Red, White and Blue

 

These colors are found in nature everywhere we look!

Red-bellied Woodpecker

I enjoyed watching this one work his way up a pine tree in the forest.

And for white, I'll share this section of the trail I was on. 

This is a cluster of frogfruit that is growing on a trail of crushed seashells.

It's BRIGHT in the direct summer sunshine!

This airplane was a beautiful blue.

And I saw a couple of Blue Jays too.

And don't even get me started on the flowers! 

We enjoy an abundance of color year round here in the Sunshine State of Florida.

Are you having a colorful summer too?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE !

Finding beauty close to home!

 

We've had a lovely Spring with perfect hiking weather and lots of pretty things to photograph in the forest.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

This is a trail I take from hwy 484 through the woods in the direction of Shangri-la. 

Shangri-la is a trailhead and a campground and it's a favorite destination too.

This particular trailhead is only 3 miles from my driveway so I go there often.

And of course there are trails that take off in several directions so every hike is different.

One day I photographed these Blue Lupines in full bloom.

They are scattered throughout the forest and really are a burst of color among the pine needles and old leaves.

And then another day I spotted these white Lupines! 

I had never seen them before so that was amazing!

One more close up!

I watched a little Black-capped Chickadee high in the tree.

The leaves of this tree are a pretty Spring green.

And then there were two Red-bellied Woodpeckers chasing each other.

I think it might have been a Spring ritual too.

Lots to see and do! I need to take some 'energy pills'! haha!

Have a beautiful weekend!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE !  

Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway

 Most of my hikes take place on the Greenway. 

It's close to my house and there are several trailheads where I can park to start a hike. I'm over 100 hikes for this year!

Pileated Woodpecker

I love these big noisy woodpeckers!

There are 3 trailheads less than 5 miles from me so it's quick and easy to drive over for a hike on the paved trail or on the many primitive trails in the forest. 

And some of the trails have birds and critters that the other sections don't have. (or I don't see!)

So I thought I would share some of the sights I've seen over the past couple of weeks of hiking the Greenway. 

The weather has improved and I'm back to hiking just about every other day. It sure feels great!

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Red-bellied Woodpecker juvenile

Downy Woodpecker

Downy Woodpecker (back)

Red headed Woodpecker juvenile

Warbler (pine warbler I think)

And last but not least, Rufous-sided Towhees.

Florida towhees have the pale eye!

I saw about 6 of these birds flitting around.

They were a family of Towhees!

I named this one Scruffy!

We found a lot of these trails by going on the internet and searching and a few we found using google maps. 

I hope you can find places close to your home to get out in nature. It's fun to do the research online!

 It's a great time of the year to get outside.

Is it good hiking weather where you live too?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

  and Mosaic Monday HERE !  

Baby Blues and Petite Yellows, the birds are back!

 I've been hiking the Florida trails from the 49th Avenue Trailhead a lot this summer because it has tall trees that shade the trails. 

Eastern Bluebird juvenile

And I've seen lots of wildlife and some birds.

But on Wednesday, I hit the jackpot!

In one area there were birds fluttering from tree to tree (and one on the trail in front of me).

I didn't get good photos of everything I saw but I saw a nice flock of young Eastern Bluebirds.

I think this is one too but it sure is hidden against the bark of the tree!

The Warblers were back.

These are probably Pine Warblers but there were some that didn't look like Pine Warblers.

And my photos aren't that great for ID. 

They wouldn't stand still! lol

I saw 3 Red-bellied Woodpeckers and a Pileated Woodpecker.

Pileated Woodpecker

Beautiful wildflowers and butterflies all through the forest.

Beautyberry Lane

It was hot but I managed to get a full hike in and take lots of photos to share. 

Has it cooled off at your house? Or in your forest?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.   

I Spy Something Red!

 

It's not always possible to find answers to your questions when you view your photos from a hike.

But it sure is fun when you do!

So what happened to the red berry?

 

We saw the Red-bellied Woodpecker with a red berry in his beak in one of my photos.

And then we found it stashed away in a little crevice of the old snag of a tree when we looked at hubby's photos. Of course the most interesting part of the photo is the yummy snack the woodpecker has pulled out of the top of the tree. But do you see the red berry above?

It seems like we see Woodpeckers on every hike this summer.

This Pileated Woodpecker is right in the center of this photo.

But we managed to change our angle and get a few more.

He's so beautiful!

And we've seen a few Red Headed Woodpeckers. Not many. Just a few so far.

 Red headed Woodpecker

And I love seeing a young one (possibly a Red-bellied Woodpecker) that doesn't have much color at all.

The Flicker is a neat sighting too.

Do you see the red on the back of his head?

We started this post with a red berry. 

How about this beautiful red Cardinal flower to end it! We're getting out for more hikes lately! 

A few people asked if the Luna Moth I featured in a post HERE was still alive when we saw it. Yes, it was alive but struggling. It was flapping it's wings and flopping around on the ground, not flying away. I guess it was at the end of it's life. 

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE

and I’d Rather B Birdin’.