Spring Not Far Off

As the month clicks away on the calendar, I am still up to my eyeballs in Monarchs.  Making sure there is food enough to feed them is a daily ritual.  Cleaning the terrarium with this much usage also becomes a necessary chore.  Its good I have that distraction to take my mind off one of the worst months I have ever had in business here, as I am still wondering when we'll bring in enough proceeds from the hordes of folks in town to cover extravagances like rent.  Hordes? -LOL, as they say on Facebook.  Or, and "damhikt", perhaps the throngs are just carying out their innocent "ifuee", (Don't worry those are not off-color, you just have to know your web lingo!

Thanks to the History Museum's offer of a small supply of Butterfly Weed from their Butterfly Garden, I have been provided with enough food to feed them.  Cleaning is done depending on the condition of the container. The lid has to be carefully lifted off as now Caterpillars are attaching their Chrysalis to that section also.  Bruce has to assist.  I lift all the plants out with their Caterpillars still clinging to them, remove dead leaf debris and bare stems, wash the containers, refilling with fresh water, then replace the plants with the still eating caterpillars.  I remove the paper towel flooring, clean that area, and replace.  I reassemble as quickly as possible (it all takes about 5 minutes) because Bruce is standing in the wings holding onto the precious cargo.  But the reward is to sit at my desk and watch this kind of miracle unfold right before my eyes.  This one's image was captured just seconds after bursting out of its Chrysalis; it now waits on that big fat body to pump the fluid inside into the wings to inflate them.  A lot like pumping up a bicycle tire.
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The wings quickly expand, in a matter of minutes.  Then it hangs in place for a couple of hours, I let them decide when they are ready by watching to see when they start moving away from the empty Chrysalis.  When that happens I carefully put my finger in front of them and they climb on board and are ready for transporting outside.  Usually they will just hang on their new plant perch for a while before heading up into the sky and away.


I have had one Gulf Fritillary Caterpillar and he seems to have done alright except that it seems it has taken a very long time for him to grow into any size.  I am not sure if this is normal or something lacking in his food source that may have interfered with his development.  I have kept it in a separate holding tank.  It only eats Passion Flower.


Even though the Monarch does not change colors it does shed all or parts of its skin during growing.  It then eats the skin as this fellow is doing.  Because I wasn't seeing the skin fall away I wasn't aware of this changing until Lisa pointed it out to me.  I keep learning things as I go along, as with all of life.


Looking like a brilliant stained glass window, this one catches the backlight from the morning sun.  They seem to like the small trumpet-like blossoms of the Rosemary plants, so I usually set them on it; so if they want a snack before hitting the road it is readily available.


Another girl's day out with Adrian catching her first big fish.  I have learned from her also that it is better to handle the inside of that mouth with a rag to prevent the blood loss I was having from each fishing trip as I reached in to remove the hooks.  The smell of human blood on the bait may have been more enticing to the fish in the creek but the sore fingers for days afterward was something it will be nice to avoid.  An artist must protect the tools of her trade.


Its twins!!!  It was fun to get up to check the terrarium, and see that we had two, a boy and a girl.  This gives a good chance to show the difference in the sexes.  The top one is a male with the thin black lines and the black dot on the back wing which interrupts the middle line.  It looks like someone tried to erase a spot on the hard black like with a dirty eraser.  The bottom is a female, with her thicker black lines and NO thick spot on her back wing lines.  Next time you can tell the difference too.  In the beginning we had mostly males but now the numbers have shifted and it seems that most are females.


The twins I freed by setting them on the New Zealand Tea Tree which is one of my favorite plants.  It blooms all winter.  They are difficult to get to grow but once established are very hardy.  Very pretty small blossoms which can vary with the different plants from a softer pink to a dark burgundy bloom.


I told you that the color would dramatically change on my Sumac.  I just love the brilliance and the way the low winter sun makes it glow as it changes from yellow green to vibrant orange-red.


As I sit at my desk this is the view, and the bright spots of color give me a nice break in the dark greens of the Oaks and brighter green of my shrubbery and the hanging gray Spanish Moss.  It does literally glow when the sun gets on the other side of it just like the butterflies wings did.


