Finally we can come out of hiding. I’m not sure how long it’s going to last and no hurricane season isn’t over (wouldn’t that be nice)yet, but a cold front moved in this week and is going to give us a short reprieve. Barb and I haven’t been out hiking since April, so we got out this past week and spotted a few of the more common species and a few rarely sited butterflies that call Southwest Florida home.

Malachite Butterfly
Great Blue Heron
In Breeding Plumage


Atala Hairstreak Butterfly
Zebra Longwing Butterfly


Julia Butterfly
This typically isn’t the best time of year to spot wildlife. We are just at the end of our rainy season, so many of the trails are not accessible because of high water and we’re not quite into the north American southern migration. And very exciting to us is the butterflies’ return after hurricane Ian devastated the populations 3 years ago.

And lastly I wanted to share with you a new to us color of Plumeria tree. I found a cutting of this tree on yard waste pickup day (Barb and I find some wonderful plant specimens on Mondays at the curb ) a few years back and it’s grown into a beautiful tree.
Want to see what else we’ve seen or done this year? Head over to our Website and check out all our finds! And if you’d like to receive notice of updates head over to our contact page and drop us a note.
Patty Hassing
Really enjoyed the butterflies.
Tim
hi patty. thanks for the comment. hope you’re well. where are you now?