Romalea microptera

We Saw a Florida Box Turtle! Dec 2015

25°38’56.13″N 80°30’55.71″W elev 5 ft
Edge of Everglades Trail
Everglades National Park
Red line represents 8.7 miles (14 km)

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“X” marks the spot where we saw it. [Nous avons vu une Terrapene carolina bauri! “X” marque l’endtoit ou nous l’avons vu.]

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A hinged plastron enables it to close its shell tightly. [Un plastron a charnieres le permet de bien fermer la carapace.]

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We also saw Gulf fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) butterflies. [Nous avons vu des Agraulis vanillae egalement.]

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And some horny Southeastern lubber grasshoppers (Romalea microptera). [Et des Romalea microptera tres excites.]

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And four-inch long Florida ivory millipedes. I love their colorings. Their stomachs are white! [Et des Florida ivory millipedes qui etaient dix centemetres de long. J’aime leur couleurs. Leur ventres sont blancs!]

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Florida is a strange place. Its relationship with nature has a fraught history. [Florida est un pays etrange. La relation avec le millieu naturel a une histoire tendue.]

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Can you believe that this was once a street? [Pouvez vous imaginer que il’y avais une route ici?]

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[Je m’excuse pour n’utiliser pas des accents. C’est difficile les utiliser avec WordPress.com.]

Slogging the Florida Trail, Jan 2013

Florida National Scenic Trail (Southern Terminus; Loop Road access point)
25°45’32.27″N 81°02’52.61″W elev 4 ft

The trail was 60% mud, 20% water, and 20% dry grass. I was not prepared for how exhausting walking in the mud, or "slogging," is.

The trail was 60% mud, 20% water, and 20% dry grass. I was not prepared for how exhausting walking in the mud, or “slogging,” is.

See, muddy!

See, muddy!

About a mile into the trail is a pine hammock that was just full of wintering songbirds, inlcuding the Eastern Bluebird. It was really incredible how fearless they were; they darted about us, close enough to touch, as if we weren’t even there. They were so tiny and so fast that I wasn’t able to get a good picture.

The trail runs through a forest of “old growth” Cypresses. I think these are Dwarf Cypresses. Despite how small they look, they are hundreds of years old! They look kinda spooky in the winter without their needles.

There were air plants everywhere!

Tillandsia utriculata, the “Giant Air Plant”!

This itty bitty guy was about the size of a quarter.

The eerie Tillandsia paucifolia, small and silvery from being out in the sun. The Institute for Systematic Botany has digitized some images of Tillandsia paucifolia here http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/SpecimenDetails.aspx?PlantID=611

Isn’t he a cutie! Southeastern Lubber Grasshopper: 2 1/2″; flightless; slow-moving. Emits foul-smelling secretion when distrubed (National Audubon Society, “Field Guide to Florida”).

A crayfish. Isn’t he funny looking?! He was about 5″ long. He remained in this position for several minutes, then submerged himself in the mud.

Bartram’s Sabatia

Blue-Eyed Grass

Blue-Eyed Grass

Old Field Toadflax

Old Field Toadflax

Ollie’s picked up a scent! The air along the trail was delicious!