Another evening when I take the time to catch the Marsh sunset.  The colors are possibly slightly exaggerated by the camera in the intensity of the blue in the sky but doesn't it give a great contrast to the yellow and orange of the sunset itself?


It's hard to decide in such a scene whether it needs a tighter view, giving the pretty cloud effect, or the wider angled total picture.  I thought I'd just give you both and you can chose your favorite.  It seems like the "Mare's Tail" formations have been most prevalent lately, probably because we have not had the big rain containing clouds, which we need.


One of my overnighters had made it to the window and seemed to be gazing longingly at the world outside.  Her daydreams were soon fulfilled as the sun quickly warmed that outside world up enough for me to feel better about turning her loose.


I took the opportunity to take one of the not so clear photos of this scene and play with it with the new tools on my Picassa.  Usually I don't do that but this can give me some good ideas for a painting as my mind is shifting to wanting to do a big butterfly painting.


Well it looks like our thorny looking Gulf Fritillary is entering another stage in the transforming life of a butterfly.


On Sunday morning I had another set of twins waiting.  One a few minutes ahead of the other.  That is fun, and since I have the day off to fool with them, I can move them outside and keep an eye on them.  Its a drizzly cool day outside so I will not be tempted by the sun magnet in my posterior to be drawn outdoors for any significant amount of time.


When the rain started I moved the first that one I had taken out to the flower bed, and the second one, when it was ready, to a Mexican Petunia plant just outside my back door but underneath the eave in the dry.  They hung out there all day.  As the day wore on, I was in for more surprises as two more emerged.


WOW!! What was two is now four, and I decide that with the weather so damp and chilly I would just let them overnight on the dining room table since I had seen in them no interest in flying, such as exhibited by the outdoors couple.


Playing with my new toys I take this butterfly photo and turn it into a monochromatic concept for painting.


This female latched onto the one male in the group and was really going after him.  He was smaller than she was so I was afraid she would hurt him.  I moved her 3 different times to another part of the plant but she would always go back to him.  Bruce said "they are too young" and I say "when life is as short as theirs you are probably just born ready".


Outside, with our wonderfully warm winter, I find the signs of awakening and hormones starting to get ready for nesting season as Monday was a wonderful sun-shiny day.  It was evident in the love song of our little Carolina Wren as he sang for his soul mate.  Lets hope they once again nest in the birdhouse that was their home last year.


What I thought was a leaf stuck on my outside screen was instead this very amorous set of unusual moths involved in what must be construed as a lover's embrace.  There is probably a lot going on underneath that spread open wing that might be too risque for polite company.


The Florida Green Anoles are awaking from their winter slumber.  This one seemed to be wondering about the origin of this evidence of the passing-by, pardon the expression, of one of his own kind (the black spot with its white tip which has dropped off).  You can always tell Anole droppings by the white dot on the end.  This one was still in a slow mode as he sat in this one spot even when I put my finger toward his head all he did was open his mouth.  If I had only had a dead fly it would have been a first step in reinforced training to eat flies from my hand, but you can't find a dead fly when you need one.  I was even pretty sure I saw Lewis Lizzard, since he was not fearful of me, but was more grown up and a beautiful bright green color.  Good old Lewis, he was fun to keep for a while.  I would hate to think of him being kept captive forever though.  He seemed to be having a good time running around the front porch where I first found him lying, that cold day, when he was still in hibernation mode.  I had thought him dead but after a few days he revived.  But that's another story already in the archives; if you want to do the research and find it.

Lets hope that winter has gone, at least for the time my mom, Aunt Helen, brother Mike and Sister-in-law Denise are visiting me, till the end of the week.  The Northwest has been cold, damp and snowy for my brother, so they are certainly ready for warmer weather.  Here's to fun, family and Spring.

Work is beginning on two more commissions, one which will not be so difficult (I hope) and another undersea one which will be large and a challenge.

Into the New Year

What was a warm weather passion with the Sea Turtles has switched over to more beautiful and equally interesting creatures.  The Sea Turtles I have loved because of the ancientness, if that is a word, of the species.  They are one of the only species which was around to see the extinction of the dinosaurs and yet have flourished until recent times, each might live a century.  With the butterflies, they live such brief but beautiful lives, with just the process of change so fascinating to watch. They contribute to the workings of our natural world as they flit from flower to flower sipping nectar and spreading the pollen so necessary for all life, without which it would be a world without flowers, fruits, even coffee; and worse yet, -no chocolate.

