Redtops

This is one scraggily pileated ... I'm thinking he's a youngster who is still in that awkward adolescent time period.

I love this flower and I post about it every year about this time.

I can't help myself.

This Coral Bean, aka Cherokee Bean, plant grows amongst my blueberries. It's a toss-up as to who loves it the most, me or the hummingbirds.

...Tough as nails to photograph though the red never looks as red in the pic as it did in real life.

Wordless Wednesday: Walking Bear

Okay, I know it's Wordless Wednesday, but I have to ask... did you see the cottontail burst out of the grass and dash to the right as Bear ran right past it? The movie is made of 4 clips. It's in one of the clips.

It's a white blur.

Go back and look.

Hard To Find Like A Worm Lizard, I Am

Sorry, I missed posting for a few days ... not like me to do that. Somehow the 24 hours that we are all allotted each day did not include time to post.
Imagine that.

Above, you see the smiling face of a Worm Lizard. That flat, shovel-shaped forehead allows him to shove dirt aside as he digs through our sandy soil. He's a legless lizard who lives a subterranean lifestyle ... which means you may never have seen one.
(Unless you read an earlier post here at PF about this animal)

Last week, one of my students brought this one to me. It was a great specimen, uninjured and very animated.
In my experience, the few times I have found one of these while digging has almost always involved some injury to the lizard by whatever I was using to dig... shovel, tiller, etc.


They DO look wormy. My students thought he was pretty neat and only one or two had ever seen one.
I took him home and released him on a sandy mound left by another subterranean creature, the pocket gopher.

Here's about 30 seconds of worm lizard digging. Be sure to turn up the volume so you can enjoy the calls of the parenting hawks in my back woods.

What Bird Is This?

This little guy popped out of the bushes while I was filming baby gators last week. He (she?) was very bobbittybobbity busy in subdued light ... so the photo may be just a bit soft.

I did catch him on video, which was actually much easier than catching him in a focused still photo.

As usual, when it comes to some kind of warbler (I am assuming it's a warbler) I call upon your expertise, birdnerds. I can not find my Sibley Guide anywhere and with dialup, I'd spend all weekend searching the web bird ID sites.





In other news:

• Mrs. FC and her girlfriends have gone all entrepreneurial on us and started a catering business called "Southern Sisters". They will be at the High Springs "Pioneer Days" festival today and tomorrow, so if you are in the area, go have some amazing food and be sure to ask "Which one of you is Mrs. FC?" .... rumor has it that I will eventually be drafted into his business as a BBQ chef / chowder maker.

• In yet another case of "IS THE INTERNET JUST ABOUT THE MOST AMAZING THING EVERRRRR?, I want to share this little tidbit. I'm going to do it without naming the folks involved just out of respect for their privacy. First, let's flash back through time to FC as a teenager. He's crazy about the ocean, fishing, surfing, maritime history and treasure, and in his later teens, diving. Like a sponge, he soaks up everything he can read about any of those topics and certain heroes emerge ... Sylvia Earle (okay, had a crush on her), Cousteau, Mel Fisher, and others. FLASH FORWARD to present day. FC is a little older, a little wiser, but still crazy about the ocean. He runs this little website called Pure Florida. Because of this little website he "knows" all kinds of neat people who drop in and say "Hi" in the comment section. Some say "Hi" via email too, and one day an email arrives with a question about a previous post. FC answers the question, but notices that the sender has the last name of one of those early heroes. He knows it's a long shot, but in his response, he asks about that coincidence. Turns out, it's not a coincidence, it's "spot on" as the Brits would say. DO WE LIVE IN AMAZING TIMES OR WHAT?!! So, I'm pretty stoked this morning.

And now, I'm going to go out and shoot something ... with my camera.

Have a most excellent Saturday!

Baby Turtle Up-Update and Acceptance!

Remember back in 2006, how I dug up the driveway turtle nest, nurtured the eggs, and hatched out a clutch of turtles?


Remember how I have updated you often regarding their progress?

Well, here I go again.

The pond has stayed dry for almost as long as I have had these turtlings, so some of them are still with me. This has NOTHING to do with the fact that they are charming and fun to have around.

So wipe that smug, knowing look off your face.

I am simply providing a temporary home until the pond fills again.

Yesterday, I ran into the cute little boy whose Grandma (she works cleaning the school) asked me for a baby turtle over a year ago. She wanted to give it to him as a Christmas present as he loves turtles.



He's about 8.

He calls me "Turtle Man" and I call him "Turtle Guy".



He started the conversation by telling me I'm his best friend.

I'm not of course, we don't even see each other that much, but it was his way of telling me he really likes his turtle.



