Photos from the last couple days during a state Land Management Review of Florida public lands — Panhandle edition.
The cover photo is Purple Passionvine and then I found a Maypop — the regional name for the fruit of the Passionvine. This was in a restored area with baby Longleaf pines. Converting old silviculture to Longleaf is a big push in this area of the state. As Longleaf grow and prescribed fire is implemented on a 2-3 cycle that mimics nature, you end up with all the herbaceous plants that should be there — not a monoculture of Loblolly, Sand or Slash pine.
Here’s one flower just forming..
Ahhh —at the moment, late afternoon in Tallahassee, and the usual rain has started. So much for drying all the clothes I wore the last 3 days during these reviews in very Hot ‘n Humid days. My fancy solar dryer doesn’t always work right ;)
The first day we saw lots of Butterflyweed in the sunnier areas where it is burned every 2-3 years.
I posted this in comments the day before. Didn’t really take all the photos I usually would since that was not the purpose. But, I know where to go back to, and less than 10 miles from my place.
On the way home I stopped on the back road right across from the Flying J truck stop. Help ID the young bird plz. There it was in the middle of the road….
I thought it was grabbing bugs off the pavement so I stopped and starting shooting thru the windshield and — you guys know the technique — get the first and then creep in and get another and another. I got close enough so that it decided to turn and head back...
but then it got to the shoulder and stopped. A juvie I assume, the size of a Cattle Egret but the bill is much longer.
So I did 2 LMRs over the 3 days and covered a whole bunch of land around the man-made Lake Talquin. Totally appreciate the state workers, underpaid, understaffed, and dedicated.
That’s all for this late bucket, see ya in the comments :)