Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Spring Flowers In Gulf Hammock


We've had good rains back to back lately and the wildflowers are responding. Carolina Jessamine always pushes the envelope in announcing the demise of winter, so it's been blooming for some time. It's pretty common right now to see still sleeping, bare naked deciduous trees alight with yellow flowers from this vine.
If only they knew ...

Okay, help me out here herbotaplantologists. I waited too late before posting to identify this little beauty.
I thought white sabatia, but the center architecture looked different from the one small guide book photo I had.
Those book people really need to learn to take better photos.

The blue-eyed grass, a favorite of my Mom's, was blooming down at Billy's Heaven last weekend.
Yes, I went back for two more loads of rock ... got some real boulders too!!
Yes, Dani, the buckeye were blooming, so I'll keep checking now for seeds. I'm not sure who's doing the pollinating though since our hummers are still sipping Coronas on a beach somewhere south of here.

Florida violets were everywhere in Gulf Hammock, from the road median at Flat Branch where I dipped beaucoup tiny freshwater shrimp for my aquarium to the forest floor of Billy's Heaven.

Other signs of spring ...

I saw my first squished snake on the road a few days ago ... sigh.

The gators have responded to the rain and warmth by seemingly spontaneously generating in every puddle of water. That's another post of course.

And, as a reminder that spring ain't really sprung yet, the high today will be in the 50's and Pure Florida should drop down to about 28 degrees tonight ...

... a thought that thrills me, because I am not in a hurry for hot humiditationous weather yet.

Stay cool, y'all.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ohhhh, I just can't wait! Think Thunder would mind if I quit my job and move on down while he's in China? Yea, I figured that wasn't a good idea, but with sleet and snow here this morning it sure sounded good to me!
Lightnin

Thunder said...

Hey let's not forget the 20F temperatures too!

I'm glad to see that it's Spring somewhere!!!!

Thunder said...

Oh, I forgot to add: I like the new Gator photo. It's pretty awesome staring straight into the eyes of the beast!

Dani said...

The only thing that pops in my mind is the,Atamasco Lily,but I think the inside is diffrent.Love those little violets.So pretty.

Dani said...

I forgot to tell you I googled that cat you were talking about.WOW!!!What a beauty!!!

Doug Taron said...

The white flower that you couldn't identify looks almost like a hepatica. The leaves would make that identification very easy. I'm way less familiar with all of the tropical plants that you folks living down by the equator have than with the stuff up here in the arctic wasteland.

Dani said...

Or maybe it's a bloodroot??

threecollie said...

I love blue eyed grass...even wrote a poem about it once.
And as for staying cool....no sweat.
Thanks for sharing spring with us who are anxiously awaiting her.

Anonymous said...

I believe the small white flower is a
parvus niveus flos, but I could be wrong.

Cathy said...

It's all lovely and exciting (gators), BUT you left out the one TRUE thing: the fragrance - the way the air sifts renewal up every nostril.

Perhaps odors aren't a feature of Spring there as they are up here in our frozen desert places.

Paintsmh said...

Did you see a certain kid is calling you goofy? And to think...of all the nerve. And waaaaaa you are tormenting us snowed in Northerners with those photos!!!

S N B said...

We think the white flower is a Texas Anemone. http://www.alabamaplants.com/Whitealt/Anemone_berlandieri_page.html
It is found in Citrus, Levy and Taylor counties in Florida.

ImagineMel said...

OK....creepy Gator. I jumped when I saw it. Sheesh.

R.Powers said...

Thunder and Lightnin,
No job quittin L, you gotta pay for a cabin remember?
That gator looks like he's made of molten lead doesn't he?
You do know there are alligators in China don't you?

Dani,
Not atamasco, I have those in a pot. That HHD cat is like a cat on steroids.

Thanks Doug,
I think I was so focused on focusing on the bloom that I ignored foliage shots.

3C,
"no sweat"
heehee.

Ol lurker,
?
:)

Cathy,
I think that smell truly is a northern thing after the sterility of a frozen winter.
The earth is earthy here all year round.

Paint,
Well ... he's got a point.
:)

SNB,
That makes me feel better, because some type of anemone was a background feeling I had.
Thanks for that link!!!

Mel,
He lives about 4 miles from your house ... as the gator crawls.

Deb said...

I like reading your spring-y posts. They take my mind off the fact that this is the first February in seven years that won't have at least one high temperature of 40. But it may be 40 on Sunday, two days late.

Sharon said...

Purdy :) I'm loving this coolness too. The boys are ready for summer, I think they're nuts. We only get a little bit of winter around here, and I thoroughly enjoy every bug-free bit!! :)

OldHorsetailSnake said...

Humidtationous... Hmmmm, how can I work that into a conversation?

Great camera work on the pix, Cracker. You da best.

R.Powers said...

Deb,
That sounds absolutely arctic.
Hang in there.

Sharon,
It's the absence of biting bugs that makes winter so suuuwweeet.
No humidity is nice too!

Hoss,
I KNOW you will figure out a way!

SwampAngel65 said...

Yeah, it's supposed to get in the upper 30's down here tonight...love it!

Great pics of the flowers and I LOVE the new header!!! Great shot!

Anonymous said...

HOw did I miss this post. I was here yesterday, and saw the previous post instead. I don't think my browser is refreshing itself automatically.

I had no idea the hammock had such a wide variety of flowers at this time of the year. I would have thought they'd emerge later as the weather stays warmer. These were beautiful shots!

Anonymous said...

Hey FC. "parvus niveus flos". How's your Latin?

R.Powers said...

Swampangel,
Thanks! Another cold night here again and I'm lovin' it too!

Laura,
Lately at your site, my comments do not appear unless I click the refresh button. Don't know if that helps or not.
Even the phlox is blooming up here now, just starting, but beginning to spread ... and my dogwood is busting open as of today.

Ol lurker,
Apparently it stinks! LOL!
I had to find a translation site to get it.
Valde vindico nomen!