3rin's View…

The eyecatching colors of these green and yellow berries caught our attention while my friend Alyssa and I were wandering the trails at Hammock Park last month.

The leaf shape and fruit color was slightly reminiscent of some type of citrus but since it was so low-growing I quickly discarded that idea. Instead, with the help of an internet search, I learned that it’s actually a tomato relative, Twoleaf Nightshade (Solanum diphyllum).

As with most of the “poison apple” family, it’s highly toxic. The plants in that family developed their toxicity to prevent being eaten by wildlife. While effective, the bitter taste and poison means that animals don’t help spread the seeds (which is a major force in propagation and plant species survival).

The edible tomato plants evolved a unique solution to this problem. While ripening, the poisonous glycoalkaloids are rendered harmless as the fruit reddens. Scientists still haven’t pinpointed when or exactly how that happened but I’m glad it did, because there’s nothing better than a juicy, vine-ripened tomato! Well, maybe with a little fresh mozzarella, basil, and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar…

Yesterday evening after work I came home to two pleasant surprises. The first and most exciting, is that it finally rained at my house! My neighborhood hasn’t seen a decent rainfall since early May so this quick burst was much needed.

The second treat was my first ripe strawberry guava of the season. It was juicy and delicious (even better than I remember from last year) I’m looking forward to the rest of my harvest!

I chanced upon this delicate little flower while cutting across a vacant lot in downtown St. Pete yesterday evening. I was captivated by the tiny, white blooms and soft fragrance.

Thankfully, I chose to take a photo instead of picking it because every part of this plant packs a potent irritant (similar to stinging nettle). This low-growing native’s common name, Tread-softly (Cnidoscolus stimulosus) serves as a warning.

This plant and I might have a couple things in common…

Welp, it was just a matter of time (and quite frankly, I’m surprised it took this long) but the local squirrels have discovered both of my free buffets.

The character with the torn ear pictured above claims the front yard feeder. I have not yet determined whether it is a boy or girl but I do know it is not in the least bit intimidated by me. I assigned it the name Rip Torn (since the original owner of that moniker is no longer alive, I don’t think he’ll mind).

So far, my furry friends have been polite guests and I do enjoy watching their antics. Besides, Rip Torn showed up with a little blue flower stuck to his head the other day, what’s not to love about that?

After catching sunset the other night I opted to walk back along the bay instead of the beach. There are still quite a few vacant, hurricane-damaged buildings in that area so I never know what I’m going to find. I was pleasantly surprised to find this fun art.

It’s been a while since I’ve walked that route so I don’t know how long it’s been up but it looks fairly fresh. I appreciate the contrast between the black and white paint and the pink bucket and shovel. Both the color and the 3D are a nice addition.

I’m no expert but it resembles Banksy’s style, though I’m sure that’s a long shot. No matter who created it, I’m glad they did.

There are only a few months, during late Spring and Summer, when the sunset is visible through the opening in the John’s Pass bridge. I’ll never tire of the way it frames the scene…

We are still eagerly awaiting the onset of our rainy season here along the gulf coast of Florida. The ground has long since dried out from the few storms that surprised us in mid-May (typically part of our dry season).

Notably, the rain quit right after I finished putting a new roof on my shed (Mother Nature has a sense of humor). If the rains don’t start back up soon I might consider removing the roof…

This time of year my bird baths are far more popular than my feeders. And no, one doesn’t have to be a bird to partake. 🦝

I caught some sea floor action a few weeks ago during the last full moon. I love a minus tide, when more of the tidal flats are exposed. It’s an area that’s often hidden but it’s just teeming with life!

I spent some time following around the smallest, living horseshoe crab I’ve ever seen (about 2” across). It ignored me as it busily maneuvered through the seagrass in search of a meal. Reminded me of a little bulldozer!

Then a consortium of hermit crabs caught my eye. They were surprisingly agile and quick considering the heavy shells they were lugging around.

I enjoy beach walks any time of day but there’s something special about a morning walk on the island. It’s peaceful to have the sand to myself before everyone wakes up and the hordes encamp.

I was surprised to see some decent waves rolling in. The West Coast is my favorite Florida coast, and it is amazing in many ways, but it is definitely not known for surfing. It was fun to watch an eager wake boarder enjoying the extra ride.

I was relieved to see that my beach is sargassum-free so far. It’s reported to be one of the biggest sargassum inundations in years, the Keys are already knee deep in it and it’s heading this way. It’ll be interesting to see how much floats in…

One of my birds left this unique display on my white fence the other day (above left). Based on the color and time of year, I’m presuming the bird recently made a feast of my ripening elderberries.

I resigned myself a while ago to the idea that I may never harvest any of the fruit off my elderberry. It’s still a pretty bush and in addition to providing bird food it is beneficial for a wide variety of pollinators (at least two dozen species of butterflies and moths are known to use it as a host plant).

A couple days later, my friend Alyssa and I spotted this gorgeous hummingbird mural while attending an outdoor performance by the Florida Orchestra. Something about the color palette seemed oddly familiar, so I zoomed in (see above right).

Which makes me wonder, if I plant a variety of different colored berries, will I’ll end up with a masterpiece on my fence?