This moment, as I type this, in the terrarium beside me part of the miraculous transformation begins to take place.  The caterpillar which had been hanging from his bottom end for a couple of days seems to be limp and I think, oh dear, it's dead.  Then I see the pale lime green start to show as his skin literally splits apart.  In a matter of minutes the skin is a crinkled black wad hanging by the  thread which holds the new chrysalis to the top.  Now the green form starts its dance, twisting, wiggling, gyrating and turning until the black old skin is shed dropping to bottom of the terrarium.  After two weeks this will be the result.  One of our releases just before Christmas.  Such color, such patterns, and such grace as they float with the greatest of ease, going from flower to flower to feed and lay eggs, starting the cycle all over again.  How can an artist not want to paint with such inspiration.

Sometimes we overnight them on the dining room table if it is a very cold night or if they hatch out too late in the day to take wing before dark.  This one was with us for dinner while Bruce's mom was here.  I bring inside whatever we have blooming outside and put it on the table in case they need a snack.  Sometimes if they are acting slow, we can trick them into sipping sugar water from a syringe.  This is a sticky wicket in itself.  Not aways are we successful, but sometimes it works.

Often they just hang around for a while looking like a Tree Ornament, then they will just be gone.  The ones I have watched fly away just seem to catch the wind and float effortlessly high above the big Oak Trees in my back yard and out of sight.  They don't seem to fly much in the morning or after the sun gets low.  I have found them sitting overnight in one spot clinging tightly to a plant not moving until midmorning.  We have only temporarily lost a couple in the house.  We don't know where they disappeared to, but eventually each reappeared on the dining room curtain sitting in the sunlight coming through the window.

Christmas dinner came and went as we all gathered at my nephew Chris's home south of Jacksonville.  Lots to eat and a nice visit.  A place with a child in the house although she made herself scarce playing with her friend, another Reagan from across the street.


Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?" was what this Little Snowy Egret seemed to be saying.  It was after Christmas and a little time to relax.  After all the hustle of getting ready for the big day it was nice to have some down time to just show Bruce's mom around.  Unfortunately she thought it  was " very cold for Florida" even when we thought it was very warm for North Florida in winter, but  this day a cold front did come in.  Although I didn't think it very cold she was freezing.  I had hoped to take her to walk on the beach  for a little while so we headed on to the park.

Inside the park I spot some of our Christmas Fall Color in this Hickory Tree just as we make the turn toward the beach.  Our Fall is late as I told someone today we have Fall this week and next week we will have Spring.

On the beach I find my own forest in the beach trees left by the outgoing tide.  I sure do miss my time here.  Unlike last winter when I kept going, watching the turtle nest that never hatched, this year I have been too busy to make the time.  Instead my fishing trips have taken me to the marsh, which has been great fun also, but I do miss the beach.

I hope to make it over there (the two blocks) this next weekend to take in all the migrating birds who are visiting with us now.  Many species we don't have other times in the year.  In this group was a flock of some sort of tern that was larger than our Least Terns and were not our regulars at all.

Oh yes, then Lisa came to visit the island just after Christmas.  Of course I took her fishing, and we all gathered to eat our wonderful catch.  Keep in mind Lisa's stature and the angle of the photo when you think this might be over the size limit.  I can assure you it was legal.  It was a great catch and Lisa was soooo excited.  She even had enough meat left over to take to cook for her Grandfather, who has, along with her grandmother, mostly raised her.  Grandfather is in Hospice care right now, separated from his wife of so many years because they cannot afford a place for jointly living together in assisted living with his health issues and hers these last few months.

Monarch season is in the Fall in the South.  Just when I thought I was just about at the end as I only had about 5 Cats left, a friend brought at least 20 more to my door and left them with Bruce because of the cold front headed our way.  It took a lot of Butterfly Weed to feed that many hungry mouths and I had been begging, borrowing and stealing Butterfly Weed from everyone I knew who had any left.  I tried to be careful to not take it where there were still caterpillars eating on it.  Inadvertently, I managed to add to the stash of caterpillars even more by finding eggs and tiny caterpillars on the plants once I got them home.  New resolve:  Next year I will have plants galore for them to eat.  I have found out one good thing.  Once you cut the sprouts off to feed they will put out roots from the cuttings if left in the water.  If these all live, then I should be well supplied next year.

