Friday, September 15, 2023

Horses and Cows and Bees....OH MY!


 I always see a lot of birds when I go to the Halpata Tastanaki Preserve but I also see some other interesting sights.


When you drive into the Pruitt Trailhead from hwy 484, the road goes through the preserve to the Florida Trails and HTP trailhead but it also has some private land to the West. 


I love seeing the horses on this horse farm.


They look so peaceful in this setting and the sky was darkening with a shower coming in from the Gulf.

There are also cows grazing....


or cows gazing!


So those were some of the sights I saw when I started my hike.

What did I see when I ended the hike?


A swarm of honey bees.

I've never seen that on a hike but when I went back a week later they were still there.


The bees are right in the center of this photo.

I know they may not be dangerous but I gave them a wide berth and zoomed in for these photos.


They were quite active! Hope the scout finds them a hollow tree or good place for their hive. I guess I'll check on them again in a few days!


So what's buzzin'.... 


or mooing where you live?

Have you had a good week too?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE !  

46 comments:

Tom said...

...pastoral! But don't get stung.

Jenn Jilks said...

That is really interesting, the bees! We've had hornets, and they didn't bother us.
I do enjoying driving my animals in the fields.

Jeanie said...

For whatever reason, I'm so fond of those cows!

Ed Rosack said...

Those photos of the bees are very interesting - I haven't ever seen anything like that!

Wally Jones said...

A beautiful outing!

Very soothing scenery. I see why you love that area.

Have a great weekend, Diane.

MadSnapper said...

hope someone will come and get the bees and put them in a hive to make honey for others. i would not walk even that close. as for the horses and cows? wow and wow. Color me jealous

Pamela M. Steiner said...

Oh my! You and I were both "moooooving" and grooving with the cows this week!! I just posted pictures of some cows on my blog this morning! Must be the season! And those BEES!!! Wow! That was a LOT of BEES! I'm glad you weren't really that close, but oh my, if they got spooked...look out!!! The horses are beautiful too. You had some good sights this week!! Thanks for sharing!! Moooooving right along now!!!

Carla from The River said...

WOW... I have never seen honey bees like this. Amazing, so many amazing things to see and learn. Thank you for sharing with us my dear friend.
Carla

Barbara said...

You have done a good job of capturing with your camera some of the restful sights we can see every day here in our part of Florida. Although I will say I seldom see (nor get even remotely close to) a bee hive. That was very interesting!

Cloudia said...

I so appreciate our travels together. Aloha

roentare said...

They seem to be in peace most of the times

Lowcarb team member said...

WOW! Just look at those bees, I've never seen so many.

Have a good weekend.

All the best Jan

happyone said...

Beautiful country scenes.
Wow those honey bees are amazing. I've never seen anything like that.

QUILTING IS BLISSFUL, DI said...

Oh my that is alot of bees--glad you kept your distance!!!
I got to spend some time in Nature today--my friend and I went to a restaurant called--The Shack-- and it was right along the river--I got to watch dolphins swim and play the whole time we ate--though they stayed pretty much under water only seen 3 or fins now and then--seen alot of river birds--an osprey hunting and a big blue heron--also a really pretty butterfly and some flowers--great time and place for eating--my first time there--but my friend has been there several times--I so miss that kind of nature ( I don't have a car or drive )
have a great week end-hugs, di

Salty Pumpkin Studio said...

A beekeeper would love to find a hive like that...If they can harvest wild bees.
Beautiful cattle, the birds seem to like them as well.

Terri D said...

Whew on that swarm of bees! Keep us posted!! I enjoyed seeing the cows and horses!! Happy weekend!

Ann said...

You saw some great sights. Love those cows and horses. I would have taken a wide berth on those bees too. That's a lot.

Irma said...

What a beautiful landscape, nice to see the cows and the cattle egrets.
So many bees together, this is very beautiful to see.
I wish you a good weekend.
Greetings Irma

gluten Free A_Z Blog said...

Wow! I've never seen a group of bees like that before. That was amazing! I love the photo of the cows with the white birds (egrits?) handing out with them. Beautiful photos!

Shiju Sugunan said...

Seems like an enjoyable outing. The cows stole the show, and your close-up shot of the bees is fantastic!

Mae Travels said...

Milk and honey! You must live in a Biblical land. Horses too. You have some great photos this week.
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com

carol l mckenna said...

Fascinating hike and great place ~ a bit of everything to see ~ thanks, for great photos always ~


Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)

Judy Biggerstaff said...

