While the rest of the country is fighting the cold, in Florida some of our plants are behaving as if it were spring. These camellias were blooming brightly with little regard for the cold front that is finally headed our way. We will enjoy them while we can. #camellias #flowers #coldfront #autumn #florida
Tag Archives: Autumn
Noggin Knocker Season
This overeager acorn fell onto our sidewalk recently, but was off target and had poor timing. We are at the height of the acorn season now and are wary of the little projectiles falling from trees, sometimes bouncing off heads before reaching the ground. This produces the time-honored ritual that began decades ago when IContinue reading “Noggin Knocker Season”
Fuzzy What?
At first it looked like a big, brown slug with a very poor hairpiece, or worse, a fuzzy navel. Closer inspection revealed this brown leaf sprouting “hairs” of mold in a curious round clump. Perhaps I should have looked at the mold through my microscope; that could have been quite interesting. Alas, by the timeContinue reading “Fuzzy What?”
L’araignée est arrivée
L’araignée (French for spider) is back at his bookcase perch to add a delightful degree of creepiness to the Halloween season. Most of the year he waits patiently in his lair in the dental cabinet where I display my collection of rocks and bottles, but now he’s out for a few glorious autumn weeks toContinue reading “L’araignée est arrivée”
Color It Autumn
Happy autumn equinox! It’s officially the first day of fall, but the flowers don’t seem to mind. The hibiscus plants stopped blooming during the heat of the summer, but with shorter, less hot days (“cooler” doesn’t really apply here in Florida yet) they are again bursting forth with blossoms. This is my kind of fallContinue reading “Color It Autumn”
Snowberries
Yes, snowberries really exist! I didn’t know that until our recent walk along the Fernhill Wetlands when they appeared along the trail and brightened our day. Even though they were already known to plant lovers and botanists, it was still exciting to discover them on my own. They are described as not edible, but tasteContinue reading “Snowberries”
Burning Bush
When green chlorophyll pigments leave the leaves of plants as fall approaches, other hidden pigments become visible to help turn this maturing plant to the color of flame. Carotenoids produced the yellow and orange pigments seen in autumn leaves and were always present in the leaves but hidden behind the chlorophyll. Red, purple, and theirContinue reading “Burning Bush”
Going to Seed
The seasonal transition from summer to autumn was on display at Fernhill Wetlands as wildflowers began producing seeds and providing food for the abundant birds and wildlife of the wetlands. #seasons #summer #autumn #wildflowers #birds #wildlife
Sunset Siblings
Venus, the small dot near the right horizon, has taken its place as the evening star once again while the grinning crescent moon lies higher in the twilight sky. Together, they trace the path that the sun will appear to follow as it heads south towards fall and then on to winter. #venus #moon #sunContinue reading “Sunset Siblings”
Orion Rising
Orion Risingby: Howard EskildsenLying sidewise neath clouds in the morning skyBetelgeuse and Rigel meet the eyeWith three stars crossing in betweenA glorious sight that is rarely seenAs twilight grows and stars fade awayAnother stellar memory starts the dayAlong with Orion’s spectacular riseComes a sure sign of summer’s soon demiseLater and later will rise the sunAndContinue reading “Orion Rising”