Enjoying a bit of time in my backyard one day, I heard this tap, tap, tapping.   I knew the sound, but now to find the source.  Looks like Woody himself is visiting.  This  branch was getting thinner and thinner as he sat on the big end and pecked on the top part where it was hooked into the tree.  Better watch out!  I have seen tree cutters make that mistake, but they didn't have wings, so I guess its not quite the same kind of mishap in the making.  I have new binoculars (Christmas present); the better to see them with.

On New Year's Day, niece Julie came for a visit.  She brought a good friend Steven and a youngster from their area, (Steven is his court advocate), that they were befriending.  We toured the park and found our kite-flying friends again, then we were off to fish.  We did catch some good ones, catching our limit, then bringing them home to deep fry once again. Deep fried fish and hush puppies, hard to beat.   I will start cooking them to be a little bit more healthy, once the "new" of actually coming home with a meal-sized quantity of fish wears off.  I need one of those enclosed grilles to contain fish while on the main grille, made like a basket so that you can flip the whole thing over without the fish falling through the wires; otherwise, I am going to look like one of those big round Puffer Fish pretty soon.

Frost was forecast, so I take a longing look at what might not make it through.  My Sky Vine was at its prettiest.

A close up of the blooms tells the story of why I like them so much.  They are very orchid like, and although the bloom does not last long, each is replenished by a new one, waiting to take its place as they make their way down the stem.  They bloom best for me in the winter but are not frost tolerant.  They were not destroyed, but they were "bit" back with many of the leaves turning brown, and the flowering has slowed with the frost bite.

I should have thought to cover these all up but it was dark when I went out to do it, and I forgot these pretty things further out in the yard.  One made it and one didn't, attesting to the spottiness of the freeze.  Of course the one which was sadly all limp the next day was the big beautiful one, while the smaller one is still fine.  The yellow flowers which the butterflies like so much were also causalities of the cold.

One nice shot of the beautiful blossom.  Yes, I know, these are not really the blossom, but leaves and the bloom is the part in the center.

Outside my front window, the sun always hits this Sumac, and it just glows as it is starting its "Fall" color transition.  Yes, I know it is almost Spring but the tree doesn't.   Wait until you see this week's change in it.

One of my Chrysalis is doing its change-over, as one next to it failed to fully shake off his skin; but you can see how shriveled that which what once was a caterpillar is now.  It was all for show.  The Green inner self is the true being...or maybe not.  They seem to change clothes as often as a teenager.  The terrarium has become a film of webs from all the caterpillar tracks on it, as they roam around hunting the perfect spot to hang around on and also when they hang themselves they spread a wide circle of web.  We are not sure how that happens.  Do they spray the webbing around or do they spread it around with their feet before hanging?  We haven't seen any such action going on.  It just magically appears.  If you try to move one when it is crawling around you will feel them sticking the webby stuff to the surface and you almost have to pry them off.

Here is our menagerie of Chrysalis' at this point. This continues to change as new ones come up top side and others emerge and get taken outside.  What causes them to all cluster on this end of the tank?  Is it the sunlight through the window?  The slick surface as opposed to the screen on the other end.  We don't know exactly.  Now we do have 3 which have attached themselves to the screened area today probably because it is just too crowded on the other end.  This has been better for us as I have to clean and feed through the other end.

A beautiful sunset was happening as I drove home a few days a go.  I was not alone in wanting to capture it.  I pulled into the property where Ten Acres' Kraft Athletic Club is located because it is one of the few places you can get an unobstructed view in my neighborhood.

The sun was sinking fast over the calm river and marsh area.  With a water sunset you get a double whammy with the sun's reflection almost stealing the show.

A wide view is not always as impressive as you just cannot take it all in with my camera.  A wider angled lens than mine would be necessary.

As I walk away I look back for the long view, which I love too, with the trees all siloutted against the pastel colors going from lavender to orange to yellow and pink to blue.  Such beauty; it is hard to image it can be real, but the camera does not lie...well not much.

