Off to Florida

Pied-billed Grebe

Jacque, Bernie and I are in Orlando, FL for a conference of the American Diabetes Association for the next 4 days.We arrived this morning and have some time to explore.While the girls were napping I came out to see if there was any interesting finds of nature.  Out back is a marshy area where I had great looks at a Pied-billed Grebe and Common Gallinule. I have only seen the Common Gallinule once before so was happy. After going back to the townhouse I saw some lizards outside.  Watching them was quite interesting.

Common Gallinule

Native - Carolina /Green Anole

Cuban Brown Anole Lizard (Invasive)

My Yard ~ Overwintering Swallowtails

This past fall I had 6 Black Swallowtail caterpillars go into the pupa stage.  They overwintered in my yard and always looked dead but several years ago the same thing happened and one day a butterfly emerged from the chrysalis. This happened again today when I saw a Black Swallowtail butterfly drying it's wings after emerging from the chrysalis. Now there are 5 chrysalis waiting to have butterflies emerge.
So will that happen?

My Yard ~ Eastern Kingbird

Wordless Wednesday ~ Higbee Beach ~ Indigo Bunting

Wordless Wednesday ~ Lizard Trail Swamp ~ Frosted Elfin's ~ Life Butterfly

Lizard Trail Swamp ~ Butterfly Hunting

I had heard that in the spring there can be some good butterfly finds at Lizard Tail Swamp before the butterflies start arriving in your yards so I thought I would go over for a walk.  I saw good numbers of butterflies including 2 life butterflies ~ Eastern Pine Elfin & Juvenal's Duskywing.  There were lots of Spring Azures and Eastern-tailed Blues flying also.

Eastern Pine Elfin

Juvenal's Duskywing

Mating Eastern-tailed Blue's

Spring Azure Puddling

6 Spotted Tiger Beetle

Nummy Island ~ More spring arrivals

Spring at Nummy Island is always a treat as the shorebirds begin to arrive bringing life back to the area.  It gives me hope after a long winter.

Yellow Legs

Killdeer

Little Blue Heron

Black-bellied Plover