Cows are so interesting to watch! Wow, glad you stayed afar from the bees. Wonder how many hundreds of bees are on that hive.

DeniseinVA said...

Enjoyed your photos. Thanks for taking us to this interesting area. Those bees are really something. I have seen photos of such things, but never come across anything like that before.

Lea said...

I haven't seen a swarm of honeybees since I was a child - amazing sight!
Great photos of the cows! Pretty horses!
Have a wonderful weekend!

Penelope Notes said...

Great to see so MANY bees as they are a critical part of the ecosystem. :)

Bill said...

Seeing all those honeybees is a first for me. Great photos, have a nice weekend.

Linda said...

That's AMAZING!!! I have never seen a swarm! But I want to!
Did you know a beekeeper could put their bare hands in that swarm and by the handfuls place them in a super (bee box) without getting stung? It's because they are not protecting a hive with brood. eggs, larvae and resources. That being said - I would still wear my suit!

eileeninmd said...

Hello Diane,
I love the horses, cows and the cattle egrets are lovely.
The swarm of bees looks scary, I would keep my distance.
Great series of photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a happy weekend. PS, thank you for leaving me a comment.

RedPat said...

I have never seen bees behaving like that. Love the horses and the cows. Have a great week.

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Lovely scenes, Diane! I beekeeper would be very happy to capture that large swarm of bees looking for a new home! They lure them into their apiary.

magiceye said...

Wonderful photographs!

Iris Flavia said...

Oh, I miss seeing cows, horses and also sheep. 2008 Ingo (Hubby) moved to my place, before each second weekend I went to his place, a village. Especially the sheep were fun, they always answered!
I´ve never seen a bee hive!
To animals! (P.S. my blog title... nobody reads the "about"-section! I was astonished some really said, ah, now I know...)
Have a great Sunday! And say Hi to the "critters" for me...

Teresa said...

Todo bonito e interesante. He tenido algún enjambre en el jardín. Besos y feliz domingo.

Red Rose Alley said...

That bee hive is something else. So many bees swarming around each other! I love the dear cows, and there is a cow farm very close to where I live, so I see dozens of them on my drive. The horses are always a treat to see. They're such special animals. I like the photo of the birds gathering with the cows, that's so cute. Those big trees are beautiful too.

~Sheri

Aunt Helen said...

It was so nice to see the cows. They looked content and attentive to you! It reminded me of home. We lived at the edge of town, and had a shed for our one cow! My Mother milked her, and sold milk. This was in the 1940's. I had never seen such a huge Bee Hive! That was a super hike!! Thank you, Love, Aunt Helen

Hena Tayeb said...

Oh those bees gave my the heebie-jeebies'

Debbie said...

great sights in this area...

i always enjoy seeing cows and horses and see them quite a bit in my area. i, like you, love where i live. seeing and photographing the honey bees helps one to understand the term "busy bee"!!

great captures today. i really loved the last picture...and thanks for your help in identifying my bees, i hurried through that post!!

Jim and Barb's Adventures said...

How cool to see that swarm! I have seen them on TV but never in person. You are right, they probably were not a threat, but I would have given them a wide berth as well.

Julie's Creative Lifestyle said...

Diane, what nice horses, cows, and bees. You always go on great walks with your husband. I enjoyed looking at the photos. I hope you have a nice week and happy walks.

NatureFootstep said...

the cows looks so funny with the ears pointing down :)

Tanza Erlambang said...

scary to see A swarm of honey bees......
Thank you for sharing beautiful photos as always....

Jill Harrison said...

The country scenese are so restful. I would like to just relax like those cows under a tree. Best stay away from those bees though. Have a great week!

EricaSta said...

Bees are rar here. A swar of bees is a specialty. But I would fear them, getting bee bites.


Happy MosaicMonday

Thank you, dear Diane so much being part at
MosaicMonday

Have a fine week. Hugs by Heidrun

Rostrose said...

Dearest Diane, oh my, this swarm of bees is really impressive! My friend Maria worked as a beekeeper for some time and told me a lot about it, but I'm not sure if I remembered everything correctly. I believe such swarms form when a new queen is born. Then some of the bees move out of the old hive and found a new colony.
I am also very happy about the sight of the beautiful horses and cattle and cattle egrets! Thanks for the nice walk!
Hugs and all the best from Austria, Traude
🌺🪶🍂 🪶🌺
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2023/09/mamuz-im-schloss-asparn-40000-jahre.html

Jeannie said...

I have never seen a real honeybee hive in the woods. It looks exactly like what Winnie the Pooh was always eating.
Jeannie@GetMeToTheCountry