The Colors of Autumn

 We have 'Fall colors' here in Florida but they may not be typical of our neighbors to the North.

Fall brings colorful flowers that rival the Spring wildflowers.

We even found one that was new to us this week walking on the Florida Trails from parking on hwy 484. I actually got off the trail to take the photos and got into some thorns. So I drew blood to take this photo! lol

But it's a beautiful time of year. Our temps are milder and the humidity is a lot lower.

We are hiking just about every other day! I wish I had the energy to go every day!

Purple is throughout the forest right now....

with splashes of yellow! 

Coralbean

Red berries

Virginia Creeper

Cypress trees

Maple leaves

I hope you've enjoyed our Autumn colors.

I'm not sure my Mosaic Monday buddies got to see my fairy forest post HERE! 

It was magical!

Have a beautiful week!

I'm joining Mosaic Monday HERE 

and I like Thursdays HERE !  

What do the fairies in the forest eat?

Well, macaroons of course!

You didn't think they lived on a diet of berries and nuts did you?

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw these mushrooms and thought they looked exactly like macaroons.

So I used my imagination and looked around for the forest fairies, but of course they were shy and I didn't get good photos of them. Can you spot all three of them at the base of this tree?

I hiked the Florida trails from hwy 484 and went East on the trail.

And it was a fairyland of mushrooms and lichen.

The trail has grown up in tall weeds but once you get through these, you can walk on a paved section.

I thought this black and white lichen was beautiful too!

Every cluster was different!

It looks like my Jeep has been swallowed up by the grass! But we got out without any trouble!

Look for the extraordinary in your part of the world and enjoy

 your week! 

I'm joining Mosaic Monday HERE 

and I like Thursdays HERE !  

Happy Labor Day - Butterflies and Bees

 Thanks to all the hard workers that do so much to contribute to the strength and prosperity of our country.

These are some of the butterflies and bees I've seen this week, on the trails and in my neighborhood.

This is Sumac and the clusters of flowers are fragrant and attracting the honey bees!

What a joy to have so many wildflowers blooming now!

And pretty flowers in the flower beds!

Mosaics to share...

Bees...

and butterflies.

You can even see the rain falling from the sky before the rainbow came out!

Have a wonderful happy day! 

I'm joining Angie for Mosaic Monday HERE . 

and I like Thursdays HERE !  

Let's drive over to the recycle center!

 I know that doesn't sound exciting but our recycle center actually borders Ross Prairie State Forest so it's a good place to see birds and wildlife (and to recycle! lol).

The wild turkeys were fun to watch!

I think we scared them and scattered the flock. 

They were strutting and trotting on both sides of the car.

And then we made a loop to get back home and stopped at 3 more trailheads!

Shangri-la is a trail we have to save for cooler days. The trail goes into the dense forest and is perfect for a cool windy day. After you climb a steep hill, you drop back down into the canal diggings and you don't get any wind or even a breeze down there. There's also a little issue with poison ivy on the trail. But we'll be there when the weather changes! I can't wait!

We pulled into the 49th Ave trailhead and looked around too. And then drove around to another entrance that doesn't have parking. 

We were fortunate to see Florida Scrub jays, a female Cardinal and a Rufous-sided Towhee singing his heart out. We saw lots of animal tracks on the soft sand too. But it was too hot to do a regular hike. We were just scouting around!

So that was our exciting trip to the recycle center! We saw White Ibis in our backyard before we left too. Summer time is a great time to be in Florida! And recycling is always a good idea!

I'm joining Angie for Mosaic Monday HERE . 

and I like Thursdays 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 !  

Reflections

 When we were at Blue Run Park, I took photos of the observation deck across the Rainbow River. 

It's beautiful where we were standing too but I was mesmerized by the scene in front of me.

Hubby was taking pics too!

It was hard to choose a favorite photo!

So I'll share a mosaic of every one I took! 

I love taking photos of the swamp as we walk too.

It had rained the day before and the water level was high.

Beautiful!

And more of the swamp photos in a mosaic!

Doesn't this cloud look like a feather? 

(or have I stood outside too long looking up into the sun? heehee)

I'm joining Angie for Mosaic Monday HERE . 

I’m joining Thankful Thursdays and

I like Thursdays HERE too!