Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
Juana and I decide to take a short road trip to Big Pine Key with our bikes. Big Pine Key is known for its Key deer, which are very tiny and cute, as well as the Blue Hole, which is an old limestone quarry that now fills with fresh water. This key was hammered by […]
When a tree has a name like poisonwood you know to stay away. Metopium toxiferum is a member of the sumac family, Anacardiaceae, and like its poison sumac and oak relatives is a don’t-touch-me kind of plant. It can be identified by the fact that its leaves turn up, rather than down, and its trunk […]
The shoreline of our beach is not a pristine expanse of white sand, but is filled with wrack. This natural material is a combination of sea grasses, sponges, shells, coral, driftwood and other organic materials that wash up. When the wind comes from the south, it tends to pile up. From the north, it clears […]
The birds are always active looking for a snack regardless of size. Flying high are pelicans, anhingas and ospreys looking for yummy seafood and making a quick and decisive dive to capture a morsel. Closer to the ground are sanderlings that scamper in a pack pecking the sand looking for sustenance. Their quick and coordinated […]