Halpata Tastanaki Preserve in the Van Camper

 

A Van Camper is great for a day trip to the HTP at the Pruitt Trailhead.

You have everything you need when you finish your hike. You can make a cup of coffee and enjoy a snack out of the refrigerator....oh and go to the bathroom! And sit down to eat!

We know we'll enjoy taking it on other days trips but of course Halpata Tastanaki Preserve is one of my favorite destinations and it's close to home.

These are the first American Kestrels I've seen in awhile. 

I took pics of this one and then when I started to move down the trail, it flew and so did a second one.

So I think I caught a male and female traveling together.

We might see a Kestrel from time to time during the year, but more of them are here in the winter months.

Dragonfly

Bagworm

And don't forget to look UP!

The clouds looked like feathers and I saw a little pile of real feathers too.

There are still lots of Flycatchers at the preserve.

A view of the trail and my turn around point. 

(get a drink of water and make the turn)

Time for some relaxation in the van before heading home.

Do you enjoy day trips?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE !

A 'Half a Hike'!

 A 'half a hike'? Is that proper English? Or just Southern slang?

I drove out to the Pruitt Trailhead but instead of going down to Halpata Tastanaki Preserve, I parked in the regular parking lot and hiked the Florida Trail.

It was a glorious morning with temps in the 70s and a light breeze.

Out into the sunshine!

And when I got there, I was the only one there! (when I left there were 2 other vehicles with bike racks)
Since the two hurricanes blew through Florida, the birds have flown in!

All summer, I thought there were fewer birds but now they are everywhere in great numbers!

Not sure what this small bird is but I loved it's little feetsies! 

I walked behind some wild turkeys gobbling all the way....I mean THEY were gobbling, not me. I didn't even get a photo! But there were birds in every tree and the Swamp Sunflowers were in full bloom.

One of my best sightings was this female Blue Grosbeak.

She posed....

and posed 

and I was thrilled to get so close to her.

Another beautiful bird was this Northern Harrier.

I'm not sure what this wildflower is but it looks like a bouquet waiting to be placed in a vase!

But of course I'll leave it for the butterflies and bees!

Gulf Fritillary 

Dragonfly

Time to turn around at the FT sign!

We'll save the second half for next time!

I'm going to take a couple of weeks off to enjoy the season!

Are you seeing more birds where you live now too?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE !

The Luna Moth

 

We saw a Luna Moth on the side of the trail at Blue Run Park. Someone had spotted it and was standing next to it when we hurried along to see. I knew it was a Luna Moth when I saw it. But I was surprised to learn some interesting facts about it when I did an online search.

Luna Moths are not rare but are rarely seen by humans. They are nocturnal. And they only live in their adult form for 7 to 10 days. The adults have vestigial mouthparts and no digestive system. The don't eat at all during this one week of life. They use energy stored up as caterpillars. Isn't that amazing?

And how neat to get to see one up close. It's considered a mega-moth and was as big as my hand outstretched.

 My camera shows the greener color, hubby's had less color but a better focus! 

Some of the best websites for info are HERE and HERE.

Right now Florida would be considered 'buggy' and we are seeing lots of dragonflies!

They are real beauties too.

My husband took the photos below and they really stood out, almost looking 3D!

(these were taken at Felburn Park on the Gulf Coast)

Another mosaic, a water lily with an insect on it and blue dragonflies.

Lion's Ear

I found a whole bed of these Lion's ear plants near the Pruitt trailhead, Halpata Tastanaki Preserve.

I found the ID HERE.

We looked straight up above this trail at Blue Run Park and saw this beautiful spider web. 

We can always marvel at nature's beauty if we just take the time to observe! 

I'm joining Angie for Mosaic Monday HERE . 

and I like Thursdays HERE !  

Little things might go unnoticed!

 When I hike in the woods, I keep an eye on all of my surroundings! Critters in the forest, birds in the trees, bikes whizzing past and bugs on the path. My attention even gets drawn to the airplanes in the sky!

So when I get home and see that I've captured something tiny in a photo, I'm always thrilled.

Praying Mantis (about one inch long)

The tiniest dragonfly I've seen!

A beautiful orange dragonfly!

Caterpillar that looked translucent!

A fence lizard that was only about an inch and a half long!

A huge spider web....

with a Spiny backed Orb Weaver. ( I think these little spiders look like tiny alien spaceships!)

Which may account for the UFO I saw deep in the forest!

 

Let's zoooom in to get a good look at it! lol

And if that's not strange enough, this is a Green Hover Fly!

Ornidia orbesa  More info HERE.

It was literally hovering at eye level when we walked a trail deep in the woods. 

I was surprised that my camera could see it. I almost walked into it! 

Above : Butterflies and an ant on the sunflower.

Below : Butterfly Pea 

Now let's just hope those little things called dust particles go unnoticed around the house! I don't hike every day so I have time for housework. But then, there are so many interesting things to do that some things get overlooked! We haven't seen a 'new' movie in a long time so I ordered 2 movies on my wish list last week and we've watched and enjoyed them both! The new Little Women with Saoirse Ronan as Jo and News of the World with Tom Hanks. My husband and I both read the book (well both of them now that I think about it) and we were very pleased with the News of the World movie. It was tastefully done and I fell in love with the little girl, Helena Zengel who plays Johanna. I hope she'll be in lots of good movies in the future. 

Have you watched any good movies lately? Or taken a hike? Or dusted your house?

I'm joining Angie for Mosaic Monday HERE . 

I’m joining Thankful Thursdays and

I like Thursdays HERE too!