Grumpy Bird

"Bird wakes up feeling grumpy. Too grumpy to eat or play - too grumpy even to fly."

I wonder if Jeremy Tankard had this bird in mind when he wrote his book;-)

No regrets

"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may,

Old Times is still a-flying:

And this same flower that smiles today,

Tomorrow will be dying."

Robert Herrick To the Virgins to Make Much of Time

Monochromatic

To celebrate Earth Day 2008, I am going green...

How will you mark the day?

I spy Sunday

I spied an Anhiga, surveying his territory, but if you enlarge the photo, you will spy something else in the water...

Little helper

The rabbit on the right (please click to enlarge) is on our payroll - he trims the arbor so we don't have to.

(Sorry, can't visit, I am travelling).

Standoff

"You wanna piece of me?" challenged the Hawk.
The pair of Blue Jays, chasing him away from their nest, took notice.

Quiz Tuesday part 42

Another strange appendage I came upon near the beach. What the heck is it?

TOG? ANYBODY?

My destiny

"Just beyond the sunset

Someone waits for me

Just beyond the sunset

Lies my destiny

Where the purple mountains

Lie in deep tranquillity

There I’ll find the treasure

Of love eternally

Just beyond the sunset

Waits someone so fair

Just beyond the sunset

All alone they wait there

Their hair is golden

The colour of the sand

Their eyes sparkle in the night

Like diamonds in your hand

Just beyond the sunset

Lies a home for me

Where the world is peaceful

Like a paradise should be

Just beyond the sunset

Someday is where you’ll find me"

David Harris

Tipsy

This should serve as a reminder: Please don't drink and drive fly!

(I caught this Cardinal just as he was about to spread his wings and fly off)

More blooms

This post is dedicated to Tog of Coral Gables for 2 reasons:

1. He keeps me on my toes. Every so often he emails me privately and basically points out "YOU IGNORANT GIRL, YOU GOT THE WRONG PLANT NAME AGAIN", but in a very nice way ;-)

I've lived in SW Florida for only a few years and am still learning about its fauna and flora, so his guidance is very appreciated.

2. He saved the life of the orchid above. Last year, after it bloomed and reverted to its dead stick stage, Tog advised me to tie it up to a tree and forget it. Well, guess what - six months later the orchid is on my patio, happy and thankful for a second chance...

And this showy Spider Lily is blooming in my garden...at least I think it's a Spider Lily. Tog?

Neapolitan Spring

If you take a look at the CDPB portal you will notice it right away: Spring has sprung! We are regailed with splendid photos of apple blossoms, cherry trees, redbuds and tulips.

Since South Florida enjoys summerlike weather all year long, it is a bit of a challenge to find some legitimate signs of Spring. But I did! This African Tulip tree is in bloom right now...

and the Tabebuia chrysantha (not a Yellow Poinciana!) beckons under its shady canopy.

more tomorrow...

Big Al

I wanted you to experience Al up close and personal. This image was obviously zoomed in...

...however, this was the distance between us.

Fearless or foolish? You decide ;-)

Couplehood V

Mourning Dove: "For a relationship to work, you need good communication...but I feel like I'm doing all the talking!"

This is the last of my "Couplehood" series. Hope the course of your relationships run smoother ;-)

Couplehood IV

To celebrate the arrival of Spring (and all that it implies), I am continuing with the series titled "Couplehood".

Glossy Ibis (leaving in a huff): "I can't believe you won't share your catch with me..."

Little Blue Heron (munching on the fish): "If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times - what's yours is mine, what's mine...don't touch!"

more tomorrow...

Couplehood III

mallards in my pond

To celebrate the arrival of Spring (and all that it implies), I am continuing with the series titled "Couplehood".

Female duck: "We still have so much to do today: preening, fishing for dinner, feathering the cove for the night...
Male duck (disinterested): "I know you are talking, but all I hear is "quack, quack, quack..."

more tomorrow...

Couplehood II

fish in my lagoon

To celebrate the arrival of Spring (and all that it implies), I am continuing with the series titled "Couplehood".

Fish 1: "Did I ever tell you about the fisherman I got away from?"

Fish 2: "Yes, many times. And each time you tell the story, the hook grows bigger and bigger!"

more tomorrow...

Double trouble

photo taken through the screen

As I was debating which photo to post today, not one but two bunnies hopped into my yard (which explains the sorry state of my plants!).

What could be more appropriate?

HAPPY EASTER!

Predator

Dragonfly: A Haiku

"Blue mosquito hawk
Swooping in to catch your prey
Mighty dragonfly"

Melyssa Sprott

St. Patrick's Day hangover?

And you think you're having a bad hair day?

Blue and red

Bougainvillea branch, hanging over the lake

In 1768, when Admiral Louis de Bougainville (a French navigator and military commander) began his long journey to the Pacific Ocean and discovered the vine that now bears his name, it was the botanical highlight of the voyage.

Through the ensuing years, this Brazilian beauty has assumed its rightful place as one of the most popular, spectacular and beautiful tropical plants.

And a perennial favorite of mine...