Dry Season Everglades

Before moving to Florida, I wasn’t aware of how distinct the wet and dry seasons were here, and the profound effect this has on the landscape and wildlife. The wet season is summer, and the dry season is the rest of the year. It still rains in the dry season, but substantially less than in […]

Rescuing a Florida softshell turtle from an abandoned swimming pool

It is springtime in north central Florida and that means female turtles are moving about on land looking for nesting sites, and alligators are active. A week ago, I was walking along the edge of a lake, past a long-ago shuttered hotel. Out of curiosity, I took a look in the abandoned and partially filled […]

National Wildlife Federation Photo Contest

The National Wildlife Federation describes itself as “America’s largest and most trusted wildlife conservation and education organization.” They hold an annual wildlife photography competition that is in its 54th iteration. This year I decided to enter. Below are the 30 photos I selected and the required information for each photo. I entered a few of […]

Osprey at Kirkpatrick Dam

Dams act as barriers to the natural flow of rivers. As a result, fish often congregate below dams. This, in turn, tends to attract fish-eating animals. Dams can therefore be good focal points to observe and photograph wildlife. I was reminded of this when, this past weekend, I visited Kirkpatrick Dam on the Ocklawaha River, […]

World Animal Coins

What coins depict – people, animals, plants, events, places, achievements, symbols – tell the story of civilizations and what they value. The world’s oldest known coin was produced in the kingdom of Lydia (modern day Turkey) over 2,500 years ago. It depicts a lion. Coins depicting animals have been a common theme in subsequent centuries, […]