" Do I have to let my turtle go?"

"Why would you do that?"

"It's getting so big."

"Well, he has to have room to live. Can you just get a bigger home for him?"

"Maybe. I'll ask Grandma."

"You do that and if you have to let him go, I can babysit him for you."

"Okay."



And off he went to take care of 8 year old business.

Poor lad, he's fallen for that turtle and gotten completely attached to it.

Unlike me.





I'm only keeping mine because the pond is dry.



Honest.



No, really. That is the reason.



Okay, I see the doubt in your eyes, so I'm changing the topic.





"Thank you for applying to the Aquaculture Immersion Excursion Teacher Workshop at Harbor Branch, sponsored by FDACS Aquaculture Review Council. We received 80 applications from elementary, middle, high school, and community teachers from all over the state. Applications were reviewed by a committee and ranked according to content, how the educator/teacher would use the curriculum, and how many students would be exposed to the curriculum (i.e., represent a variety of schools and geographical locations). We have selected 50 participants for the workshops.
We are pleased to inform you that your application was favorably reviewed and you have been accepted. Congratulations! We are excited to share this experience with you and look forward to meeting you."



Sweeeeeeeet!

When the announcement for this training arrived via email a few months ago, I just stared at the screen in disbelief.



If I were designing a training and a place I would most love to attend, this was it. Harbor Branch is the Mecca of aquaculture research and education.



So I applied instantly.

Then, I waited. The deadline for applications was April 17, so it was a long wait, but today I got the great news!



So, as soon as this school year ends, I'm heading south to be immersed in Aquaculture at a place I've always wanted to visit.

What a nice way to end the week.

Soccer

Who is that blonde kid?

Don't you love it when the girl trounces him?

Titi Post

Titi (Cyrilla racemiflora)


Happy Earth Day!

Ratsnake Recycling

On the same day that I encountered the babes of Gator Beach, I encountered this grey ratsnake on the dirt road through the woods.
When I first saw it at a distance, I thought I had a live snake to "mess" with and photograph. Accordingly, I jumped out of the JEEP with camera in hand only to find that this snake was dead.

Someone earlier than me had driven over him, I think accidentally, as the snake is only damaged near the rear end. He may have been scooting across the road and could not be avoided, or perhaps the driver was distracted and didn't see the sunning snake.

Whatever the case, one of my favorite snakes was dead, which is always a bummer to me, but he was being utilized by some very busy ants.

The video below shows that ant activity. Take a look at his eye, it's still clear, this snake had not been dead very long at all, but the ants were already working hard.
Possibly carrion beetles at work too since there is mounding around the snake and they tend to bury their finds.

Gator Beach

You gotta be tough to hang out at Gator Beach.
We prefer scales to sunscreen, live food to sushi, and nictitating membranes to swim goggles.

(from Latin nictare, to blink)


Sometimes Gator Beach gets a little crowded.

That's a good time to hit the water with your stick and catch some gnarly waves.

These babies and the juvie gator in the top pic were all sunbathing in the woods Sunday. It was one of those mornings where I was almost out of the woods without a single decent pic of anything more exciting than a TiTi tree, and then ...

... baby gators!

Sweeeet!

I realize I should be posting these on Pure Alligator (and I will eventually), but I just couldn't stand not to post them here first.

There's video too.

Soon come.

Ab-Staining-Mowing

Below: Heirloom amaryllis from my great-great-great grandmothers ancestral farm in western Pennsylvania. Before the farm left the family, Mom got some of the bulbs and they have multiplied like crazy in her back yard.
After they finish blooming, I'm moving some to my yard to keep the chain going.


This will be a jumbled post in which nature may or may not be mentioned, as I have no plan, just a few items.

(I know the masthead says if it's not nature, it's not here, ... but I think it mentions culture too,
right? ... I know, you folks with REAL culture get a little chuckle out of that every time the PF page loads ...)

Anyway, let us proceed.


I finally received my bonus check for earning National Board Certification. It was delayed for months as the Florida state budget for just about everything was slashed and burned. For awhile, it was in jeopardy and I feared I had earned my NBPTS certification in the year the bonus was cancelled. That would be just my luck.

It came on April 15, just in time to soften the blow an IRS tax payment caused. This is after a huge slice was taken out of it for taxes of course ... I'm whining.
Forgive me.

So, we are planning to restain PFHQ using the two dollars and 98 cents that was left after our contribution to funding the economic stimulus big bank bailout plan. I won't be stimulating any local painters though.
FC will be doing this himself with the help of his now older children and a VERY long ladder.


