A bee collects pollen on a flower near a home in Melbourne. Dogs were barking at me while I took photos near the Parkway Drive home, but I stayed off private property, and the beasts eventually found something else to bark at.
A co-worker recently remarked at something I also had noticed: The winter season here forced scores of leaves from the trees and onto the ground. I've been here in Central Florida for nearly three years, so I wasn't sure if I was noticing an anomaly or a common occurrence. But to hear such a remark for someone who has lived here for decades, I knew the fallen leaves were out of the ordinary.
Indeed, it was a long, harsh winter by Florida standards -- the coldest on record. For me, it was the first winter here in which it actually felt like winter.
That's why the recent warming trend has been especially glorious. In years past, I've never appreciated the insects starting to swarm again or the wildflowers blooming in grassy areas along roads, only because the winters didn't seem wintry enough. With the start of spring this year, however, I've keyed my senses to the sights, sounds and smells of the season.
This is a partial representation of what I've seen in just the past two days. All photos were taken through my 105mm Nikon macro lens. And all the featured flora and fauna are wild.
This is a partial representation of what I've seen in just the past two days. All photos were taken through my 105mm Nikon macro lens. And all the featured flora and fauna are wild.
The remaining photos we snapped at Turkey Creek Sanctuary in Palm Bay.
Poison ivy.
Maple.
Elm.
Pretzels are in season for turtles.
This is on the sunlit side of a saw palmetto fan.
This is on the dark side of a saw palmetto fan, with sunlight shining through.
I noticed a leaf in sunlight directly behind a leaf in shadow.
No comments:
Post a Comment