Winter Colors: Brown

Bare Brown Woods

I watched the colors change over the course of the fall, and before I knew it, fall became winter, leaving the landscape bare and brown. The colors faded as the sunlight waned and the temperatures dipped, turning the woods from garish yellows, oranges and reds to sudued earthtones. Most of the leaves have fallen from the trees, except for the Beech leaves that hang on and rustle in the breeze. The leaves that fell will break down to form new soil, at first leaving only a skeletal outline of veins and stems before decaying altogether. Acorns, Buckeye and flower seeds, ripened to a rich brown, become a delicious feast for the lucky finder. Freezing winter nights bring sparkling leafy treasures to find on a morning walk. The groundhog saw his shadow this week, predicting six more weeks of winter. This is fine with me because for a short while it is easy to spot birds and squirrels out in the open, without the protective cover of leaves. For now I enjoy the quiet and cold and wait for the sun to warm the soil. 

Beech Leaves

Leaf Skeleton

Ripened Flower Seeds

Buckeye Seed

Acorn Pile

Frosty Sweet Gum Leaf

Sparkling Frozen Landscape

Brown Creeper

Gray Squirrel

Carolina Wren

White Tailed Deer

Hermit Thrush

Female Eastern Towhee

Brown Turkey Tail Fungi

30 Days in June: Day 28, Sunset at Sweetwater Wetlands Park

Storm Blowing in When I Arrived

Sunday was a very rainy day and I had my doubts that I would be able to get out and see anything. I've had so much fun going out every day this month that I was feeling a little anxious, waiting for my nature "fix". I attempted to start hikes several times during the day but got rained out over and over again. Finally, at about 5pm I packed my bags and drove over to the Sweetwater Wetlands Park. I figured that I could do a quick walk through between storms. I had my poncho just in case, but I hoped I wouldn't need it.

Rain in the Distance

There were very few people at the park because it had just rained hard. I talked with the park ranger who said that she had been drenched a couple of times during the day but that there had been lots of dry spells. I felt optimistic! The frogs were croaking loudly from the trees and from the water. The first thing I spied as I was entering the boardwalk was a huge Horsefly laying eggs on the rail. When I went back later they were gone, washed away in the rain or eaten by a fast thinking critter.

Horsefly Laying Eggs

The rain had left silver puddles on the tops of the hairy Lotus leaves and under the dark sky, it gave a shimmery look to the ponds, like mirrors all around. Then the thunder and lightning started and my break in the weather was about to end. I made it back to the car without getting too wet and looked at the weather app on my phone (I don't know how I ever lived without this thing!). The storm was moving quickly and would probably clear the area in 20 minutes to half an hour, so I waited it out in the car.

Raindrops on Lotus

Big Silvery Pool

Back in the Car, Waiting...

When the storm had passed, I popped out of the car and was back out in the park in a jiffy. It was great timing, too, because I was there when the rainbow stretched halfway over the green park below, and got to see a doe and fawn out browsing. I enjoyed having the whole park to myself for a short while. The birds were actively feeding on bugs in the grass and I was able to stand almost right next to a family of Limpkins. I can't decide if I like them so much because we didn't get to see them here for several years or just because they are incredibly beautiful. Maybe it is because they eat big snails, or because of their haunting call. But I do like them. Very much.

Doe and Fawn

Storm Moving On

Rainbow Over the Park

Lovely Limpkin

At first the light was dark and subdued but then the clouds moved away and the sky was sunny and blue. And there were no bugs biting! At times as I walked I was overwhelmed with the absolute beauty of this place. Gainesville is so very lucky to have it, and it grows more lovely and wonderful every day.  It will be fantastic when the park is open during the week. I walked along the boardwalk and over about 2/3 of the roadways. I counted 9 Limpkins and 15 Least Bitterns! Redwing Blackbirds and Grackles were probably the most common bird. I saw plenty of Frogs and Gators and several deer. I didn't see anything new or unusual to add to my June Challenge list, but everything I did see was wonderful.

Great Egret 

Small Gator Surrounded by Tiny Fish

Common Gallinule in a Sea of Green

Anhinga in Breeding Plumage

Black Crowned Night Heron Perched on Cattails

I stayed for about another hour until the sun started to set. Flocks of White Ibis flew in waves into the safety of the wetlands for the night. Other birders who had been waiting for the weather to clear up arrived soon after the storm. I ran into several friends on the trails who came for a quick visit. We all had something special to share and pass along to one another. Little tidbits about the magic of the evening. This is yet another reason why I am a nature lover. It is a hopeful thing to share time with people who also delight in the sounds of tree frogs, or in seeing yet another Least Bittern or Limpkin, or the shine of the water on the Lotus leaves, or in breathing the fresh air on a brisk walk through a park. It is good to be with like minded people. But, really, I imagine everyone loves and cares about nature on at least some level, whether is is a pristine wilderness area or reeling in a huge fish or mountain biking through the desert. Nature can be a way to connect and start conversations. When we have something in common it is easier to work together to make compromises and solve our problems. I feel like we need a lot more connections these days. This is a good place to start.

