Living Beauty Full in the Burbs
Living Beauty Full in the Burbs
Nurturing nature
Even though it’s fall in Florida, the weather is mild and plenty of critters are out and about. One of the perks of living here is having butterflies almost year round. A few Monarchs overwinter and several varieties of swallowtail are active until the cold weather hits. Contrary to popular belief, Florida can get to freezing or below in the winter, altho not for very long.
Winter here is likely to mean morning temps of 40 degrees, warming to the 60’s by afternoon most of the time. The intermittent cold spells can wreak havoc on the garden, so I keep old sheets in the garage to cover fragile plants and protect them from any freezes. When you are acclimated to weather in the 90’s for months at a time, 60 degrees is COLD. And we really suffer when it hits freezing!
But I don’t have to worry about that just yet.
Today was another 80 degree day, a little humid, but still very pleasant. So I wandered around a bit, deadheading spent blooms and listening to the birds while I followed a Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly as it flitted from flower to flower, dining on some Pentas planted behind the pool. I sat on the patio step and watched Oscar and Lily wander around as well, sniffing out doggie delights in the grass, always on the alert for pesky squirrels. The raucous cry of Bluejays in the trees let me know the dogs were getting a bit too close for comfort and the cries of the red shoulder hawk as it circled the yard, looking for any unsuspecting critters to dine on, reminded me I was hungry as well. So I called in the dogs and headed inside to see what leftovers were hiding in the fridge.
Today was a good day.
Recent Comments