Cheering squad of one, originally uploaded by Erin *~*~*.

He gave a shout as I ran past, so I went back and played paparazzi.

Abandoned, originally uploaded by Erin *~*~*.

Weird thing to find a rake abandoned alongside the lake, until you realize that this park is maintained by a dedicate band of community volunteers. Then, you simply wonder what made him drop it and run…

World inverted, originally uploaded by Erin *~*~*.

Running in Lakes Regional park (Fort Myers, Florida) this morning, the world suddenly turned upside down!

Pre-snow sunset, originally uploaded by Erin *~*~*.

Working hard this month, flying hither and yon to do it. Here’s the sun setting on a portion of the Charles River just outside Boston last Thursday. It snowed overnight and in the morning when it was time to leave for the airport, I first had the privilege of clearing several inches of powder off the rental car. Was very grateful to get back to Fort Myers again!

Although I no longer appreciate weather as cold as Boston’s, I cannot deny the beauty of the place in winter.

Magic at the Barnes & Noble, originally uploaded by Erin *~*~*.

A Mickey in the Wild encounter whe browsing the after-Christmas sales. He always makes me smile

Carolina willow, originally uploaded by Erin *~*~*.

This plant is also known as the coastal plain willow. Fun fact: fire will turn it from a tree to a shrub

Probing for his lunch, originally uploaded by Erin *~*~*.

A male (full red cap) red belly woodpecker seeks a snack on the edge of the cypress forest

Horseshoe Marsh, originally uploaded by Erin *~*~*.

The forest is trying to reclaim the marsh – who will win the battle?

Observation point – emerging from the swamp, originally uploaded by Erin *~*~*.

We are progressing at a good clip now, and should have his hike completed soon

Lichens on the fence, originally uploaded by Erin *~*~*.

No, the railing isn’t painted – that’t a pink lichen hat grows on wood surfaces. We are at the "south lake" part of the swamp.

Alligator flags still in bloom, originally uploaded by Erin *~*~*.

These are a very pretty color and are probably providing cover for some baby alligators.

Sagittaria – aka duck potato, originally uploaded by Erin *~*~*.

Native American women would feel with their toes at the base of these swamp plants to find and harvest the roots, thus saving their backs from a little wear and tear. Pretty clever, huh?

High water mark, originally uploaded by Erin *~*~*.

You can see the coloration on the bottom of this cypress tree, which shows the high water mark. Currently we are at the beginning of dry season; not expecting significant rain until April or May

Shaggy side of the wet prairie, originally uploaded by Erin *~*~*.

Sand cord grass will dominate if burn is not frequent enough. We are headed into that line of cypress now

The wet prairie at Corkscrew Swamp, originally uploaded by Erin *~*~*.

It has been burned recently (2 years ago) – the other side is shaggier

Coming through the pine flatwood, originally uploaded by Erin *~*~*.

Blue sky day

Hiking in Corkscrew Swamp today, originally uploaded by Erin *~*~*.

I received a "reunion" invite from one of my Florida Master Naturalist instructors, so here I am. Hope to see some interesting critters today!

Dinner before the long drive home, originally uploaded by Erin *~*~*.

I am getting the holiday turkey sandwich – and one for the freezer

Tis the season, originally uploaded by Erin *~*~*.

To throw around a pig skin

Weird juxtaposition for a Macy’s parade, originally uploaded by Erin *~*~*.

Tin soldier and palm tree lol

Not a South Park kid, originally uploaded by Erin *~*~*.

Although, from far away, he sorta looked like one

Stopping for a snack, originally uploaded by Erin *~*~*.

We’re waiting for the Macy’s parade at Universal Orlando