Pre Christmas

The holidays descended as if it were a big secret to which I wasn't privy.  Only after a few days of cool, rainy weather and the realization that my mother-in-law would arrive in 2 days followed by my son David and his wife in another day, and then Christmas Eve shortly after that did I finally have that big neon sign over my head along with the delayed Christmas Memo which said "it's Christmas", it's here, it's time, and I finally got it.

At that point I had to shift into high gear as far as getting food, house, and presents ready.  Still I can take a minute to admire this beautiful flower outside the back door of the gallery.  I have a sprig of this beautiful creation of nature started at home, but didn't know what a great combination of colors it presented when in bloom. Purple, lime green, yellow, blue and a burgundy-red, all in one cluster of blooms along with some very interesting speckled foliage.  Gorgeous it is.

On my day off, I took a break from cleaning the house in anticipation for a mother-in-law visit, to sit on my back patio which is at its prettiest for the year.  Everything I tried to get growing all summer is now thriving in the cooler, wetter atmosphere.  Flowers are blooming, the Poinsettias realized it was Christmas and turned a brilliant red, and the butterflies are getting in some serious late season egg laying as if they think it is Spring.  The weather has been Spring like so you can't blame them.  On examining my Passion Flower I actually found a live Caterpillar belonging to one of these Gulf Fritillaries, my most common visitor.  I brought it in to just see if it would survive.  All the tiny ones which I brought in as eggs have finally disappeared.  This one was larger so I felt it might make it.  So far so good.  I don't believe any could ever have the beautiful Chrysalis of the Monarch.

I was finally able, a few days before Christmas, to get my photo of the Ritz's Christmas Tree fully lit.

After a stressful flight from Chattanooga for Bruce's mom, which involved changing planes in Atlanta, stressful for anyone, but making us realize that she can no longer handle that trip alone.  In the hopes of creating a nice "Welcome to Florida" dinner, I went to Atlantic Seafood just down the street and bought some very large Sea Scallops.

Rub a dub dub, three Pelicans in a tub.  The Pelicans entertained us while we waited for the Amelia River Cruise to depart the next day.  A beautiful day for a cruise on the river.  Son David with wife, Rizza were collecting their long promised birthday present cruise, and we were accompanied by Momma-in-Law, Sheila, and the Granddog, Bella.  Pets are welcome on these cruises.

Everyone seemed to be heading to some kind of gathering of the flock.  The water sparkled like diamonds as they all swam toward something.

Some arrived by air but hopefully they did not have to go through Atlanta.

I finally stopped looking at the world through the camera lens and took in the whole scene and realized what the big attraction was.  A fisherman was cleaning his catch and like the conductor of an orchestra was getting the rapt attention from his musicians as they followed his cue to the T, only breaking into a wild commotion once the treat was tossed.  Then chaos ensued.

Greed sometimes gives one another set of problems when one gets a bit too wrapped up in eating, and bites off more than one can handle with no thumbs.  Well I guess they sort of have thumbs on their feet and at the front of their wings, but not suitable for this kind of multi-tasking.

Three different age levels are represented by the colors of the heads and feathers of these fellows.  The handsome white downy head represents the fully grown adult member of the group with the two others coming in as older and younger teenagers as their feathers attest to their changing plumage.  I especially love the very distinctive patterns of the back feathers of the younger one.  They almost look like fish scales they are so perfect.

As we pull out of port Kevin, owner and Captain of the day, points out that each piling has its own bird.  He said the day before they had actually played a game of leapfrog as one landed on another's post and he in turn went to the next until it became a chain reaction down the whole line.

We are at the height of the "White Shrimp" shrimping season and several boats which were not local were in the dock area.  This one, a newer boat, whose new technology for flash freezing in a salty brine, unloads its big orange bags of already frozen shrimp.  The older boats still use the process  of packing in ice without freezing, until after they reach the dock.

The boat from Bermuda was in dock loading giant rolls of cardboard from the mill behind the port.  Most of Bermuda's supplies go through this port on the weekly trip back and forth.  A few weeks prior it was a big load of Christmas trees and some luxury boats which were probably going to be under someone's tree come Christmas morning.

The bow of the boat was interesting with its colors and familiar looking crest.  Does anyone recognize it??

