Florida Fauna

Disclaimer: These photos are NOT from Long Island (though some of the species like the dragonflies do appear up here) but none the less, they are all wild and need to be shared.  (Above: Eastern Pondhawk Dragonfly)  This gorgeous Buckeye Moth was  lounging on the shrubs outside the hotel in Downtown Orlando:

I spotted this Blue Dasher along the shore of Lake Adair, Orlando:

The Green Anole proved quite elusive, making an appearance only once (as opposed to its invasive cousin the Brown Anole which was everywhere)

And the brown version....

An update

Here's a little collection of photos I've taken in the past few weeks.  I'll be doing an update from Florida soon, so I better get these in now before they are buried. All of the photos below were taken at Quogue Wildlife Refuge near the bridge that crosses the pond.  (Above: Yellow Flag Iris)

This fern caught the attention of me and my camera.  Flash was used which blacked out the background.

Just to the left of the above unfurling frond was this spider:

Starflower is one of my favorites because of its natural shimmer that is enhanced with the use of flash:

One of the more difficult flora subjects to photograph is the sundew plant which is quite small and one of the coolest carnivorous plants.  The droplets on the end are a stick secretion which attract insects that become trapped.  Then the plant curls up and "digests" its prey.

And to round things out, the beautiful flowers of Highbush Blueberry (which are edible, but don't taste nearly as good as the berries which will be out in a few months)