Musings on horticultural therapy and the soothing effects of plants and nature
Though the Keys are a skinny set of islands, they are chock full of wonderful nature surprises. We recently visited the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center (@keepthemflying ) to see all the good work the organization is doing. It takes in hurt birds and either heals and releases them or takes care of them for […]
One of my favorite sightings when I am in the Keys are iguanas. These colorful invaders from Central and South America are highly invasive and typically litter and chomp on the landscape. But this past Christmas, the Keys had record low temperatures, which killed large numbers of these reptiles. So in my daily bicycle rides, […]
A full moon appeared out of the ocean last night. Juana and I rock back and forth on a porch swing enjoying its reveal and the shadows it casts upon the sand and sea. We will soon be heading north, back home, though moments like this give us pause.
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 […]
When do you know you are in the tropics? When you find more discarded coconut shells by the road than beer cans. 🥥🌴😎
Every year we time our visit to the Keys so we can attend the Upper Keys Garden Club garden walk. Each year five different gardens are opened to the public for a tour. It is both a joy and humbling experience to attend. A joy because of the collection of exotic plants that are on […]
Reaching for what I think is a blue plastic bag in the shoreline wrack, Juana yells, “Stop!” She spots what I don’t, which are a mass of stinging tentacles. It’s not a bag. It’s a Portuguese Man-of-War—a nasty, stinging jellyfish. These seemingly benign floaters come in on the tide and wind resting on the shoreline […]