With the tide out, the bricks are visible, which once formed the base of Fort San Carlos, built in 1812, to protect the Spanish owned island from invasion by the US of A.  True story as they had already been invaded once.

On the Pogy Plant complex, turned Shrimp net factory and now transitioning to the nets now used behind the goal posts and behind home plate at many of your sporting events,  The big building which looks very dilapidated still is filled with nets and can give some really interesting photos with the late afternoon sun from the landward side.

A surprise was in store when we rounded the point and could see Fort Clinch.  The sky was filled with wonderful flying contraptions.

A closer view of them showing quite a variety of styles and subjects.  I loved the big sea creatures in the form of fish and Orcas which seemed to be in a big blue aquarium.  The Clown Fish was swimming a bit low though.

Crossing the inlet, we began to see what eventually would be 4 different Bands, or families, of the wild Cumberland Island horses.

I thought this was an interesting scene.  Out in the middle of nowhere was a lone chair sitting as if it were in someone's backyard.  I imagine it washed in on the tide and was retrieved by someone walking on the beach.  It seemed like a very serene place to sit and while away the time.

A bit further around on the river side was another band of horses grazing along the top of the escarpment.  I noticed that one of the horses legs was muddy up above the knee area.  I imagine that hoofs would really penetrate the muck which can be almost like quicksand in some more marshy areas.

My granddog was snuggled up with his momma to absorb some of the warmth she offered.  The temperatures, although quite warm onshore, were not so warm as we were sitting on top of a body of water which was only 64 degrees F.

A Great White Egret, highlighted by the sun, was looking very regal on top of this Live Oak Tree.

A Great Blue Heron flew up over the now Golden marsh, giving the reason for the name given to the "Golden Isles" which were first viewed in the late Fall by the Europeans who "discovered" them.  Of course the local Native American population might have thought it already discovered since they had lived here for the previous thousands of years.

As the holidays approach, the skies fill with contrails from the many jets which are getting everyone including those protecting our shores to various destinations before the big day.  It almost looks like we have a game of tic tac toe being played in our skies.

Since the Captain was also the boss of the boat, we ventured as far as it was possible to head up Beach Creek, without totally bottoming out and being stranded until the tide raisined us up to a deeper level.  The walls of the old Dungeness Cemetery had been adorned with a Christmas Wreath on it's gate.  The cemetery holds the remains of many of those whose lives were touched by this island, some as property owners, their children or employees.  One who died on the island and was buried here, and was later exhumed and re-buried in Virginia with his son, was General "Lighthorse" Lee, father of Robert E. Lee.

We had our usual close encounters with the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins in the creek.

Our one hour cruise extended into a welcome two hours as host and Boat Captain Kevin kept asking, before he made a decision to explore a bit more, "is anyone in a hurry?"  No one was, even though we were into the time for the traditional season's hustle and bustle frame of mind, but all were up for a little adventure on a Pre-Christmas Eve.

The sun was starting to get low in the sky when we headed back toward Fernandina Beach.  The trip back was much colder and I am glad that Sheila, Bruce's mom, decided to opt for making that trip back inside the zippered up compartment rather than up on the front deck.

We met this interesting craft with its dingy in-tow.  Very Pirate looking.

The Captain of this craft equally filled the role as a modern day Captain of a Pirate ship.

Back into port with some of the visiting shrimpers docked in the port.  The green and red of the boats docked here remind me of the amount of work I had to do before all my packages were finished as I was making most of my gifts and they were not all ready to be wrapped yet.

The Lady Virginia was a nice warm color with the reflection of our boat draped across her bow as we glide by.  I am wondering what these fellows do for the holiday.  Do they hang out here in town or do they head back home to Virginia, the Carolinas or Georgia?  Read "The Last Light over Carolina" to get an idea of how hard their lives can be.  Being a "Shrimper" is a hard life.  The real money they make today in buying power is less than their grandfathers made and the least in the history of the business due to the cheap foreign shrimp.  Buy local and that is becoming easier to do.  The fellow who has his truck parked on the corner of Sadler and 8th has reasonably priced, fresh, locally caught shrimp and also the Lofton Creek Market and a couple of others have fresh seafood, keep an eye out for the vendors.  Lots of options being made available to us locals.