i like turtles

Totally surprised to see the Florida SoftShell Turtle walking down the street in front of my house.  It was about 12" big I think.

Sneaky Alligator

This bird was in the bush this way all morning. First I thought he was showing off his lovely feathers, then I thought he was stuck. Next time I checked he was gone, I was relieved until I zoomed in on the photo. See Mr Sneaky Gator back there? I hope he didn't make a snack out of this bird. Do alligators do that? I hope to see the bird tomorrow morning, I think he was a regular at the pond. If I zoom in all the way on the gator he looks hungry. And mean.

The Little Gator

Yeah. Little. I've seen the Big One and this ain't him. This is right across from my front door. I've only seen the big guy on the other side of the pond. I am getting a bit freaked out by the gators and blinding stickbugs today.

Two-striped Walkingstick Insects - I was lucky!

 Anisomorpha buprestoides. The larger of the two is the female with the small male insect on it's back. I was lucky because I found out after taking this photo that this insect can spray a caustic chemical more than a foot and it can cause sever eye pain, irritation and even blindness! I was inches away taking pix when I found them on my door frame tonight . As I went to close the door and head inside she scurried through the opening by the hinge and followed me into the house! What do you DO with an insect this big?!? It had to be 6" long. I used a flip flop to shoo it out and it quickly fled.

Heron and Turtles : Sarasota Jungle Gardens

There is so much amazing wildlife at the Sarasota Jungle Gardens. I was lucky to capture this a second before the heron flew off, startling the turtles who then went *bloop* back into the water.

Buster the White Peacock : Sarasota Jungle Gardens

This is Buster. He is not an official resident at the Sarasota Jungle Gardens but has decided to stay! He just flew in one day and can frequently be seen hanging around the grounds. Beautiful!

Save Our Seabirds: Great Horned Owl

This is one of the many owls being cared for at SOS: Save Our Seabirds.

Save Our Seabirds: Injured Sandhill Crane

After visiting Mote Marine Aquarium we walked across the parking area to visit SOS: Save Our Seabirds, a facility that rescues and rehabilitates injured birds. This Sandhill Crane is one of a group who have been fitted with prosthetic legs. Common causes of these injuries are cars and golf balls.

Playful Octopus: Mote Marine Aquarium

This amazing cephalopod was busy playing with his Mr Potato Head when I visited the aquarium this weekend. He had other toys in his tank to keep him busy - they are such intelligent, interesting creatures!

Polka-Dot Wasp Moth

This iridescent Oleander Moth Syntomeida epilais was in front of my house when I returned from Sears with my new vacuum! I was really excited and had to show everyone.

Sandhill Cranes at the Mall

Ventured out to the mall today because I was in desperate need of a vacuum cleaner. To my surprise I saw three Sandhill Cranes in the Sears parking lot! I see these large dinosaurish birds on my block frequently but just haven't had a good photo op yet. Is it usual to see them at the mall?

Black Vulture

There's something going on at the pond. About 20 black vultures have been there all day. Looked like they had a few large catfish to eat. There were other large birds hanging around for the buffet.

Great Blue Heron?

I am not quite sure if this is a Great Blue Heron but it is very pretty and spent the afternoon by the pond yesterday. Please comment if you know what this bird is!

Wood Stork

This huge Wood Stork has been hanging out around here the last couple of days. These birds are endangered. You can hear the voice of the Wood Stork and learn more about it at this site from the Cornell Lab for Ornithology:
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Stork/id

Armed and... Dangerous?

Looking out the window one morning and seeing this armadillo was a real "WOW" moment for me! I know they are considered pests here but this guy is just too cool. Even though my cousin-in-law told me they attack and are poisonous (I'm such a Florida-n00b) I do hope to see him again.

Magic Mushrooms

These huge mushrooms just pop up over night.  Anyone know what kind they are? They look like they'd be perfect for one of my fairies to land on or curl up under. Check out my scultpting website to see some of my fairies www.enchantedwhimsies.com

Greetings from Sarasota!

This bright character greeted me on our first day here... I should have removed him from the pool area because the next day I found him inside the house!