That Florida Chill

We have been in Florida for a week now. Our annual visit to Key West has traditionally taken place in mid to late January. People kept telling us that the weather would be warmer if we would visit just a couple of weeks later- so this year we did. It's as cold as I have ever experienced here- but that's still way warmer than Chicago, and we're having a very good time.

Last Friday, we stayed close to Miami in the morning, as we were picking our friend Michael up wt the airport at noon. We decided that Key Biscayne would be the ideal way to stay close to the city while getting to experience a bit of nature. We climbed the lighthouse, watched birds along the beach, and wandered through the scrub.

Royal Tern (Thalasseus maximus)
Because one good tern deserves another

The park is maintained in part through private donations. Some famous, not famous, and infamous donors are remembered on bricks lining the walkway.

Famous Donors

Even though the weather was a bit chilly, we managed to see a few insects.

A tree hopper (Membracidae)
Especially for Bug Girl
Update: Umbonia crassicorns. Thanks, Ted

Just offshore lies Stiltsville, a group of buildings on pilings that plays a role in several Carl Hiaasen novels, including Stormy Weather.

Stiltsville

We collected Michael from the airport and ventured down to the Everglades for a stroll at the Royal Palm area. There is a nice boardwalk that leads out into the sloughs.

Slough at the Royal Palm Area at Everglades National Park

The wildlife is rather habituated to humans in this area- so getting close photos is easy.

White Ibis (Eudocimus albus)

American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)

Green Heron (Butorides virescens)

Saturday morning it was off to Fairchild Gardens, still one of our favorite places in Miami. When I blogged about the place last year, somebody asked me if I had seen Atala butterflies. My response then was no, however this year we saw both an adult and a bunch of larvae.

Atala (Eumaeus atala)

The Atala was once nearly extinct in Florida. Widespread plantings of its host plants (cycads, including the native Florida Coontie) have resulted in a dramatic comeback of this spectacular butterfly.

Atala larva on Coontie

After Fairchild Gardens, it was on to the Overseas Highway and Key West where we were to meet up with fellow bloggers UrSpo and Will along with a bunch of other friends. More to follow.

Skywatch Friday: Ever. Glades.

Woohoo, I'm in Florida. It was sunny and warm out, at least for part of the day. Leon and I got into Miami in the wee hours this morning. We've spent the whole day at the Everglades. First stop: Mahogany Hammock. Hardwood hammocks are beautiful, but difficult to photograph. They're so densely wooded the the frame just fills with random green foliage. Still, they contain some cool stuff.

Mahogany tree in Mahogany Hammock

I had much more luck photographing things inside of the hammock than I did with panoramas.

Morning Glory

I saw numerous strangler figs. These are curious trees that germinate when their seed land (usually coated with bird poop) on the branches of other trees. They grow both down to the ground and up towards the sky, using the tree as a prop. Eventually they encircle the trunk of the host tree girdling (and killing) it. The host tree then decays inside the strangler fig, leaving it to reproduce and begin the cycle anew. And you thought that plants were peaceful, docile organisms.

Strangler Fig

There were other interesting denizens of Mahogany Hammock.

Barred Owl

We weren't seeing many insects, just a few dragonflies and a couple of zebra longwing butterflies. In search of more wildlife, we went the rest of the way down the road to Park Headquarters at Flamingo. And did we ever find some good stuff.


There were saltwater crocodiles lolling in the water.

White Pelican, winter plumage

An amazing abundance of waterfowl turned out.

You tramp, you look like a chorus girl!

We even got some close views of Roseate Spoonbills. Our day ended much chillier than it began. There was a frontal passage early this afternoon. We took our final hike through the pine rocklands at Long Pine Key, where we saw lots of interesting plants.

Pine Rockland Ecosystem


Acacia pinetorum


Lobelia sp.


Coontie - Zamia floridana


Ruellia sp.

I's wonderful to be out of winter for a bit. For more skywatch, go here.