KYA

Griswald Monday

My Little Buddy

Griswald Monday

Missed Opportunities=Learning Experiences

This sea turtle was in a tank with several small fish at The Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, Florida. I didn't realize until I got home that the camera captured my reflection on the glass wall of the tank in some of the images and I thought I'd use the idea to create a logo for my website... I went back last week to retake the pictures...I wanted to include more of the tank in the image but the sea turtle was gone and the tank was empty...The Nature Center is dynamic; they release the turtles as soon as they're healthy enough to return to their life in the ocean and the other wildlife and plants change their habits and transform themselves with the seasons. So when your taking pictures of nature you can't count on re-do's!!! Lesson learned; take lots of pictures and take the time to review them quickly since you won't get a second chance...

 

Backyard Visitors

This little guy was on the outside of one of the back doors under the floodlight and didn't even move when I went in and out with the trash...she/he might be one of the poisonous frogs that we have in South Florida...the bumps on their back secret a toxic poison that can be deadly to any dog that licks it. They're easier to identify when they're full grown.

Grizwald Monday

It's Monday and Griswald is back on the job doing what he does best; waiting and watching for something to happen at the pool. Ever since he found a baby Opossum struggling to stay afloat last spring, the first thing Grizzy does every morning is run to the side of the pool and  peer over the edge expecting to find that Opossum again!!

Grizwald Monday

"Did you need something?" "I'm kinda busy right now...."

"Downward Dog"-Griswald Style

visit Misty Dawn's blog, Camera Critters, to find links to lots more animal images that you might like;

Griswald

Griswald likes to hang out next to the pool whenever he's outside...I was trying to get him interested in something else so that I could take some new pictures of him but I couldn't keep his attention long enough... staring into the pool is Grizzy's thing...

"Now You Don't Have To Keep Opening The Door For Me!" "You"ll Thank Me For This Later!"

"Hey!!!"..."Let Me In!"

I tried to crop & straighten this picture but it's still a little crooked...is there a trick to straightening & getting it right?

Critters In The Pool

Yesterday, my french bulldog, Grizzy, spotted this little ringneck snake floating around in the pool on a raft  of leaves...

if you click on the snake's, head you can see it much better

Earlier that A.M. this curly tailed lizard had also fallen into the pool. I thought it was ok since it was headed for the swimout & shallow water. It must have gotten tired because all of a sudden it sank to the bottom then quickly struggled back to the surface where it did its version of "the dead man's float"! I still feel bad that it almost drowned while I was trying to get a couple of pictures... this lizard is in & out of the pool a couple of times a month so I didn't rush to rescue it. I scooped it up with a leaf & after resting in the sun for about 10 minutes she/he was fine & ran off into the grass.

you can see her/his eye just below the water- line

almost there!

doing great!

uh oh!, this isn't good!

R&R & a happy ending!

B&W Tattoos,The Cohasset Bridge, MA

The big tattoo is of "Michael the Archangel", the nemesis of Satan & the tattoo underneath it is "the bridge" on Border Street in Cohasset, Massachusetts. Jumping off the bridge into the rapids below is a rite of passage for the kids who live on the South Shore. Lots of them who have grown up & moved away still jump when they're back in Boston. A man I got to talking to once ( in Florida), after asking him for directions, happened to be from Cohasset & raised his family there... the bridge was mentioned & he told me that all of his boys asked their fiancees to jump the bridge with them before they proposed to them. I had to laugh because my son has always said that he plans to do the same thing! I've never jumped but it's on my list of things to do someday....I think... I'm so afraid of heights I'm not positive I will really do it but I hope to give it a try in April.

It's Even Starting To Look Like Fall In South Florida

Great Blue Heron Wakodahatchee Wetlands

"Batman"

Griswald

Why am I always surprised when Griswald runs to the front door before anyone coming to my house has gotten even as close as the driveway?  Grizzy's huge bat ears make him a great watch dog!

Yellow Aphids

Aphids

The first time I saw Aphids on my milkweeds I was worried that they would kill all of my new plants & drive  the monarch butterflies away. I tried washing them off the stems & leaves with the hose & when that didn't work I tried scraping them off each plant, one by one. Now, I know better... I leave them alone & enjoy watching them! They do feed on the newer leaves & stems of the plants but they attract ladybugs & other beneficial insects to the garden & the monarchs don't seem to mind. This is the 1st time I've seen them this year..

"Ready To Fly"

This is a Gulf Fritillary butterfly. I found its Chrysalis a few days ago attached to a Passion Vine in the backyard. I moved the Chrysalis to my screen porch so I could see the butterfly when it  emerged but I missed it! When I checked it this morning, the Chrysalis was already empty... the  Fritillary's wings were  dry & it was flying around the porch & on the floor looking for a way out....  I took a few quick pictures before catching it & setting it free...

Gulf Fritillary

"Mr. Handsome"

My little buddy, Griswald...

Griswald

"My Girl"

One way to cool off fast & rest at the same time...

Kya

Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar & Chrysalis

This Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar is munching away on what's left of a leaf on the very tip of a Passion Vine...

I found this Fritillary Chrysalis attached to the lower, leafier part of the same plant ...

