Spring comes to Florida

Here's a little Florida Sunshine for everyone stuck in another snow storm.  Spring is coming to Florida.  You can see new growth on some plants, and flowering trees are starting to bloom.  These photos were taken at Mounts Botanical Garden in West Palm Beach last week.



Yellow Tabebuia



Also called the trumpet tree -  bursts into bloom.

It blooms before it leafs out.



Peach Tree - you don't usually see these in Florida





BeautyBerry  (Callicarpa americana) - a Florida native with the most beautiful berries.



Visit to Tropical Garden in Flamingo Park, W. Palm Beach, FL

Buddah in the garden

African Land Tortoises

Tropical Plants have so much texture

A Seat by the Pool

The Front Garden




Coconut Towers

 


Crinum Lily Flower



Arthur R Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge Canoe Trail

This is one of my favorite places to go kayaking.

The trail is 5.5 miles, and takes a few hours by kayak. Longer by canoe.

You can rent a canoe or kayak here. We like the double kayak.

Feels great to be back on the water.

Here's my brother, Steve.

You need to keep your eyes out for these - alligator crossing ahead.

They are also basking in the sun by the side.

We always see beautiful birds - here's a wood stork.

And a heron.

So much fun!

Gopher Turtle

My Native Plants class took a trip to Jupiter Inlet, near the lighthouse, to see more plants that grow in the Florida Scrub.

We came across this gopher turtle, which is on the endangered species list primarily due to loss of habitat. He let us take his picture, then scurried away. The gopher tortoise belongs to a group of land tortoises that originated in North America 60 million years ago, making it one of the oldest living species.

We saw lots of sable palms, the Florida state tree.

This area is all sandy, even though it is a ways away from the beach.
The love vine covers up everything. Behind it is blue saw palmetto and more sable palms.

A visit to the Florida Scrub

I'm taking a course on Florida's native plants at Palm Beach Community College with Dr. George Rogers, the notable plant ID expert. Each week we go on field trips to look at plants in their native habitat.



We started with plants in the Florida Scrub habitat. Much of the scrub has been lost to development, and as you drive along, you see patches between the strip malls and high rises.



Two of the largest areas of remaining scrub are found on the Atlantic Coastal Ridge, which runs parallel and in close proximity to the east coast of Florida. We saw Myrtle Oak, Chapman's Oak, Dwarf and Saw Palmetto. (We also saw about 50 other types of plants).

We parked at Loggerhead Marine Life Center in Juno Beach.

It is a sea turtle hospital.

After class I went across the street to the beach.

This pelican was just hanging out enjoying the warmer weather. Definitely a fun place to visit.

Freezing in Florida

Right now it is 38 degrees here. Brrr.... feels like New England. I covered my impatiens and brought in orchids, begonias, and succulants. I hope we don't get a frost here.



I get to wear my beautiful scarf Judy made me.

The houses are made with cinderblock construction so you have to bundle up inside.

Emily is happy with this weather though!

From weather.com: The lizards become completely immobile in temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (four degrees Celsius) as their cold blood stops flowing, and have been filmed this week falling out of perches in trees.

I haven't seen any of them around for awhile - maybe I should check the trees.

Boca Raton Resort Gardens

The Wellington Garden Club visited the Boca Raton Resort today.

We enjoyed brunch at the beautiful Palm Court restaurant.

The resort was designed by famed Palm Beach architect Addison Mizner.

It opened in 1926 as the Cloister Inn, the most expensive 100-room hotel of its day.


Mizner lived here with his pet monkey.


The original Cloister Inn.We loved this bathroom.

Linda and Bernice don't mind a little rain.

Is it any wonder I love gardens?

Back in Florida

Its great to be back in Florida. To see Mom and Dad, and all my friends (some of them feathered).

To see the butterflies.

And the flowers.
And to visit tropical gardens. Especially when I just heard Maine had its first snow.

A Summer Visit to Florida

I'm enjoying a week in Florida - after a rainy cold summer in Maine, it sure is hot down here.
But, its fun to see what is in bloom this time of year.


The beautiful crepe myrtle.


My bromeliads are blooming!



And here's my sylvester date palm 'untied'. It doesn't look like a 'nudnick' anymore.


Its so much fun to see all my friends down here.