Snow in Florida

In early November in Southwest Florida, many yards are covered are covered with small star shaped flowers.  From a distance it looks like snow.  We call them ‘snow flowers’ but this isn’t their botaniucal name.  (I must return to my reference books…)

These flowers arrive just when people in Florida are reminiscing about Snow Up North.

We didn’t use to have so many yards with so many snow flowers.  They grow on non-manicured yards and I suppose are considered a”weed,” but I know a lot of people who think they are great.

My Friend B_____ was away from Southwest Florida for a few months and the weekend he returned I led him up to a hillside coverd in Snow Flowers.  And the flowers were covered with Bees!

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The color of Rainy Season is YELLOW!

Bridgekeeper: Stop. What… is your name?
Galahad: Sir Galahad of Camelot.
Bridgekeeper: What… is your quest?
Galahad: I seek the Grail.
Bridgekeeper: What… is your favourite colour?
Galahad: Blue. No, yel…
[he is also thrown over the edge]
Galahad: auuuuuuuugh.

 From, Monty Python’s Holy Grail, as quoted on Internet Movie Database. 

I’ll get some photos in here soon, but the Color of Rainy Season, is not Blue like you would expect, but YELLOW.      The majority of trees that are flowering now, are doing so in Yellow flowers.  All kinds of wildflowers and ground covers are popping up now and they are Yellow.  New growth appeares as yellow against a branch of dark green leaves.

 

Fire Season and Live-Oak trees

Here are the photos of the Live Oak.  Live Oak have smaller leaves than Laurel Oak and Water Oak.  Also, these are not located near a stream or low lying area. 

During Fire Season, trees produce their pollen vehicles (*I can’t think of what these are called.  Earlier I had typed seeds.  But that isn’t correct.  A seed is an acorn, and that’s different from the things on the trees here… take a look.  (I’ve mislabeled the photos, I’ve called them ‘berries,).  Very soon, these pollen vehicles will launch a very fine pollen mist all over southwest florida.   

Also  Note the Air Plant on the Live Oak Tree, it is a mich larger one that the one on the Cypress.  (I don’t know if it is a different species, or just a much more mature air plant.)  [sigh, another thing to go look up…]

Fire Season, Cypress Trees.

Ok, so in the previous post, we had some photos of the plants that are in bloom this time of year, Fire Season, and they all have red tones in them.  Today, I’m posting some photos of trees.  This post contains the photos of Cypress (another post will contain the Live Oak photos.)   At this time of year, the Cypress trees are dormant.  They look ‘dead,’ or ‘dried up.’  But they are really ok.   At other times of the year, these trees will have green needles with red at the tips.

The top left photo shows the cypress tree.  They are triangular trees.  The photo under the Tree, shows cypress berries forming. 

The top right photo shows an Air Plant that is living in the Cypress Tree.    The photo under the Airplant, shows the cypress knees.