Aliens from outer space....close to home!

 The 'close to home' part of my title concerns our weather.

With the storms this month we've hiked close to home and went on a camping trip close to home.

The Alien?

Don't you love this beautiful Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly?

He was very photogenic and stayed around long enough for me to shoot a whole roll of film!

I guess back in the days of film cameras, I wouldn't have gotten this many photos!

The month of October has been stressful from the storms and restful with the camping trip.

And I won't complain about staying close to home.

Our weather has at least been good for the mushrooms! Lots of moisture, heat and humidity!

Hermit Thrush taken at Ross Prairie State Forest

We didn't have any damage from Hurricane Milton! I'm keeping everyone who did in my prayers. And we continue to pray for those affected by Hurricane Helene. It's been a tough Fall for this part of the country! 

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE !

Bees a buzzin'!

 

Don't kick the bucket....

or in this case....the steel drum!

I saw bees buzzing all around this old steel drum alongside the trail at Halpata Tastanki last week.

The wild bee hive is still there and the steel drum is nearby. 

When I got around to the other side of this drum, I zoomed in and saw a hole about the size of a dime and bees going in and out.

You just never know what you'll see on a hike at the preserve.

Which trail do you want to hike?

We get to a 't' and have to decide.

It was a sunny day but it felt great to be in nature.

I spotted this deer lying down in the shade of some trees.

She turned her head to get a better look at me but decided I wasn't a threat and stayed put.

A Cardinal lit on a branch and I saw a Bobwhite fly low across the trail.

This Gulf Fritillary butterfly lit near by. I saw lots of butterflies and dragonflies but no other good photo ops.

Now we have turned back to walk to the trailhead.

I parked in the shade so that kept the Jeep cool.

And I saw a Northern Harrier swooping overhead at the end of my hike.

It was a good day and the heat and humidity has been perfect for mushrooms. I'm trying to figure out what these look like. Maybe they look like some kind of sandwich or pastry?

What do you think?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE !

Amanda's Pennant Dragonfly

 When I saw this dragonfly, I thought it looked different. 

I couldn't wait to come home and do a search for the ID.

Of course I also consulted my Florida expert, Wally from  Our Natural Places. He and Gini love dragonflies and share their photos often. They are both native Floridians too so that gives them 'expert' status!

It's been a hot summer here in Florida but we've had wildflowers blooming all summer long.

Don't you love this fat bee buzzing here on a Sumac in full bloom.

American Bumblebee

I noticed the big clusters of blooms in the forest.

But then I was lucky to see some right on the edge of the trail.

We've been having afternoon pop up showers so the mushrooms are popping up everywhere.

And let's don't forget to watch for forest monsters!

They're everywhere!

There are flocks of Warblers flitting along the trails now too.

Northern Parula 

Thanks David G. from Travels with Birds for the bumblebee ID and Northern Parula! I appreciate the help and sweet comments! 

Have you had a good summer for butterflies and bees?

The trail I was on when I hiked the Greenway.

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE !

Shangri-La Trailhead, best for "Winter hiking"

 Now that the weather has cooled off here in Florida I am enjoying some of the trails I usually avoid in the summer months. 

But as you can see by the parking area at the Shangri-La Trailhead, I have it all to myself today!

The trails are just gorgeous and easy to walk. 

The way the trails 'lie', there's not much breeze so it feels hotter and the bugs enjoy it more than I do in the summer heat! So I wait for the cooler temps with less humidity.

Some of the trails follow the old diggings and it is perfectly quiet and peaceful.

We've had some rain so the mushrooms are abundant in the forest.

I'll pop a mosaic in to try to show more of these beauties!

This one looks like it has a little skirt on!

And we've seen lots of Warblers, Flycatchers and Bluebirds this week.

I know many people have gotten a winter blast this week. We've had a few cold nights too!

Hubby took this Eastern Bluebird photo and it's one of my all time favorites now!

Enjoy your week and get outside to enjoy nature when you can!

And for those of you who are interested in the BIG announcement I made on Jan. 23rd, I'll include a link to the post HERE!

 It's going to be FUN!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE !  

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 !