The Coral Bean – A Pernicious Perennial

The Coral Bean – A Pernicious Perennial

The coral bean (Erythrina herbacea), also known as the Cherokee bean or the red cardinal, is a common springtime bloomer found all over the state of Florida. I’ve seen them in dense woodlands, sandy pine scrubs, and growing in hardwood hammocks at the edges of...
All’s Well That Ends Well…..

All’s Well That Ends Well…..

For some reason that Shakespeare title just popped into my head as I sat down in my office to write this quick post, and seemed to fit. A long and wonderfully eventful sojourn around Florida’s Big Bend area ended beautifully with a dazzling sunset over Apalachicola...
An Elusive Beauty – The Red-Headed Woodpecker

An Elusive Beauty – The Red-Headed Woodpecker

One of the most difficult birds for me to find in Florida has been the red-headed woodpecker (Melanerpes erythrocephalus). It is a very skittish bird – even for a woodpecker, and tends to avoid people if encountered. I’ve seen them only a couple of times...
A Splash of Springtime

A Splash of Springtime

For Florida springtime wildflowers, there is no place better than the Apalachicola National Forest. By mid-April (a little later this year due to the long winter) the sides of many of the roads are glittering with a rainbow of the most vivid colors and hues that...
Tricolored Heron in Breeding Plumage

Tricolored Heron in Breeding Plumage

Last month I was in the Big Cypress National Preserve looking for new material for www.FloridaNaturePhotography.com – particularly birds in breeding plumage when I spotted this amazing tricolored heron on the side of the road. It was in the most resplendent of...