Microfishing an urban Florida canal

Microfishing refers to a specialized form of angling in which very small fish species are targeted using miniature tackle (i.e. short rods, light line, and tiny hooks). The technique was developed in Japan, where anglers target the miniature Japanese Bitterling (also referred to as Tanago). This niche style of fishing has recently been growing in […]

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 […]

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, […]

Crystal River: Home of the Manatee

Crystal River is a town on Florida’s Gulf coast and self-titled manatee capital of the world. I visited this past weekend, in the middle of winter, as this is the best time to see the manatees for which the town is famous. What makes Crystal River attractive to manatees? Crystal River is at the edge […]

Manatees in Florida Springs

Florida is the spring capital of the world. The state contains 700 natural springs. 33 of these are first-magnitude springs, or those that discharge at least 100 cubic feet per second (which amounts to at least 64.6 million gallons of water daily). This is more first-magnitude springs than any other state in the United States, […]

Smithsonian Photo Contest

The Smithsonian Institution, located in Washington DC, is described as the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex. The Smithsonian publishes a magazine and for each of the past 22 years they have hosted a photo contest. This year I decided to enter. There are six categories (Drone/Aerial, Artistic, The American Experience, People, Travel, and […]