Curled-Up & Ready To Create A Chrysalis

This Monarch Caterpillar attached itself to the clothes- drying rack on my screen porch. This is the first time I've found a caterpillar curled up like this & ready to pupate (transform into a chrysalis). You can see the small patch of white silk it made to attach itself to the wood. The next morning, I found the new chrysalis & another caterpillar hanging in the shape of a J. Now there are 2 chrysalis and they'll be ready to emerge in about 7-14 days. Amazing!!!

Baby Sea Turtles

These baby sea turtles are on the first floor of the FAU Research Facility at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. The turtles are tethered with fishing line to the pvc pipes that you see taped in place across the top of the tank. The baby turtles are kept separated this way so that they won't harm each other. I took this picture from the 2nd floor gallery, which is open to the public. These turtles are being studied as part of the ongoing research conducted by FAU's Department of Biological Sciences.

Scorpion Fish Or Yip-Yips?

I don't know if anyone else remembers the Yip-Yips from Sesame Street but they were little creatures from outer space who would travel to Sesame Street in their spaceship....anyway, the fish in the background reminds me of  them because of his big eye. These are Plumed Scorpion Fish and they live in a small tank in the FAU Research Gallery at The Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, Florida...

There's Always Something New To Discover At Gumbo Limbo

This Plumed Scorpion Fish is in one of the smaller tanks in the FAU Research Gallery at the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. He/she is one of two that share the tank with some sea urchins, small fish & an anemone...The little Flounder was in an isolation tank all by itself...

PLUMED SCORPION FISH

FLOUNDER

Ready to Be Released

This is "Coastie", one of the Sea Turtles that was rescued & brought to the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, Fl during January's cold spell. Coastie has been recuperating in the Turtle Rehabilitation Center & one of the things he was being treated for is a virus. The white coating that you see on parts of Coastie's' shell is where his shell was shedding & peeling as a result of the virus. The staff said that Coastie is finally healthy enough to return to the ocean & there was a chance that Coastie might be released today.

  

Spiny Lobster Leg

The Spiny Lobster has 5 pairs of legs.  Here's one of this lobsters' legs that it used for walking...

Spiny Lobsters Have A Pair of Horns Over Their Eyes

The Spiny Lobster has a pair of large, hooked horns which extend over their eyes...

Spiny Lobster Shell At Gumbo Limbo Nature Center

This exoskeleton, belonged to a female Spiny Lobster at The Gumbo Limbo Nature Center in Boca Raton, Fl. She was molting & split her shell in half where her body met her tail so that  she could crawl out & leave her shell behind. Usually, lobsters will bury themselves in the mud & sand or hide under rocks until they grow a new shell, which takes 2 weeks to a month. Unfortunately, this lobster (I think her name was Butter) was eaten by the Moray Eel who lived in the same outdoor tank with her.

After molting, the lobsters will usually eat their empty shell to replenish the supply of calcium that they'll need to harden their new shell....but in this case, the lobster (Butter) was eaten before she had time to devour her shell & find a safe place to hide from predators. Instead of claws like Atlantic/American lobsters, Spiny Lobsters have 5 pairs of walking legs. Next to Horseshoe Crabs, lobsters are my favorite sea creatures.

Intact Spiny Lobster Exoskeleton At Gumbo Limbo Nature Center

The 4th & Final Monarch

1st Chrysalis Opened

The first 3 of 4 chrysalis opened sometime early this a.m. The remaining chrysalis is 1 or 2 days older than the other 3...

                                                                    

empty chrysalis

pumping it's wings & trying to fly

the last chrysalis...it's so transparent I can see the butterfly inside 

Inspired To Try HDR

I'm inspired to try HDR after noticing the beautiful HDR images on some of the Blogs that I follow. What I'd like  to create is a delicate, painting look. This is a sunshine mimosa which is a groundcover growing in my backyard. It's a pretty plant that opens up in the daytime & closes at night. The butterflies love it & it's a Florida native. This picture is an HDR version of the original image but it doesn't look anything like what I was trying for...I'm going to work on it this weekend.

Waiting For The Butterflies

This is one of 3 Monarch pupa that I found yesterday.  It's attached to the leg of a chair, another ia attached to the bottom of a bamboo table & the 3rd pupa is hanging from a metal plant stand. The butterflies should emerge in 9-15 days.  Originally, there were 4 caterpillars on the same milkweed plant.   All of them were about the same size/age. I took a picture of the last remaining caterpillar & posted it just  before it disappeared. Griswald, my French Bulldog, is really the one that found the pupa/chrysalis's. He keeps checking on them, so I think that if the 4th one is nearby , Grizzy will find it & let me know. These Chrysalis are so amazing & perfect...

  

Munching Monarch Caterpillar

The last few days have been really hot & we've had heavy rain every afternoon ... overnight my yard has become filled with lizards & butterflies. This monarch caterpillar is almost ready to find a place to attach itself & and transform into a  pupa/chrysalis. The monarch's chrysalis is a beautiful shade of green with a spiral of tiny gold dots along its length. Hopefully, I'll find a few so I can post pictures of them & the new butterflies. Happy summer!!

Gray Fox Kits

I found these baby Gray Fox Kits taking a nap in a small patch of sunshine next to the Boardwalk at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, in Boca Raton, Florida. They woke up when they heard the sound of voices nearby and they quickly scooted underneath the Boardwalk. The Staff at the Nature Center told me that there are four Kits in the litter and that their mother has a litter every spring. An interesting fact about them that I didn't know is that the Gray Fox is the only fox that can climb trees.