Here she is, wearing her outdated make-up from about 6 years ago. The greennicty of her surroundings are tinting her basic, but faded cedar stain a bit in that picture, but she DOES need a good powerwashing and fresh stain.



I didn't do it.

I know Flounder ... it's Feather ... not her fault though.

We are also planning on putting a hard enamel porch paint down on the porch boards. They are only stained with the same stain as the siding now.

Our very old lady dog Feather has some tinkling issues and our thinking is a good paint seal on the floor boards will make cleaning up after her more effective.
Am I oversharing?

We have a new arrival at PFHQ, a new lawn mower that is so hip and cool that the box said, "MAY BE SOLD IN CALIFORNIA".

We are all about being hip here at PFHQ so this was a big selling point. I believe to meet California's strict eco requirements, a mower must suck carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and spew out tree seedlings behind it as you mow.

I'm pretty pumped about this and will be firing it up for the first time this morning. It's a walking mower, although it is self-propelled, which seems kind of like cheating.
Where's the mow-flex workout in that?

Speaking of working out ... which gets us to the Ab part of the post title ... any of you athletes using the P90X fitness program that keeps tempting me from the tube?
Any personal experience or opinions on that one?

Other stuff:

• My tomatoes are blooming ... the ones in Jr's Science Fair project that is.
• The garden is mostly a peppers/tomato garden right now, although there are some pretty collards out there still.
• The atamasco lillies I divided a few weeks ago all bloomed and seem to be thriving, so I guess I did no serious damage.
• The swallowtail kites have been back for a few weeks. Perhaps this is the year I get a perched STK picture.
• The pileated's are just shredding the old horsey swing turkey oak log that we park next to each day. They are a pair and are nesting somewhere on the property I believe.
• Emma made the Dean's List at USF! You go girlie!

So, that's about it for this morning.

I believe I actually did squeeze some nature in there, so all is not lost.

Trapped!

The problem with an angry raccoon in your Havahart trap is ... you have to open the door and let him out.

Shell Mound Con Nino's

Jonathon in the bow and Junior at the helm.
I was proud of these two generation electron kids. They powered that canoe into a brisk breeze and crossed the river in a straight line to the lee of an Island.


I was really proud that they fished so hard without whining or resorting to Star Wars or LOTR sword fighting with the fishing poles.

The boys spotted the first of many horseshoe crabs mating on the oyster bars. This small male was desperately clinging to a larger female when I interrupted him for a pic. He wasn't actually mating, just clinging to her for that moment when she crawls up on to the beach as she has been doing for about 200,000,000 years to lay her clutch at the high tide mark.

See that sweeeeeeetly curving shell bar beneath and beyond the kayak? Such a place just screams redfish or trout, so I parked the kayak and took a quiet stroll casting to either side of the bar.

Sure enough, this pretty seatrout cooperated. I brought it to shore for a quick release and continued casting, but that was to be the only fish of the day.

At the wedding last week, my Uncle Richard showed me a gator trout over 9 pounds that he caught. It could have eaten this one for lunch!

Aunt Shelba, send me that picture and I will post it if he wants!

Oystercatchers are one of my favorite shorebirds ... how 'bout you? These aren't as spiffly dressed as I was expecting ... maybe they are juvies.

Chime in there birders.

I NEVER head out without multiple battery backups when I go photographin'. In these days of megapixels, your batteries are your film.

I usually have a charged set in the camera and two backup sets in the camera bag.

So you can imagine how shocked I was to reload the Sony and find that the backup pair I grabbed were dead.

Arrgghh... a few days ago I took a spare charged pair out of my pockets and a used pair (AA Sony rechargeables) at the same time. I remember thinking at that moment, "Did I just mix these up? ... Nahhhh."

Well, I did.

Not only did I bring a depleted pair of AA's along on this adventure, but I left the other pair at home in a pair of shorts I had just dropped in the closet.

So ... back to the reloading of the dead batteries. After discovering that the new pair was completely depleted, I dumped them and reloaded the recently expired ones that were in the camera originally.

After all, it hadn't actually shut down, it was just flashing the dead battery warning prior to the change.

I could probably squeeze out at least one or two shots if I kept the camera off between shots.

That paid off. Every bird shot on this post was taken with that pair of very depleted batteries, with the "dead battery" symbol flashing the whole time.

Eventually, as I drifted right up to an oyster bar loaded with skimmers, the batteries shut down and my Sony went quiet.

Of course the skimmers let the kayak approach closer than ever before at that moment.

And of course, they finally flew up all around me swirling magnificently, before settling right back down next to me, as if to say, "Dang, boy, wouldn't that have made a great little video clip?"

