Stump Pass - 10.08.12 - Post 2

Just a quick post, because I find that these things growing in Florida amuses me...

We're brought up to believe that certain groups of plants and animals belong in certain climates.  That if you try to transplant these flora or fauna to a whole different biome that it won't work.

So cacti belong in deserts. Right?  They only grow in warm areas with very low amounts of precipitation.

Yet these guys were thriving on the key.  And Florida gets significant rainfalls *most* days.  There are these two or three-o'clock showers that come with the warming of the day very frequently.

And yet..

Prickly Pear Cactus (064 - 2012)

And just for fun... some of those amazing clouds that bring in those afternoon showers.  They start as whispy little things around dawn and build as the day goes on and more and more moisture is evaporated off the gulf (and whatever other bodies of water are around) until they get so heavy that you get about an hour of rain each afternoon during the rainy season.  And yet, the cacti seem to do just find in this environment.

Corkscrew Swamp - 10.07.12 - Post 6/6

Last Post for Corkscrew.  Then I'm going to do the shots I took of the effects Hurricane Sandy had on Chicago.  Then I'll go back to the rest of the Florida trip.

So... last of the Corkscrew Critters. :)

Pig Frog (054 - 2012)

 I believe this is a Pig Frog.  Pig Frogs, as a docent we ran into on the trail was telling us, were responsible for the *incredibly* loud croaking we heard through certain parts of the swamp.  He's about a foot long back toes to nose.

American Green Tree Frog (055 - 2012)

By contrast, this guy is about one inch long.  He's a little tiny American Green Treefrog.  The white line running under his eye from his jaw is the big clue.  So cute!

Green (Carolina) Anole - (056 - 2012)

 This is a Green Anole.  It's also called a Carolina Anole.

 As long as I moved really slowly and carefully I could sneak up on him and get a better shot of his coloring.

Brown Anole (057 - 2012)

This, on the other hand, is a Brown Anole.  The Greens are native to Florida, but the Browns are an invasive species brought up from Cuba and the Bahamas.  And they are *everywhere* in the state.  Like, we're used to getting the occasional fly in the house up here in Chicago... my parents are used to getting the occasional lizard in the house.  I kept stopping as we walked and going "Oh look!  A Lizard!"  And my dad would say something like, "Around here that's like going, 'Oh look an ant.'  Nobody stops to point them out here."  Anyway, this guy was basking in stripe of sunlight he found and if you look carefully, I think he was smiling at me.

Alligator Flag (058 - 2012)

And then there was this one plant for the trip.  Unfortunately, unlike last time it wasn't Iris season.  There were Ghost Orchids out there, but I couldn't find any.  Not even the ones they had great big signs pointing to.  Apparently Ghost Orchids grow on the sides of trees... about 25 feet up!  But this is called Alligator Flag.  I have no idea why.  There wasn't an alligator near by and the one gator we did find wasn't in the Alligator Flag plants. But I did like this shot for the dew on the leaves.  The little purple flowers reminded me of tiny orchids.

So those are the notables from Corkscrew Swamp in the Everglades in Florida!