Above are various photos selected from several day hikes done from near where I live. It’s been a “hard” winter in Florida with some subzero temperatures that damaged tender subtropical plantings in landscapes. We’ve also dealt with drought conditions since Florida received no tropical storms or hurricanes last year, limiting the rainfall. Some of the parks and state forests have resorted to localized burns to clear off excessive undergrowth, especially in the pine woods.
Nevertheless, as I walked through the neighborhood this past week, I saw the Red Maples out in full leaf, fresh green. Palm trees are getting pruned to remove the dead fronds. It was a good opportunity to see what plants survived and what didn’t during challenging swings of temperatures ranging from 26 to 89 degrees F within days.
This morning we had a sunrise temperature at 39 degrees, normal for places north of Florida, but rather cool for us. Still, it was rather refreshing to take a long neighborhood walk.
I hope everyone is safe… especially the folks in the Midwest who have been dealing with an outbreak of tornadoes, strong winds, and late winter blizzards. Wow, what a year!
Eliza Ayres
Camera: Coolpix L840, 38x Optical
Sunny's Journal 
Wow, I live on VancouverIsland and we have quite a few of the same plants. The azaleas, spiderweb and others. We also have egrets but ours are a grey color. I will have to gather some of my hiking pictures and send them. Love your work. Thank you for all you do 💕
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