue skies.
All in one day??!!---wow that is amazing! Love the bright pretty wildflowers and I don't think I've seen wild poinsettias---isn't it pretty? The manatee is the best of all--- big beautiful gentle creatures!!! We know where to find the dolphins here but we don't have manatees!!! Great hike!-- and YES the weather has sure been perfect for it!
Just a little walk on Florida's Gulf coast and one can have infinite rewards! That's why we love it here.
Diane, thank you for continuing to showcase our state's natural beauty and for sharing it with all of us!
Oh awesome post ~ my favorite photo is of the manatee ~ others are great too ~ Xo
Wishing you love and laughter in your day,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
What beautiful butterflies!
The Manatee is interesting too... ;)
All the best!
I was just listening to a gardening program where lantana was featured. The gardener said Floridians are disdainful of it, but the rest of the country likes it very much. I know I do. Hope your sandwich was waiting for you when you got back!
Wow, that you saw a manatee! And wild poinsettia - never heard of it before. Keep sharing.
What a wonderful adventure! Great variety of critters!
How delightful! I can really identify with your joy and all of this
I love the Zebra Longwing Butterfly, and there is a Manatee, never seen one, probably want.
Amazing sights and photos. I love the picture of the manatee!
So very beautiful! Great photos!
Yes, our weather has been good for outdoor activities. We've been riding our bikes and increasing the distance.
Your photos are, as always, remarkably clear, interesting, and beautiful!
Seeing the Manatee would be a thrill and then getting its pic is even better. What a great day that you had.
Beautiful photos. I would so love to see a Manatee!!!
Diane - all of the wildlife is amazing, but my favorite is the manatee, especially the shot with the close-up of the nostrils! LOL!
I love all your photos, and I learned something new today after living in Florida most of my life. I thought that wild verbena flower was Lantana. That is what we've always called it! But I see your book calls it shrub verbena...oh, wait, I see in the fine print it says "Lantana camara", so I guess I wasn't wrong after all!! Whew! I'm glad to know that we are BOTH right on this one! LOL. Loved all the pictures. I've never seen a wild poinsettia. Maybe I just didn't know what it was. Now I will look for it! Florida is full of surprises if you just look for them! I enjoyed this.
lovely butterfly....
beautiful flora and fauna... thank you for sharing
You may have missed the dolphin but you got a great pictures.
All of your photos are lovely.
They are so delicate and pretty.
The hummingbird on your header is so cute.
Have a good day.
Beautiful captures! Specially loved the 1st pic!
What a beautiful butterfly! I enjoyed seeing all the pics.
You took beautiful pictures during your walk.
You can see so many other animals with you than here in the Netherlands, really great.
We can only see a manatee here in the zoo.
There are now a number of pairs of white-tailed eagles breeding here in the Netherlands, which is verry nice but they had disappeared from our country years ago.
Greetings Irma
You always see so much while you're out there on the trails. I don't blame you for being out there more when the weather is nice.
Loved all your beautiful photos but the one of the manatee snout made me laugh out loud! Thank you for sharing!
How close were you when you got the picture of the Manatee? It's a great photo!! I didn't know there was such a thing as a wild poinsettia. How cool you saw it and photographed it. You got to see so much in your walk. I walked today to the park and saw not much more then really green lawns. We've had lots of rain so it looks like Ireland here, lol. Daffodils and some Tulips are blooming now here in Ohio. Enjoy your walks.
Sandy's Space
That's a wonderful sight of the Manatee. And that Zebra butterfly is just so pretty. It's always fantastic when we see the Eagle also. The Shrub Verbena is really lovely. The colors look like Spring!
Have a peaceful Sunday, Diane, and a very good week ahead.
~Sheri
wow, so many great shots of flowers and beautiful wildlife.
Love the Zebra Longwing Butterfly, unusual colors and shape. Beautiful!
The Manatee, interesting but not that beautiful :)
Wonderful sightings and photographs.
Enjoy the week ahead.
All the best Jan
Those dolphins are so hard to capture, but they make us stop in our tracks. I have not seen a world poinsettia. That was a great picture and find.
I enjoyed seeing all of your wonderful photos but what a great shot you got of that manatee. I live in South Florida between he ocean and the Intracoastal and I saw a manatee in the ocean for the first time in the 6 years that we are here.
So many wonderful sights! I'm glad you got to see a manatee and a dolphin. Lovely photos. Enjoy walking this week!
Todo se ve maravilloso, me ha encantado pasear contigo. Gracias y besos.
Wow! A great sighting of the manatee! Beautiful and colourful flora and fauna.
i would not be able to eat during this show of wildlife...it is as if everyone came out to see you!! what a thrill to see a manatee, perhaps he was hoping you brought a sandwich for him as well!!
awesome captures of the big birds, and the eagle, WoW!!!!!
It's so nice that you posted this. The photos are lovely and now I can identify some of the things I saw on my recent trip to Florida as well. The great Blue Heron, the shrub Verbena, coral honeysuckle are some of the things we've seen. Beautiful!
Your photos are gorgeous, Diane. Well done.
Amalia
xo
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