The Little Nuthatch — flowers

I visited Green Cay Wetlands down in Boynton Beach, South Florida before participating in a craft show on Saturday. I love fitting in a little exploration whenever time allows. It was my first time visiting Green Cay and it did not disappoint. It is so well maintained, with a nice center, bird feeders throughout, and completely made up of boardwalks. TONS of flowers were blooming EVERYWHERE. It struck me as a perfect time of year to visit. I found a "big lizard" which I looked up online and it appears to be a Brown Basilisk. I don't know how common...

Paint Mines Interpretive Park is way out there down dirt roads (thankfully well-kept) through farm country and a couple cute little towns. As a birder I found the drive to be AWESOME, with opportunities to see raptors, grouse, and an abundance of Western Meadowlarks. After the drive, it's kind of amazing when seemingly out of nowhere you come upon the colorful rock formations of the Paint Mines. The photos don't do it justice. There's much to explore and the rocks are towering over you. They are colorful and have different textures. Small flowers are found growing out from the rocks....

In addition to my previous post about Mt. Evans, there is a nice stop on Mt. Evans called Mount Goliath Natural Area that offers a walk through  sub-alpine gardens and weathered bristlecone pines that are hundreds of years old. Pretty cool.     After Mt. Evans we went to St. Mary's Glacier, where you can sled, snowboard, or just slide yourself down the glacier. There were many people there sliding down in garbage bags. I tried going down on a "magic carpet" sled and totally lost my sled halfway down- still fun! Then, down in the lake, you could see...

Second day of my Colorado trip was up to Mt. Evans, the highest paved road in America. The mountain is 14265'. Besides an amazing view from the top, there are Mountain Goats and Bighorn Sheep, and lovely alpine plants. Bighorn Sheep... Mountain Goats... with KIDS... The alpine plants reminds me of the Florida scrub plants that are so tiny and delicate but hardy at the same time, thriving in sand and living through fires, while the alpine plants grow in rocks and put up with cold and snow. I quite love the plants of both ecosystems. The view from the...

Yesterday I participated in the DeLand Indie Market, which was nestled between old buildings in the downtown, and offered good food and lovely arts and crafts. A great day! DeLand also happens to be near one of my favorite places, the Lyonia Preserve. I left in the dark to get there just after sunrise, allowing time for a walk before the market. Lyonia is home to rare scrub land and one of the few remaining homes of the Florida Scrub Jay. They're friendly birds who usually greet you there, as one did for me yesterday.