2011 Travels--Florida Part III: Flora and Fauna

 Whenever we are in Florida, I am always on the lookout for birds, flowers, and wildlife. We have now made several trips, so once exotic species, such as the anhinga, or sea oats, are no longer new although I'm always thrilled to see creatures we don't see at home. By April, all of the wild swans in our area have migrated away from the refuges along the Mississippi for nests in the north. I can't find wild swans listed in my Florida bird books at all. But on Sunday after church we went to Coconut Point for lunch and shopping, and I spied a pair of graceful, tame swans on the lake in the shopping center.

 While I was stalking the swan, I heard a lot of chattering and singing in a small tree next to the parking lot. This common grackle was singing to another one perched on a branch above, apparently in a courtship display. It didn't seem bothered by my camera or me in such close proximity. It had other things on its mind. 

 Many tropical and semi-tropical flowers grow on the beautiful grounds around the condo where Doug and Matt live. We took a sunset walk almost every evening to look for dolphins and on one evening this hibiscus was catching the last golden rays of the sun as it sank across the water. 

 Sea Grape is ubiquitous in Southwest Florida. It grows wild along beaches and it also is used as an ornamental hedge on residential and commercial property. Mature plants bear a grape like fruit in the fall that I read is used to make jam. Never have tried it. 

 The setting sun turned the trunks of the palms lining the walk along the river to a rusty gold. The fibers are not a true bark. The trunk of a palm, I have read, grows as large as it is going to be before the tree starts to grow vertically. Palms don't have true wood or bark, but the fibers look like they might be useful. I was attracted by the texture, and compared it to the trunk of the native pines, like the one in the next picture.

 A contrasting texture is evident on the trunk of the slash pine, common in the Florida flatwoods. This one was growing at the Calusa Nature Center where we went one afternoon to walk a nature trail boardwalk through the woods and swamp, but the swamp was dry.. the rainy season is from around June to November, and this was April. Southwest Florida was also having a dry year. The plates of the bark are scaly and sometimes peel away, kind of like birch bark. 

 We had visited the Calusa Nature Center once before, in September 2006. (Here is a link to that post.) We went back to see what creatures might be stirring in April, since our previous visit had been in the wet season. It was a humid, sunny afternoon and very little was stirring, so we just enjoyed a quiet walk, just yards away from one of the very busy streets of Ft. Myers.

 It was straw hat and and sunscreen weather on this afternoon, though. For some reason Norm kept taking pictures of me. Maybe it was the novelty that I could walk 1.5 miles without passing out or limping! 

 Despite visits to several wildlife areas in Florida, we had never seen an alligator in the wild. We still haven't, but this male 'gator and his pregnant mate were residing in a pond, behind a chain link fence, at the Calusa Nature Center. He kept on taking his nap while we got as close as possible from above on a walkway to take his picture. Or maybe he was just pretending, hoping we might fall overboard.

 The only other creatures we saw moving were small lizards, or anoles, on the boardwalk. This is a brown anole, a species introduced from Cuba. The male has a very flashy orange throat pouch which we saw, but didn't capture it on camera. These reptiles are out-competing the native Florida green anole, a species that is declining. They eat insects and are not poisonous.

Despite the dryness, deep in the forest a bed of ferns was lush and green, still tapping into moisture that had once been a pond. The light plays on the leaves and creates a cool scene on a warm day. 
 

As we left the center to go back to the condo, we saw a bush outside the front entrance covered with these bright coral blooms that were covered by the yellow butterflies. I haven't been able to find the flowers in my handbooks, so I am assuming they are a cultivated species and not a wildflower. They certainly resemble a honeysuckle. The butterflies were a vivid yellow, and insisted on resting in this posture, rather than spreading their wings. They seem to be one of the sulphur butterfly species, possibly the rather inelegantly named Southern Dogface, although they seemed as large as the Cloudless Sulfurs. Clearly I need to brush up on my Lepidoptera!

One major Florida habitat we have not explored is the Everglades. We hope that on a future trip, which will have to be in winter, we can drive down to Everglades National Park south of Naples and perhaps go on an airboat ride for a guided tour. We also are looking forward to a boat ride along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico to explore the mango hammocks and other features there. 

2011 Travels--Florida Part II: Exploring Downtown Ft. Myers

 Now that it is August in St. Louis, I'm trying to catch up on our travelogs for the year, so here is Florida, Part II. We visited Doug and Matt in Ft. Myers in early April. (Part I is here.) This was our 5th trip to the sunny Southwest Florida Coast since 2006, but except for an excursion on an earlier visit to the Ford and Edison estates, and a brief stop for lunch another year, we had not spent that much time downtown. So one day when Doug was working at the university, Matt took us to the Southwest Florida Museum of History.

 Housed in the former Atlantic Coastline Railroad depot, the Museum is home to the history of Southwest Florida. Paleo Indians, the Calusa, the Seminoles, Spanish explorers, and early settlers are just a few of the people we met as we toured the exhibits. This 1929 private Pullman rail car, the Esperanza (Spanish for Hope)is also part of the tour. Since we had never been inside a private train car from the roaring '20s, we climbed aboard. 

 The Esperanza is an 83-foot 101-ton private rail car that was the height of luxury in its day. It features three state rooms, a lounge, a private dining car and a galley kitchen and servants quarters.  One of the state rooms, outfitted with bunk beds, is shown here.


 

The car is filled with brass fixtures and Cuban mahog- any, and the dining room was outfitted with fine china and crystal. 

