Shell Creek Paddle: a Sierra Club Outing

The Greater Charlotte Harbor Chapter of The Sierra Club hosted a paddle outing on Shell Creek in Punta Gorda, Florida.  Florida Master Naturalist Rick Fried was the outing leader and provided an experts view of the local flora and fauna.

Greater Charlotte Harbor Group

Limpkin (Aramus guarauna).

Limkin link

 

The Sierra Club and it's local chapters sponsor many wonderful outings.  This is a great environmental organization....if you aren't a member, you should join.

Sierra Club Home Page

The Climbing Asters (Aster carolinianum) were in full bloom and attracting lots of butterflies.

Climbing Aster link

These beautiful wildflowers are considered an invasive species!

Rick captained the electric canoe and kept the kayakers on track and in good form.

Kayaking Punta Gorda

 

Seedbox or Water Primrose (Ludwigia alterniflora).

Seedbox link

Is this a Cooter or a Slider?

Florida Turtles and Tortoises

 

Lots of mature Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) trees on Shell Creek.

Bald Cypress link

Back to the kayak and canoe launch at Hathaway Park.  Great little park with picnic area, boat and kayak launches, restrooms and several nice hiking trails.

Hathaway Park link

These photos all taken with my Fujifilm Finepix Z33WP.  It's waterproof, and I don't want to get the Nikon wet in a kayak!

Z33WP link

 

Be sure to check out your local Sierra Club for some great outing opportunities. 

Skippers, Wildflowers and friends on the Babcock Ranch

Back out at the Babcock Ranch Preserve in Punta Gorda, Florida.  This time with wife, Olivia for a slow walk along one of the old access roads, looking for butterflies, wildflowers and interesting insects.  Here is a  Whirlabout Skipper (Polites vibex).

Whirlabout link

Dorantes Skipper (Urbanus dorantes).

Urbanus dorantes

Narrow Leaf Yellowtop (Flaveria latiflora).

Yellowtop link

Least Skipper (Ancyloxypha numitor).

Least Skipper link

Oak Toad (Bufo quericus).  Spotted this little guy on the road.

Oak Toad link

American Blueheart (Buchnera americana).

Blueheart link

Clouded Skipper (Lerema accius).

Clouded Skipper link

Phaon Crescent Phiciodes phaon).  Not a Skipper, but a very beautiful Brushfoot.

Phaon Crescent link

Cloudless Sulphur (Phoebis sennae).  Looking like another leaf.

Clouless Sulpher link

We have lots of these on our Butterfly Bush (Cassia bicapsularis) at home.

Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta).

Black Eyed Susan link

Paper Wasp (Polistes annularis).  That's a guess at species...but, as an amateur, I'm allowed to guess!

Paper Wasp link

I thought this was a Diurnal Firefly, but now I have it on good authority that it's a Yellow-Collared Scape Moth (Cisseps fulvicollis).

Scape moth link

Leaf Beetle (Disonycha caroliniana).

Leaf Beetle link

Thanks to entomologist Eric Eaton for the I.D. assist.  I have a nice copy of Kaufman's Field Guide to Insects of North America, but am still a rank amateur.

Amazon.com link

 

White Peacock Butterfly (Anartia jatrophae).

White Peacock link

Wife, Olivia.

I really enjoy a slow "bug walk," and the old farm roads in the Babcock Ranch Preserve are perfect.

Footprints Trail: A Sierra Club outing on the Babcock Ranch Preserve

The Greater Charlotte Harbor Sierra Club hosted a hike into the Babcock Ranch Preserve, on the Footprints Trail.   The trail meanders through cypress swamp, hydric prairie and pine flatwoods. 

Charlotte Harbor Sierra Club

The Babcock Ranch Preserve, which until recently was a working family cattle ranch, totals 73,239 acres of mixed habitat in three counties of South Florida.

Babcock Ranch Preserve

Foot Prints Trail map

Besides hiking and nature study, the preserve offers horseback riding, hunting & fishing.

Hunting in Florida

Freshwater Fishing in Florida

Coreopsis, or Tickweed.  Florida's State Wildflower

Tickweed link

Yes folks, that's the trail! 

Swampwalks with Florida Photographer, Clyde Butcher

Apple Snail (Ampularidae sp) Eggs.

Apple Snail link

Wet Prairie or Fresh Water Marsh.

Wet Prairie link

Fleabane, (Erigeron vernus) or Early Whitetop Fleabane, I think!

Fleabane link

Spider photo-op

Common Florida Spiders

Black and Yellow Argiope (Argiope aurantia).

Black and Yellow Garden Spider link

Florida Pine Flatwoods

Ecosystem link

Mr Bobcat has been on the trail.

Bobcat ecology...VERY interesting link

Both bird and wildflower experts were part of the group.

Wildflower Field Guide

Sibley's Field Guide to Eastern Birds

Cypress Knees.  Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum).

Read about this botanical mystery

This trail was a small part of a huge cattle ranch.....a part of Florida's history.

Florida Crackers video

Swamp Hibiscus (Hibiscus grandiflorus).

Also called Swamp Mallow

To really get to know a swamp, you need to get right in there!

Swamp Ecosystems

Bromeliad.  Quill-leaf  (Tillandsia fasciculata).  I think?

Encyclopedia of Bromeliads

Southern Lubber Grasshopper (Romalea microptea).

Lubber link

Great outing by the Sierra Club.  Great trail.  But remember, if you go......don't chase the cows!  The cows, as I know from prior experience, are allowed to chase YOU!  Happy trails.