Linear view vs. Masonry View

Archive for ‘Observations’

Caught on Camera

I was greeted by this damage yesterday morning. Naturally, I wondered who the culprit was. So, I checked my handy motion-activated camera and found this incriminating evidence:

It’s worth noting that I have 4 water dishes of various sizes and heights for differing species. The tallest one, the one my bandit broke, was intended for the bees. This little stinker clearly knows where all the dishes are, as it even checked the last one before loping off into the night.

I especially love how the raccoon washed its hands after the accident! 🦝
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Adventuring Home

Ochlockonee River
Eastern Hog-nosed Snake (Heterodon platirhinos)
Lady Lupine (Lupinus villosus)
Bog Buttons (Lachnocaulon spp.)
Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) with Scars from the Naval Stores Industry (Resin Harvesting for Turpentine)
Great Crested Flycatcher (Myiarchus crinitus)
Red Leaf Disease/Leaf Galls from Exobasidium vaccinii on Rusty Staggerbush (Lyonia ferruginea)
St. Marks Lighthouse
Southern Evergreen Blueberry (Vaccinium myrsinites)
Reflections
Southern Blackberry (Rubus trivialis)
Zigzag Iris (Iris brevicaulis) Bashful
Flamboyant
Rain Lily (Zephyranthes atamasca)

I decided to do a bit more exploring before leaving the Panhandle last weekend. I was lured to Ochlockonee River State Park by the possibility of sighting an endangered Red-cockaded Woodpecker, or their piebald squirrels, or even river otters.

No luck with any of those but I still had a great time in this section of the Apalachicola National Forest. The park’s main waterway (and namesake) is a unique blackwater river, the water isn’t murky but it is a dark, burnt orange from all the tannins. No surprise that Ochlockonee in native Hitchiti means yellow river.

The park protects a small remnant of a Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) forest. Pre-European settlement there was an estimated 90,000,000 acres of these trees in the South. Longleaf Pines were prized by early settlers not only for their wood but for their resin. Collected by hatching the bark, resin was processed into turpentine used to waterproof boats, an important part of the naval stores industry.

Much of the state park land was purchased from the Phillips Turpentine Company in the early 1930s, as demand for turpentine waned. Sadly, because of deforestation and overharvesting only about 3% of the original Longleaf Pine forest remains in the US.

A short drive later I entered St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. For me, the main draw of the refuge’s 83,000 acres was the St. Marks Lighthouse, the second-oldest one in the state. First lit in 1831, the tower weathered many hurricanes and even withstood a Confederate attack in 1865 before finally being deactivated in 2016.

The refuge is best accessed from the water but I enjoyed wandering the few trails, pleasantly surprised by the Spring flowers I encountered. All the leg-stretching came in handy on my long drive home that evening.

It was a quick visit but I’m glad I made the trip up to the Panhandle, it’s been on my list of places to see for a few years now. There’s always so much to see and discover!
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Gruntin Good Time

As I mentioned previously, I was enticed up to the Panhandle this weekend by an intriguing event. The Sopchoppy Worm Gruntin Festival is so unusual, I’m pretty certain it’s the only one in the world.

What exactly is worm gruntin? Well, it’s a technique used to harvest worms. Grunters pound a wooden stake “stob” into the ground, then rub a metal bar “iron” across the top. This motion produces a vibration that worms mistake for the tunneling action of moles. In order to escape these voracious predators, the worms head for the surface where they are gathered by the grunters to be sold as bait. So, sadly for the worms, they end up getting eaten anyway.

I’ve heard they grunt for worms in other nearby states but the little town of Sopchoppy has elevated it into an annual extravaganza. The morning starts with a worm wriggle fun run, followed by a gruntin demo by local grunt masters, a kids’ gruntin contest, and even a worm eating contest (gummy ones, thankfully). There’s live music all day with arts and crafts vendors scattered up and down the streets. The night ends with a Worm Ball (sadly, I missed that part).

Gruntin Masters
Young Grunter

I captured a few gruntin snippets for your viewing pleasure. If you’d like more information I found this news story that is worth a watch. If you’re ever in the Panhandle during the second weekend of April, swing by Sopchoppy for an unforgettable small town experience.

Worm Art (not to scale)
Stobs and Irons
Stobs
Irons
Youth Worm Grunting Contest
So Many Worms
Worn Out Worm Grunter
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North is South

Suwannee River
Original Suwannee Bridge
Orman House
Scipio Creek
Carrabelle Beach
Carrabelle River Sunset

People say, that in Florida, the further north you go, the more Southern it is. Based on today, I concur with that sentiment.

I was enticed up to Florida’s Forgotten Coast by a unique event (more about that soon) but decided to come a day early so I could explore this section of the Panhandle.

I broke up my 5 hour drive this morning, by stretching my legs alongside the Suwannee River. Did you know Stephen Foster’s “Old Folks at Home” (aka Swannee River) is Florida’s state song?

During the next two hours I passed boiled peanut and Tupelo Honey stands before being greeted by a Piggly Wiggly market. Definitely signs of Southern culture.

After spending a warm but breezy afternoon wandering the beach on St. George Island I headed over to Apalachicola. The town was once famous for its oysters, though the harvest has been closed for the past five years.

According to locals they have survived mainly by shrimping, fishing, and farm raising oysters (a labor intensive process). It will be interesting to see how the town rebounds after the oyster harvest reopens next year.

I backtracked to Carrabelle to end my day. Snapped a quick photo of the World’s Smallest Police Station before catching sunset on the Carrabelle River. Not a bad way to end a day of exploring!

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New Visitor

Sunday evening I finally reinstalled the motion-activated camera that I had taken down last September because of hurricane damage.

I wasn’t sure it would still work but thankfully, it powered right back up. I had purchased it primarily so I could watch wildlife activity in my yard and I have not been disappointed.

On early Tuesday morning it recorded a new visitor to my yard, an opossum (Didelphis virginiana).

I know they live in the neighborhood but this is my first yard sighting. Based on the way it moved through the terrain, the opossum is pretty familiar with my yard. Welcome, my marsupial friend!

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Floral Festivity

Hibiscus
Yellow Lantana
Mealy Blue Sage
Lantana
Plumbago
Zinnia
Queen’s Wreath
Cutleaf Evening-primrose
Sea Grape
Elderberry
Strawberry Guava
Pineapple

Decided to showcase the botanical bash occurring in my yard right now. There are a few other species participating but they are camera shy (looking at you red and white salvias). I’m impressed by how many of these survived the saltwater inundation by Hurricane Helene last September.

As for the ones that didn’t, I’ve slowly been replacing them, mostly with natives (though I snuck an elderberry into my backyard mini-orchard). I’m pleased that it is already blooming! From the looks of things, my guava crop should be bountiful this season. And I’ll have at least one pineapple to savor. Tasty treats to look forward to!
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5-Star Day

Brittlestar, Blending In
Brittlestar, Upside Down
Sand Dollar Trio

Today, six long months after Hurricane Helene inundated this area, my house passed its final inspection. Such a relief to put this ordeal behind me!

While I tackled the majority of the work myself, I would not have successfully navigated this without help and support from my friends, family, and neighbors. I’m very grateful, thank you all!

My celebratory beach walk this evening rewarded me with two brittlestars and three sand dollars, all rare treats. It was definitely a 5-star kind of day! 🌟
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