Nature Photography by Pam & Richard
March 2, 2019 5 Comments
Sebastian Beach Collage
We enjoy going to Sebastian Inlet State Park on Florida’s central Atlantic coast. It is a spectacular place to visit! The weather this winter has been especially beautiful. We made this collage of our favorite scenes at the inlet (click on the picture to enlarge and see details). Info and live cam links are available at: https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/sebastian-inlet-state-park
January 21, 2019 5 Comments
Moon Before Lunar Eclipse
Peak Totality of Lunar Eclipse
Last night (Sunday), January 20, we watched the “Super Blood Wolf Moon” Eclipse. It was stunning! It was “Super” because the moon was passing Earth at its closest point in orbit, so it appeared bigger and brighter than usual. It was a “Blood” moon because it turned coppery-red during the eclipse. And it was a “Wolf” moon because in January the moon is associated with increased wolf activity and howling.
It was a crystal-clear evening here in Florida and the sky was full of stars. The eclipse began at 10:34 pm EST, totality started at 11:41 pm, and the peak coppery-red color appeared at 12:10 am. What a beautiful sight! The next total lunar eclipse will not be visible in the United States until 2022.
January 6, 2019 3 Comments
Bok Tower and Reflecting Pond
Golden Brass Door at Base of Tower
23K Gold Snake Gnomon Timepiece on Sundial
Pinewood Estate 1940s Sparkly Christmas Tree
Holiday Candles
Poinsettia Courtyard
Orange Bowl with Mr. and Mrs. Claus
Bird-of-Paradise “Red Christmas”
Camellia “Sweetie Pie – Red Stripe”
Red Camellia
Orange/Red Camellia
Pink Azalea
Purple “Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow”
Yellow Celosia
Beehive Ginger
Bok Tower Gardens in Lake, Wales, Florida, is spectacular over the holidays! The decorations are beautiful at the Pinewood Estate, and the camellias and azaleas are gorgeous too (peak bloom time is January and February). Plus the weather can’t be beat! More info is at: https://boktowergardens.org/christmas/
October 20, 2018 12 Comments
Long Exposure of Night Launch in Florida
We watched a beautiful launch from Cape Canaveral here on the Space Coast of Florida at 12:15 am on Wednesday morning (October 17, 2018). It was a warm starry night as the ULA Atlas V rocket soared across the sky. The advanced communications satellite successfully reached orbit about 3.5 hours later.
October 7, 2018 4 Comments
Atala Butterfly on Coontie
Atala Butterfly after Emerging from Cocoon
The Atala butterfly was thought to be extinct in Florida until a small colony was discovered in Miami in 1979. This beautiful iridescent butterfly was protected and expanded its range over time. We saw this rare butterfly for the first time in Sebastian a couple of weeks ago. The Atala’s only native host for its eggs is the coontie – a small palm-like cycad. If you live in Florida and want to do your part to help the Atala hairstreak butterfly, plant a few low-maintenance coonties in your yard. The butterflies will travel miles to find these host plants by smell! Locally, Busy Bee Nursery in Vero Beach sells coonties and regularly holds butterfly gardening seminars: http://archive.tcpalm.com/specialty-publications/vero-beach/careful-gardener-uncovers-rare-butterfly-species-in-indian-river-county-ep-1233688624-340516281.html
August 12, 2018 6 Comments
Launch of Parker Solar Probe (click to enlarge)
Image of Sun Taken with Solar Filter
We had a beautiful launch of NASA’s new Parker Solar Probe last night. Only a few hardy souls managed to be up watching at 3:31 am for the second night in a row (first night was scrubbed). Nevertheless it was spectacular! The night was very humid with heavy water vapor in the air. Can’t wait to see what discoveries will be made about the sun! As a bonus, I saw a Perseid meteor streak by below the arc of the launch. Wow! Read about the solar probe at: https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-ula-launch-parker-solar-probe-on-historic-journey-to-touch-sun
June 9, 2018 25 Comments
Cactus Blooms Ready to Open
Cactus Flower Extravaganza at Night
Blooms on Snake Vine Climbing up Palm Tree
Night Blooming Cactus Pair of Flowers
Our night blooming cactus was in its full glory this week – 30 HUGE flowers opened at once! It was spectacular! In the old days of Florida people would have parties in the evening centered around the blooms. Our snake vine cactus (Selenicereus pteranthus – Princess of the Night) was grown from a cutting planted only 6 years ago!
