Floridiana - Tropicals

Here is an assortment of sub tropical plants, trees and one sub tropical iguana. From the Middle Keys - Florida. February 2013.

Florida Bay aka The Back Country

 

Pink Hibiscus

 

Frangipani

 

Bougainvilla

 

 

Imperial Blue South African Hybrid

 

Florida Cactus in Bloom

 

Nightshade

 

Green Iguana (likes to swim in the pool)

 

Green Iguana - Watch Iguana (this little guy charged me if I got too close to it)

 

Coconut Palm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Seven Mile Bridge on the Florida Overseas Highway

The Overseas Highway extends from the Florida mainland out into the Atlantic and the backcountry known as Florida Bay. One of the most interesting features of the overseas highway are the network of bridges. The most spectacular of the bridges is the 7 mile bridge between the Islands of Marathon and Bahia Honda.

The 7 Mile Bridge in the the Florida Keys

http://youtu.be/Y1YcuRJzMn4

The Aviation Museum of Marathon, Florida

Marathon, Florida has an impressive airport. There are jets flying overhead daily from Key West to the Mainland of Florida. Many of the retirees in the area have a connection to WWII aviation and as such have brought their collections to the Florida Keys. This is a sampling of two planes from the Aviation Museum here-- two vintage WWII transports- one is a Beechcraft Model 18 similar to what Amelia Earhart flew (a Lockheed Electra) this plane has 14 cylinders (7 on each side). The other plane you see here is a DC-3 formerly flown by Ozark Airlines prior to that airline having been absorbed into Frontier.

Beechcraft Model 18 -- WWII Vintage Transport

 

Beechcraft Model 18 rear view

 

Beechcraft Model 18 boarding door

 

 

DC3 Ozark Airlines formerly a WWII Transport plane

 

DC3 Ozark Airlines last in service for Frontier Airlines

 

DC3 Cockpit under plastic

The Florida Key Deer of Big Pine Key

There are only a few things that prevent development from overtaking the Florida Keys, one of them is the endangered Florida Key Deer on Big Pine Key, Florida. The other things are a wood rat, a cotton mouse and a bird. For years, Big Pine has been trying to figure out how to push the Key Deer off of the island in order to really develop low lying, buggy Big Pine. Having been unable to do so with the wildlife refuge for Key Deer firmly in place, the islanders (at least the residents) have embraced the tiny creatures. These deer are genetically related to Virginia white tailed deer and do have a separate genus of their own. They are constrained by the lack of graze on a scrub filled area full of poisonous trees. They grow to no larger than 2 1/2 feet in height (a deer in miniature). Fawns have little hooves the size of a quarter. These are the Key Deer of Big Pine.

Yearling Buck with 1st year antlers.

 

Adult Florida Key Deer Buck

 

Florida Key Deer Yearling Buck

 

Florida Key Deer Doe and Fawn

 

Florida Key Deer Buck, Doe, Fawn

 

Florida Key Deer Doe

 

 

Florida Key Deer Portrait (note strip around the muzzle)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Grand Canyon - May 2012

One mile deep. Ten miles wide. Two hundred and seventy seven miles long. Teddy Roosevelt called it "the one great sight every American should see." Descending from the rim to the Colorado River you pass 11 layers of ancient rocks ranging in age from 250 million years old to nearly 2 billion years old.
The canyon exists because of one very important feature: The Colorado River. Winding 277 miles, the Colorado River runs free within the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is a "mountain in reverse." It is hot, dry, difficult and possibly deadly as chronicled in a new book written by a physican entitled _Death in the Canyon_ >> a history of all the fatal incidents in the canyon including the infamous plane crash over the canyon by two tour planes. Now only one plane at a time can be in the canyon.

Over 4 million people visit the Grand Canyon each year mostly from May thru September. The Canyon is listed as one of the seven wonders of the world and can be seen from space.

Below, images from the Grand Canyon in Springtime.

Desert View Road Canyon View-South Rim

Sunrise View from Mather Point-South Rim

Sunrise View from Mather Point-South Rim

Desert View from the Watch Tower. Grand Canyon Southeastern View.

Desert View Southeastern. Grand Canyon. South Rim.

Mather Point. South Rim. Grand Canyon.

3D Projection of the geologic history of the Grand Canyon.

Then 1977

DT -home built oven within Grand Canyon.

Then 1977

Scotty Sprinkles tending to biscuits.

Now May 2012

Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge ---------- Sanibel, Florida

Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge is named after tenacious political cartoonist Jay Norwood Darling. Darling, a two time pulitzer prize winning cartoonist waged war on what he saw as the destruction of Florida. He was a lifelong conservationist politically active during the first part of the 20th century. Darling served as chief of the Biological Survey during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Darling fought relentlessly against game hogs and for the expansion of the federal wildlife refuge system. In later life, Darling formed the National Wildlife Federation and was its first president.  The Sanibel refuge is an appropriate epitaph to the man and his cartoons.

White Egret

Blue Heron

White Pelicans

Green Heron

Sea Grape

Sheepshead

There is fishing in Ding Darling if you have a license. In an intertidal zone you can catch such delicacies as redfish, flounder, sheepshead, blue crab ... an unbelievable abundance. A Brazilian woman caught the fish above as I happened to pass by.

Florida Keys Album February 2012

Thinking about Florida and the future. What is my home state like now? It is barely recognizable to me. Growth is evident throughout the state, so much so, that the state provides a radio station to report on road conditions. Congestion and accidents can bring any road to an instant standstill as the roads are so heavily populated. While travelling along I 75 on the west coast of Florida I instantly understood the congestion issue. If any state in the country needs rapid transit-- it is Florida.

In spite of the crowding, there are still spectacular areas for birding and wildlife. You just have to get up really early to get there.
 The Florida Keys.   T                                                                               
 The Florida Keys - Still Spectacular

Florida Keys Devil Ray 7 Mile Bridge

 

Bahia Honda Trestle Bridge Old Florida East Coast RR

 

Old 7 Mile RR Bridge juxtaposed against 1970's concrete span (left).

 

Banded Brown Pelican, Marathon Florida

 

 Pelican Head Studies. Marathon, Florida.

 

 Pelican Footsies.

 

 Key West Iguana sitting on coquina rock sunbathing.

 Marathon Mural

 

 

 

Old 7 Mile Bridge Sequential Sunsets