Oh well ...

At least I got a few stills off before my energy crisis.

I think this was my last shot of the day.

Who is the unique individual in that shot?

Knot? Not?

Flooding On The Suwannee

A surly, swirly, Suwannee slides swiftly seaward.

Yesterday, as promised, I took the JEEP into the flood zone of the Suwannee River. Most of my day was spent in Gilchrist county, along it's many backroads, some dirt, some paved, some flooded.
My plan was pretty simple.
Using my DeLorme Florida map book, I visited boatramps and bridges, seeking evidence of the rising waters.


The scene above was later in the day in the town of Branford. I'm standing (with half the population of Branford) on the bridge over the Suwannee River.
Where I am standing is just about the normal edge of the river, the water you see extending along highway 27 is flooded floodplain.

(You see, that's why they call it a floodplain...it floods, so if you build a house, a business, or a farm in it, you should expect to be flooded ... I do not believe you should expect to be bailed out with federal flood insurance, but I guess the taxpayers feel differently from me)

I used my odometer to check how far west the flood waters extended and it was almost a mile from the foot of the bridge.

This place was living on the edge. The river isn't finished rising, so I suppose it's going to be wet inside, if it isn't already. The river's "normal" shore is far out from this building and the boatramp next to it was completely submerged.

A little collage of the wet scenery yesterday. It stayed grey and blustery all day, but today is chilly, clear, and sunny.

Gorgeous!

I have some errands to run, some taxes to e-file, and then, rumor has it that I will be kayaking with a fishing pole in my hand.

Have you heard that rumor?

Could it be true?

Dang, I hope so.

Blatant self-promotion department: There's a sweet little baby gator video over at PureAlligator today.

I Want To Be Your Sledgehammer

Our PF fence lizards are superbly adapted to the local oaks and they disappear as soon as they stop moving.

They're using a passive defense known as disruptive coloration. Disruptive coloration is designed to break up your outline so you look less lizardy, fishy, snakey, etc.
Stewie the cornsnake uses a similar plan, as did the US Navy (Navy 1, Somali pirates 0!) in World War II.
Back then, some warships in the Pacific were painted with a zigzaggy, almost zebra pattern to break up their shippy outline when viewed at a distance in heaving seas.


This fat (pregnant?) fence lizard was making the best of a dilemma. When I came walking up, she was on the green barn siding and stood out like the bullseye on a target.
Instinctively she stood still, but then something clicked and she moved to the nearest object that allowed her passive defences to operate.


She hasn't vanished, but she's doing a pretty sweet job of being the sledge.

In other news ...
Last night and most of this morning was pretty stormy with the red tornado watch box shifting all around and over us. The Suwannee and her tributary the Santa Fe are flooding and the pulse of water which began in South Georgia weeks ago is approaching my end of the Suwannee.

After this post, I'm heading out in the JEEP to see if I can bring you a few pics of the floodwaters, or at least an "up" Suwannee.

Stay tuned ...

An Overabundance Of Labrador Pictures, ...But I Can't Help Myself

The secret to a fun day.
Two smart, pretty girls and at least one smart handsome dog.
Just add water.

Emma and Laura were home from college for the big wedding, so yesterday we rode out to Shell Mound.
Shell Mound is a division of the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge and consists of saltmarsh, an enormous first Floridian shell midden, a fishing pier, and a sandy boat launch area.

The sandy boat launch was our goal on this beautiful spring day.

Bear attempting to jump into Laura's arms.

With our abundance of alligators, it's not really a good idea to take your Lab swimming in most Florida freshwater rivers or lakes.
As a result, sweet Bear had not had a true swimming experience in his first year on the planet.
Gators are much rarer in saltwater (not absent though!) so we figured the sandy boat ramp at Shell mound would be a perfect place for him to get his sea legs.


First, we emptied all pockets of electronics. I had a flashdrive on my keys, a cell phone, and extra camera batteries on me ... isn't that amazing how tied we are to things electronic?
We also shed shoes as this was an oyster free sandy shore.

We were all wondering how Bear would do. Would he be afraid of the deeper water ... a failed Lab?

We needn't have worried.

He took to it with the usual gusto with which he tackles everything.

Above: Bear is a clear winner in the Shell Mound Smackdown Tug-O-War contest.

Istarted off with a normal leash, but that was like a jerk-your-arm-off torture, so out came the 20 foot training lead and then the fun began.

We found a piece of dead mullet cut bait and tossed it for him to retrieve. It sank of course, but that did not slow Bear down.

He went under for it.

For his first time romping in real water, I was impressed by his ability and willingness to hold his breath and submerge his head so completely.