Purple Gallinule

Precarious Perch of a Red-winged Blackbird

Grackle on the Shimmery Surface

Least Bittern Flying Over Cattails

Nature Selfie

30 Days in June: Day 14, Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park

Under the Oaks

I had a lot of great locations to pick from this weekend for my farewell tour, but it seemed like a trip to the main entrance of Paynes Prairie was long overdue. I live close to La Chua Trail, on the NE end of the park, so that is my "go to" trail. But there are upland trails, Lake Wauberg, and the visitor's center on the other side and I always enjoy myself when I can get past the half hour trip vs 10 minutes to La Chua, so it was time to make this happen.

Swamp Trail

I got to the park soon after the gates opened. Even though it was supposed to be clear, sunny and very hot, I drove through thick fog as I crossed the Prairie to the entrance. The fog burnt off quickly, though, and it was plenty sunny and hot by the time I walked along the short trail through the dark swamp and arrived at the fishing bridge on Lake Wauberg. I always hope to see an otter there, but it never happens. This morning there were very few birds on the lake, just a couple of Anhingas and a Great Blue Heron. And the sun was right in my face as I looked back into the woods to try to see if there were any small birds in the trees. But luck was on my side and I was rewarded with good look at a Yellow Billed Cuckoo. Another for the list!

Lake Wauberg from the Fishing Bridge

I heard Northern Parulas, Cardinals and Red Bellied Woodpeckers in the trees, but didn't see much more. I didn't even see Green Treefrogs, which is unusual, but there were Bullfrogs a-plenty, Dragonflies and many, many Argiope Garden Spiders sitting in their giant orbed webs behind a filament screen.

Big Argiope Spider with a Katydid

I trotted on down the road before it got much hotter. The temperature was supposed to be in the 90's but feel like 100. The Lake Trail takes you over the fishing bridge and through some huge old live oaks before it enters a sunny, sandy field--often a good place to find Gopher Tortoises. Walking past those magnificent trees, I had a sense that I was in the presence of a Council of Elders. They are ancient oaks. If trees could talk, they could tell such tales.

Council of Elders

Just as I was exiting the oak grove, I saw a young White Tailed Deer. We looked at each other for a few minutes before it leapt into the bushes. I walked the short trail through the sweet meadow and did not see any Gopher Tortoises, though I did see several burrows. I passed tracks in the sand showing me what I had missed all the other times I hadn't been on that path--Armadillos, hopping birds and Coyotes. I saw Tufted Titmouse, Blue Gray Gnatcatcher, White Eyed Vireo and Summer Tanager. Vultures wafted overhead. It was getting hot and I needed to hurry if I wanted time to go to another trail. On the way back to the parking lot I surprised a fawn hiding behind a Palmetto. It shook its leg, trying to decide if I was dangerous and whether or not it should run. I guess I didn't look scary and it stayed put, munching and watching.

Deer Encounter

Armadillo Tracks

Hopping Birds

Sweet Meadow Trail

Summer Tanager

Floating Vulture

White Tailed Fawn

The other trail I wanted to see was Cone's Dike Trail. It was far too long, and far too hot for me to walk the entire trail, but I wanted to get out and see at least some of it. I have not spent much time on that trail, but the few times I did were memorable. Access to the trail is through a wooded area near the visitor's center. There is an Eagle's Nest near the trail, but I couldn't see if the Eagles were still there. It is also possible to see Great Horned Owls perched on the giant oak limbs near the visitor's center, but I didn't see them either. It was pretty late in the morning at that point.

Two Good Trails

Down Through the Woods and onto the Prairie

I walked until I got far too hot, about 30 minutes, and decided I had to go back. But the trail was nice. I saw butterflies, Eastern Towhees, Snowy Egrets, Blue Grosbeaks, Great Crested Flycatchers, heard White Eyed Vireos everywhere, and caught a Wood Stork flying over. I also found a mother Alligator and 7 of her babies. A good place to turn around. I hope to get back again.

June Challenge Count: 84, and 18 Natural Areas visited.

Wood Stork

Gator Family Swim