The rose was to get your attention. The following photos were taken on several outings, four I think, to Princess Place, Bulow Woods, River to Sea Preserve, and Washington Oaks Gardens. As you can see the new camera is working brilliantly. I’m learning the different microclimates and the astonishing amount of interesting plants of wild and tame Florida.

Most of the Pawpaw was bloomed out. I actually saw some in fruit. The shrub pictured above was at the edge of an open oak wood on the highlands above Hominy Branch Creek.

Brand new bridge on the old Hominy Branch Trail that doesn’t go anywhere. I have been exploring the rough section line trails off the main trail and discovered some interesting things like the Jack in the Pulpit. These trails are used as firebreaks, I think, as these can be very dry forests subject to lightning fires.

My next outing was to Bulow Woods starting at Fairchild Oak, a site which provides better parking and a restroom, along with picnic benches for visitors. The hike takes in the southernmost Bulow Woods Trail, meeting up with the middle portion near Walter Boardman Lane, and then wrapping around Red Loop Trail for a walk of some 5 miles.

On this hike I saw a deer eating in the damp meadows of Cedar Creek salt marsh. And then I flushed a couple of feral pigs along Red Loop Trail. The woods are also filled with birdsong, including the heavy tapping of a variety of woodpeckers.

I was delighted to see these wild Petunias on the Bulow Woods Trail, as I first saw them in the damp shady River to Sea Preserve Trail. They are a very dainty wildflower.

There’s a patch of this aster along the Bulow Woods Trail at Cedar Creek and again near the Intracoastal off the River to Sea Trail. I think I’ve also seen it at Princess Place along the salt marsh.

I tested this spiky plant and then remembered seeing it on a plant list posted at North Peninsula State Park. These leaves are razor sharp. It is a tough native Yucca.

My outing on Friday the 9th was to the River to Sea Preserve, combined with Washington Oaks Gardens. These two parks are located close together off of Highway A1A. Washington Oaks also has beach access. The state park requires a pass or daily fee.

Our area has begun to receive some badly needed rain. The day prior there was a short-lived thunderstorm, but obviously it did much to refresh the Resurrection Fern growing on this Live Oak.

Here’s the Wild Petunia at River to Sea. Wild coffee, Beauty Berry, Red Bay, Wax Myrtle and other shrubs grow in the preserve. It is an ancient hammock or sheltered place with an old chunk of preserved oak, hickory, maple, and palm forest.

I found the False Indigo out in the sunny portions of the Nature Trail at Washington Oaks Gardens. It also grows along portions of the shrubbery next to Pellicer Creek at Princess Place. Bees were very attracted by the tiny flowers.

These lovely white irises line a portion of the ponds located at Washington Oaks Gardens.

A visit to Washington Oaks would not be complete without a stroll through the small rose garden. The bushes were recently deadheaded, but there were some blooms for me to take photos of.

Noticing the breeze beginning to rise and a thickening layer of clouds moving in, I started for the car. We had a heavy thunderstorm move through the area at sunset. Still, I was glad I got out was able to capture the roses before they were beaten down by the hail and heavy rain. Our rainy season has arrived with growing heat and humidity.

I hope you enjoyed this brief tour through a variety of settings all within a short drive of home.

Eliza Ayres

https://sunnysjournal.com

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