'Beauty and the Beast' Blue Run Park in Dunnellon

If you don't want to see a beast, stop reading about 2/3 of the way down! lol

I know I've probably seen this butterfly before but I never got a good ID of it.

It's a Queen butterfly and was just gorgeous.

It was so orange, it was almost brick red. 

And a few of the pretty birds we've seen this week...

Catbird

Prairie Warbler

Wren

So precious!

And now for the 'beast'! I know many of you think because I post a photo of an alligator, I like alligators. But not really. They are so primitive and scary to me. And as long as I am way up high on the bridge looking down at the Withlacoochee River, I don't mind seeing one.

Someone...NOT ME...wrote in chalk!

But there are 2 hanging out on the swamp side of the trail at Blue Run Park. And they are just about ruining my hiking experience. Everyone is talking about them.

This might be a Mama Gator and she is HUGE!

And then there's a baby, not real close to Mama but in the same swamp.

What bothered me most this past week was that the first time we walked by the big gator lounging in the swamp, we took a few pics and moved on. Then when we came back by, it wasn't there. So then I spent all of my time looking for it! It could be ANYWHERE!!!

And just as we were finishing up our hike, there was a trail of water across the trail where the baby had gone from the swamp side to the river side. Wish Mama Gator would cross over (when I'm NOT there) and stay in the river! 

And my oh my but the Withlacoochee River was gorgeous!

Let me see if I can end this with a pretty flower!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’. 

Cows, Horses and a 'cat'?

 

We drove out to the Pruitt Trailhead to hike and the cows were in the neighboring pasture.

There were so many young ones.

I think there were as many small cows as big cows!

All very curious about our vehicle driving past the fence.

We hiked the other trailhead of Halpata Tastanaki another day and just as we got around a curve, we heard a 'hiyahhhh' behind us!

A rider was coming at a full gallop.

In all the years we've hiked this trail, this is the first horse we've ever seen there. It's nice and wide and horses are allowed, we've just never seen one here. I don't know who was more surprised! It gave us a 'start' for sure!

And the 'cat' is a catbird that I saw in the brush.

We usually hear them make a meow type sound but not this time.

Hubby took a photo of me taking it's photo! lol

(I think I'll leave the photo small so that I look smaller than the cows! hahahahaha)

Have you seen anything out of the ordinary in some of your usual places this week? 

It keeps life interesting, that's for sure!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.