I was lucky enough to be the one closest to Bear when he decided to thank us for taking him.

On the way out to Shell Mound in the JEEP, he repeatedly thanked us all for taking him, so we were thoroughly dog kissed by the time we made it home.

Is he huge or WHAT?

When it was time to go, Bear left the water with the same exuberance that he entered it. Everything is a new adventure for him so even returning to the parking lot holds promise in his puppy mind.

He slept all the way home ... about a 20 minute ride.

I have a video of him swimming and the three of us all encouraging him as he does so. That will have to wait until I can access some of that newfangled broadband stuff.

It is a gorgeous day here at PFHQ and I'm off, so maybe I can get into something wild to share with you.

A New Beginning Right At Easter Time

Another wedding in the Pure Florida clan ...

Upper Left: The parents of the bride, my cousin Alan and his lovely wife, Dawn.
Upper Right: That magic moment.
Lower Left: My Aunt Shelba (mother of Alan) with her newest grandchild.
Lower Right: A steady breeze had the US flag and the Florida flag rippling boldly.


Lauren and Curtis exchanging vows by the bayfront.


Lauren dancing with her Daddy.


Somehow, I landed in a chair between two of the prettiest girls at the wedding.


I think I caught my brother catnapping.
Front and center is Laura, Em's college buddy, Emma, Katie, Terry, and his wonderful wife, Annette.

The bayside wedding at the National Guard parade grounds was very nice. The weather cooperated with a warm sun and cool breeze as Lauren and Curtis said their vows with sailboat dotted Matanzas Bay as a back drop. It was beautiful.

Both the wedding and the reception at the officers club were delightful.

We left the reception before the celebrations were over as we had to drive back across the state and it was getting late. In preparation for this late night drive, I had downed a few coffees at the reception, knowing that:

1. It would be a long 2.5 hour drive after 11 pm.
2. It was prom night for Junior back in Gainesville and I needed to stay up until I knew he was safely at his sisters apartment.
3. I had been up since before dawn as usual.

My mistake was adding an energy drink ... Red Celeste... to the mix at around midnight as I was driving home.

When I arrived home around 2:00 am, I was wide awake. I took Bear out for a long moonlit woods walk which he thought was just grand. I came in, signed on to Pure Florida and commented back to you folks who commented yesterday. I cruised the net a little.

Still awake at 4:00 am.

I shut down the computer and wandered downstairs to the comfy chair by the tube and sat down to watch TV and read my novel for a while. Somewhere between 4 and 5 am, sleep came and I slept until 8:00 am, at which time Bear was shoving his football in my face.

Later in the day, we took Bear out to Shell Mound for his first true swimming session. That is an upcoming post.

Right now, my sleep deprivation is catching up with me and I'm just trying to stay awake long enough to enjoy some pulled pork, cole slaw, and peach cobbler that's cooking downstairs. It's a future post too!

As soon as I accomplish that task, I'm hitting the rack.

Night, y'all.

An Oddly Splintered Post

Remember me telling you about Emma's massive boat dock splinter a few weeks ago?
She sent me a cell phone picture of the section that the dock-tor (heehee) allowed her to keep. This is not the whole splinter, just about half of it after he cut it in pieces to aid the extraction process.
The G2 pen was not driven into her foot, it is just for a size reference.

She is healing nicely by the way and will be joining me at the National Guard Officers club today in San Agustin for the wedding of my cousin's daughter. I want to call her my niece, because I always think of her that way.
Anyway, it's her big day and we are thrilled for her. Emma, Katie, Em's pal Laura, and I will be representing for the matrimonial event.



I will be wearing the sunglasses below when I am outside.

I found this note next to them on my desk at school last week.
Ahem.
These are polarized fishin' glasses from the sports section of Walmart, right next to the guns, ammo, knives, and other testosteronial toys that I love.

So, I ask you, are these too girly for a guy like me?



... and dare I post about flowers after showing you my girly glasses?

Secure in his masculinity, he forged ahead ...


This is a snapshot of some of the blooming action around the house this week.

In one other welcome sign of spring, the giant 5 foot long grey ratsnake that lives under the pump house and has starred in so many Pure Florida posts (just search this blog for "ratsnake") was out last night climbing into the chicken pen.

I shot some video which looked good in the camera, (it was after sunset) , but turned out to be too dark.

Not too worry, she will show up often from now until next winter.

And in one last bit of snakey news, Stewie the cornsnake has broken out of his winter slump and shed his old skin. He's bigger, bolder, and bodaciously beautiful.

Happy Easter!

No Peeps for me please ... too much like eating candy tofu.