Bird Nerd & Words

Left tree is alive. Right tree was actually hit by lightning! Up close you can see a spiraling scar around the trunk running up the entire tree, evidence of the spark. I actually came across this tree during one of my Jay Watches this summer. Someone in our group identified the marking for us! Thank you Jay Watch! Happy Saturday.

On my afternoon walks I came across this flower and couldn't help but stop and admire the beauty. The species is endemic to Florida which is a plus for me. I advocate for native planting and this specimen sure does light up a landscape. Yellow Milkwort. I took this photo of them all growing in a shallow swell in a Pine Flatwoods preserve, Indrio Savannahs, in St. Lucie, Fl.   Also known as Rugel's Milkwort. You can find this flower almost anywhere in the state.   Formally known as Polygala rugelii The story goes that the milkwort name comes from it's presence in cow fields. It was believed to help them produce more milk! The name rugelii comes from Dr. Ferdinand Rugel, a Bristish botanist and physician who admired wildflowers too. Source: http://floridawildflowerfoundation.blogspot.com/2015/07/yellow-milkwort.html

SR 98 & SR 70 from Sebring, FL to Fort Pierce, FL is rich with history and parcels of natural beauty. Immensities of pasture, Hardwood Hammocks, Pinelands, and Marshlands compose a plethora of ecosystems divided by two lanes of open road. Classic texts such as A Land Remembered are actualized in this environment. Florida Crackers earned their salt upon this land which shaped the tides of commerce, war, and cultural adaptation. Historically this route traverses the Florida Cracker Trail. The Florida Cracker Trail Association adeptly points to the organic formation of the trail, existing below the Kissimmee flood plains, yet above Lake Okeechobee directly south.  The Association's website also points to the accreditation of the road as a Community Millennium Trail. I include this excerpt : "Millennium Trails is a partnership between the White House Millennium Council, the Department of Transportation, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, the National Endowment for the A