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Apparently there are four species of pusleys in Florida, and none listed in any of my six flower field guides. My information about them comes from internet postings by the U of Florida and by companies interested in killing pusleys.
Pusleys evidently are a scourge in gardens and lawns, quickly spreading, and considered weeds.
Although the flowers are small, this species is named Large Flower Pusley (the other pusley species have tiny flowers). When blooming en masse in Florida late winter/early spring, they are called Florida Snowweed because they may carpet a lawn or field and resemble snow.
(The picture in the first comment below or in the next post show a closeup of the pretty pale lavender-colored Large Flower Pusley).
This historic house in St. Augustine, Florida, is known for its iconic gated entry. [Flickr Explore #63, June 21, 2021.]
A Sandhill Crane getting ready to eat a spider. They eat all types a food such as insects and seeds. Taken at Harns Marsh near Ft Myers Florida.
Ft Jefferson is about 80 miles west of Key West ..the geometry of this building amazes ...It's deserted, except for some National Park Service staff, so you wander these old passageways alone - eerie, yet cool !
I added a group to an old RenFest Photo and I got a comment of how we've missed the festival - so I thought I'd post one from the past.
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Some that I've posted previously are in the comments.
Ron and I were plagued by an aggressive Green Heron, who, whenever the kingfisher arrived at the snag, would possessively chase it off. We called it "The Bastard" which inspired this composite which I call "Bastard Landing". Wishful thoughts may have been behind the making of this composite.
Historically, snail kites were found from the Everglades to just southeast of Tallahassee, but wetland drainage and development eliminated or altered its shallow freshwater foraging habitat
Generally, the species is somewhat nomadic, moving from wetland to wetland in search of snails, but they are regularly seen in the marshes associated with lakes Kissimmee, Okeechobee and Tohopekaliga, at the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, water conservation areas (Everglades), and even along stretches of the Tamiami Trail.
The Florida snail kite is aptly named - it feeds almost exclusively on apple snails and, in the United States, is found only in Florida.
The species was listed as endangered in 1967. Today, the population is considered to be stable, but extremely vulnerable to the stresses of habitat loss, prolonged droughts and anything that affects the availability of apple snails, its primary food.
Snail kites breed from December to August and lay an average of three eggs in bulky nests built in a variety of wetland trees, shrubs and emergent vegetation. During the nesting season, the birds are usually found singly or in pairs; in winter, they often roost together in communal groups.
Lucky observers will witness the snail kite in action, as it searches for its prey by flying low over shallow freshwater marshes scattered with shrubs and trees. When it spots a snail, it swoops down, extends its legs into the water and briefly hovers while it grasps the snail with its talons. While still in flight or after landing on a nearby perch, the kite uses its thin, hooked bill to pull the snail from its shell.
I found this Male perched in a Sable Palm along the shore of Lake Kissimmee, at Joe Overstreet Landing.
Florida, USA
Admittedly, it was a big crop, but it was really nice to see the adult and the young eaglet be in the same space. I wonder what the adult might have been communicating to its offspring?
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The Zebra heliconian, is a species of butterfly belonging to the subfamily Heliconiinae of the family Nymphalidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1767 12th edition of Systema Naturae.
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File Name: NZ6_8680
Florida scrub jays are omnivorous and eat a wide variety of acorns, seeds, peanuts, insects, tree frogs, turtles, snakes, lizards, and young mice. They have also been occasionally observed to eat other birds' eggs or nestlings, but this occurs rarely. They routinely cache thousands of acorns a year, burying them just beneath the surface. The acorns are typically buried in the fall and consumed during the winter and spring. Acorns that are forgotten or missed may germinate, making the Florida Scrub-Jay an effective agent for the dispersal of a variety of oak trees. ~ Wikipedia