Norm and Matt explored the replica on the museum grounds of an authentic "cracker" house typical of early settlers in this area.  Built in the late 1800s and early 20th century, these homes were single room homes of the early cattlemen dubbed ‘crackers’ for the sound their whips would make when rustling cattle. Their features include sloped roofs (for rain), elevation (for flooding and heat circulation) and front porches. In addition, the museum also houses an extensive artifacts collection detailing early civilization, the Fort, the first settlers, the cattlemen, turn of the century, the military and agriculture, boating and fishing industries in Fort Myers. And it has a special exhibit about Charles Darwin.

 After we had stuffed our heads full of local history, we met up with Doug at Daily Chocolate,  a local shop downtown, for lunch. We had delicious quiche and sandwiches and, of course, handmade chocolate for dessert.

 Downtown is full of quaint 1920s archi- tecture, especially along First Street, and the lovely restored buildings house many businesses and restaurants. We ate a very good dinner in a restaurant housed in this building the first evening we were there.

 Palm trees, Spanish grill work, stucco, and street lights create a laid-back ambiance for the monthly downtown art walk. We strolled, window shopped, souvenir shopped, and listened to the music on a very mild evening. All while it was in the 30s back home.

 Coral, salmon, and shades resembling pumpkin are part of the local color scheme as well. White trim, arches, and covered sidewalks beckon to pedestrians, both local residents and tourists. We returned to downtown a couple more times for lunch and shopping during our vacation. 

 This marker (you can click on the image to enlarge it) traces Ft. Myers history from its founding in 1876. The most rapid growth of the town occurred in the 1920s, and royal palms have lined First Street/Palm Beach Boulevard since 1897 in this subtropical climate. 

On the fringes of the historic downtown, new construction looms, part of the boom of the first decade of the 21st Century. Office and condominium towers, however, are often only partially occupied, and property values have nosedived. If you have a good supply of cash, you could pick up a bargain in a waterfront condo with a very nice view. 

Our next visit was to the Calusa Nature Center, and the next post about Florida will feature some of the flora and fauna we encountered on this visit. 

How Does Our [Flower] Garden Grow? Part I

 All winter I dreamed of spring and summer, and what the yard would look like in shades of green instead of gray. It seemed like it would never stop snowing, never stop raining, never turn warm enough to green shoots to arise. But finally they did, although the rains continued in May and June until we thought we were sloshing our way into summer. The back yard is ofen at its most verdant in mid-May, and this photo taken on May 18 shows it off. 

 An early sign of spring is of course the azaleas. Ours were full of blooms this year, even though I forgot to give them Miracid last year. The hydrangea is just starting to put out a few leaves on last year's stems. We found out the hard way that it won't bloom at all the next year if we cut it down in the fall. 

 May also brought roses. The pink Carefree ones are not entirely carefree-- they tend to develop black spot in the humid summer, but in the spring they were lush and glowing. 

 The yellow rose is a re-bloomer, but the first blossoms are often the largest, and the most pest-free. This year in July, as last year, this bush became a banquet for Japanese Beetles. As I write this in August, the beetles have finished their business and we are hoping for more blooms in September. 

 One of our favorite perennials is this red and cream columbine. It blooms for a long time and this year lasted well into the hot weeks. We hope it reseeds and comes up again. 

 As summer began to take hold in June, we decided to add some vinca plants to the flower bed in the wall by the front walk. Norm carefully set each little plant in between the fading bulb foliage, using the bulb planter. At this time the scorching heat had not yet arrived, the grass was growing as fast as you could mow it, and foliage was everywhere. It was a lovely time, before insects appeared and the rain clouds dried up. 

The first planters we set out on the porch had these sprightly violas, or Johnny Jump Ups as they are sometimes known. After it got hot, we replaced them with vinca in shades of rose and pink, and those are still going strong.  Every year we welcome the day when the front porch can become an extension of living space. It's a place to drink morning coffee and read the paper on the shady side of the house, a spot to watch the hummingbirds divebomb each other for control of the feeder, a refuge at evening for listening at first to silence, then the cicadas in June, and the tree frogs starting around the 4th of July. All of that happened this year, and then the Big Heat arrived.

How Does Our [Flower] Garden Grow? Part II

 As spring turned into summer, our yard gave us many lovely vistas as we welcomed back the familiar plants that we have enjoyed for some 10 years. By the middle of June, we had received tons of rain and everything in the yard was lush and blooming abundantly. These day lilies greeted our neighbors every time they took to their driveway.

 At the side of the front flower beds, these wonderful white volunteer lilies made a spectacular display this year. Various daylilies also surrounded them.

 The strip by the side of our driveway was full to the brim this year with coneflowers and purple hosta blossoms. By late July and August, these became a feast for the goldfinches.

 In the back yard, lilies and hostas framed the birdbath that attracted many starlings as well as sparrows, robins, grackles and the occasional squirrel. 

Hostas were abundant by the front steps between Flag Day and the 4th of July!

Daylily "Judith" graced the front bed for what seemed like a very short time!

As I write this in August, these flowers are mostly a memory now, and the hot 100+ temperatures for 10 days in late July and early this month have dried out the grass, stressed the trees and remaining plants. We are carrying water to the vegetable garden and running up the water bill by running our hoses on the flower beds at home. But there is still great delight when, as I did tonight, I can go outside and sit on the porch, listen to the cicadas, eat ice cream, and feel the evening fall gently on our precious gift of home.

Missing

I have missed blogging. Facebook takes a lot of time, but I am going to try to make time for blogging again. I have lots of photos and experiences to share. I will be back soon!