Reflections

Just a shot of a bird and its reflection.

A Little Guy

This is a very young alligator. It is only about three or four feet long. You can tell it is a youngster because it still has its stripes.

A Big Guy

This alligator is about seven or eight feet long. I think I have seen this animal in other parts of the park on other occasions.

Feed Me!

This guy flew up and sat on the railing of the walkway about six feet from me. He looked at me and made a growling sound. I didn't know if he wanted fed or wanted me to get out of his territory. In any case I did not like the idea that he was tame enough to get that close.

Getting Ready to Flower

Just a water lily bud. I don't know how long it takes them to bloom, but here is one on the way.

A Loving Couple

I went back to Wakodahatchee two days ago to see if anything had changed. Actually, lots of things had changed. This pair of very large birds have moved in. The male, on the right, flew to the shore after I took this picture. His wing span must be between three and four feet. I really think they are beautiful.

A Very Blue Bird

This is a picture of a blue bird. I have no idea what kind of bird it is, I just thought it was pretty. I guess I should get a book and figure out what all the different birds I see are named.

The Tower I Used

This is a shot of the tower I used to take the previous picture. This shows the wetlands from the catwalk level. As you can see, the wetlands are still some four or five feet below the catwalk. I guess that is to keep the tourists safe from the snakes.

Daggerwing Wetlands Natural Area

This is a view of Daggerwing Wetlands Natural Area in West Boca Raton, Florida. There is a tower there that I climbed and took this picture.

Cabbage Palm Trees

This picture was taken with the camera in my cell phone. It is only a 1 megapixel camera, but if you have something pretty to take a picture of, any camera will do. This picture was taken at Green Cay Wetlands natural area in western Boynton Beach.

A Fungus Among Us

Although it is very dry here, it seems that a colorful fungus has managed to grow on a dead tree limb. I guess, I don't really know what it is, it is just pretty.

Saw Palmetto

Rosemary Scrub contains remnants of Florida scrub habitat - one of the oldest and rarest natural communities in Florida. It is estimated that less than 2% of the original scrub in Palm Beach Country remains.

Plants and animals have to be tough to live in a scrub community. There is little shade, hot temeratures, and dry, nutrient-poor soils. The ground cover consists of small trees and shrubs such as sand live oak, sand pine and saw palmetto. A small area of scrubby flatwoods borders the scrub. Taller trees such as the South Florida slash pine grow here along with the scrub plants. The scrub community covers 12 acres (86%) of this site. 

A Little Splash of Color

In March 1995 the County purchased the Rosemary Scrub for $443,000. The Florida Communities Trust provided $187,407 in state Preservation 2000 matching funds for this acquisition. 

What Scrub Looks Like

After World War II, development of the area accelerated. Residential subdivision were built adjacent to the site in the 1950s. With the construction of Interstate Highway 95 in the mid-1970s, this island of wilderness was completely surrounded.

Give Me A Sign - Rosemary Scrub Natural Area

This is a sign near the enterence to the Rosemary Scrub Natural Area near Lake Worth, Florida. I quote from this sign several places in this blog entry.

The 14-acre Rosemary Scrub natural Area is a small piece of what was once a large area of scrub habitat located between Lake Worth and an inland lake/marsh system comprised of
Lake Osborne and the former Lake Webster.

It was relatively unaffected by human activity throughout the early 1900s. In the 1930s, construction of the E-4 Canal one-half mile to the west drained Lake Webster and lowered water levels in Lake Osborne.

Little Purple Pods

I have no idea what kind of a plant this is, but the seeds sure are pretty. They were among the few brightly colored objects I saw it this area. I saw lots of dog tracks, so that probably explains why I didn't see any animals. 

From Little Acorns...

On the right is an Oak tree, from which this area gets its name. I am pretty sure it is an Oak tree, because the ground under it was covered with very small acorns. 

A Few Flowers

Since it is December 10th, there aren't many plants in bloom. These are some of the very few I saw today. It has been a very dry fall here in South Florida, so there are lots of brown leaves on plants. 

Down the Gray Cement Road

It's not the Yellow Brick Road, but it is paved. Lots of Saw Palmetto plants around. And ferns. Also Poison Ivy. Stayed away from the ivy! Still very peaceful and quiet. 

A Shady Place

This is the view you see as soon as you walk into the natural area. It says on the sign it is a shady place, but the sun was shining pretty brightly when I was there today. It was about 2:30 PM when I took this shot.