Lest you think all we did for our thirtieth wedding anniversary was go for a fourteen-mile bike ride, here’s a continuation of the happy day. We went bug hunting. Well, actually, my husband was the bug hunter. I took pictures.
While the bike ride was refreshing, standing around in the hot, humid air of a Florida afternoon in August was the antithesis of refreshing.
Before I could experience any symptoms of heat stroke or heat exhaustion, I got some nice pictures of the longleaf pines that grace this forest tract.
Due to logging, longleaf pines now only cover about three percent of their original range of 90 million acres (https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Plants-and-Fungi/Longleaf-Pine). Fortunately, private citizens, nonprofits, and government agencies are working together to restore longleaf pine forests. They can withstand many natural disasters such as tropical storms and hurricanes. Florida in particular shouldn’t take these trees for granted.
I know less about flowers than I know about trees. After searching around a bit on the internet, I believe these pretty yellow flowers are Partridge Pea. This link will take you to some more detailed pictures: http://myfloridabackyard.blogspot.com/2010/07/yellow-days.html
After a short and slow walk (you know, when you’re bug hunting, you really do have to watch where you step), we found that we aren’t the only ones who enjoy being out in nature.
But I’m not sure we’d care for the company of these strangers.
If you have a fancy for insects or macro photography or magnified insects, take a walk over to my husband’s Flickr account and have a look-see: https://www.flickr.com/photos/calopteron/
You know, I would never go bug hunting if it weren’t my husband’s interest. It just wouldn’t occur to me. Thanks his interest, though, I now know about the Elephant Mosquito.
Do you engage in activities because of a spouse or friend or family member that you otherwise wouldn’t even think about? How has that expanded your world?
Marie at 1 Write Way 