Wakulla Springs Jaunt

Wakulla springs late afternoon.

 

We arrived at the Edward Ball Wakulla Springs Lodge around 4:30 in the afternoon, checked in and then I went outside to take some photos. I remembered our first trip here in 2015, and how cold and windy it had been that afternoon... I'd sat on one of the benches in the hotel's garden to paint the lovely scene, and managed to stay there for about an hour before being so thoroughly chilled that I had to come in to thaw out. I was grateful the lodge had a roaring fire going in the fireplace in the lobby.

This time around the afternoon was pleasantly warm and still, and there was no fire in the fireplace--the spring water was crystal clear. Later on Herb and I ordered a bottle of champagne to drink in the lobby before going in to dinner. 

We had reservations to go on the "Jungle Cruise" on the Wakulla river the following morning. We'd done this on our previous trip and it was a joy to be able to do it again. We'd seen so many birds and wildlife on that first trip! This time around our boat tour guide was the "Singing Ranger" the nickname of Collin Johnson, who regaled us with his songs about the Wakulla River and its denizens at the beginning and the end of our tour.

 

Wakulla River bald cypress

I remember photographing this iconic cypress above the previous time we'd taken the Jungle Cruise--it was still standing, a little more weather-beaten, but still so beautiful!. I find these moss-draped bare bald cypresses so romantic... 

 

The brown stuff floating on the surface is burnt Hydrilla, an invasive weed that the park is trying to combat by burning, in order to avoid herbicides that could compromise the rest of the fragile ecosystem.

 

 

More cypresses on the Wakulla

 

Cypresses on the Wakulla

 

 

 

 

There were lots of Anhingas perched on the cypress knees drying their wings, ducks--wood and Hooded Mergansers--Ibises, little white and blue herons, Gallinules, alligators (naturally) and turtles basking along the banks of the river.

 

 

Female Anhinga drying its wings

  

A little white heron

A group of Hooded Merganser ducks

Male Hooded Merganser

The cruise travels only about a mile or so down the river, and then turns back along the far bank to go behind a small island toward a densely wooded area where Sally Ward creek drains into the river. The movie "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" was filmed here in the 1950's. The cruise was coming to an end much too soon, but there were many manatees swimming around the spring. We must have seen at least fifteen, possibly more.

 

 

 

Manatees swim in Wakulla Spring

 

Manatee mothers with their babies

 

 

After the cruise ended, we went up on the observation tower to continue watching the manatees--one seemed to really enjoy rubbing against one of the floats in the roped-off swimming area. Their slow yet graceful movements were so relaxing to watch! They are very sociable mammals, and usually stay in small groups, the mothers with their babies, and often with another yearling nearby.

 

I made this short video as they were swimming away.

 

 

 

 

After our cruise and manatee watch, I went out and painted this small watercolor of the view from the Lodge's garden. The harsh overhead mid-day light isn't my favorite time of the day to paint, but gives a sense of what the scene looked like.

 

 

 

Wakulla Springs Afternoon, watercolor, 6" x 9"

 

 

After finishing my sketch, the afternoon was warm enough for me to dare a quick dip in the spring--I changed into my bathing suit and went out for a swim. The water was a bit chillier than I'd imagined--69 degrees--so I stayed in just long enough to swim to the float and back to the shore. I can now say that I've experienced almost everything that Wakulla Springs has to offer. 

 

The next morning it was time to check out and start the long drive back home. Goodbye Florida, it was nice to get a break from the winter blues for ten days! I hope we get back there again soon, and visit Wakulla Springs!

 

A Winter Jaunt Continued

Sunset from the Ozello house

 

I'd hoped to be able to paddle down the Weeki Wachee River, while we were there, as we had several times before, but sadly, the concessions in the state park had stopped offering the kayaks and canoe rentals with a pick-up downriver, in Rogers Park. If one wanted to go down the Weeki Wachee, one would have to paddle back upstream. We did that fifteen years ago when we rented a house with kayaks right on the Weeki Wachee, but we remember what it was like to paddle upstream with the six-knot current--no, thanks! We're a lot older now.

The same for an outing on the Chassahowitzka River, the current is too strong for both Herb and I at our age. So,  we contented ourselves with walks around the neighborhood and enjoyed the views from the house. Evenings were particularly lovely, as the mangroves lit up with the reddish light of the setting sun. 

 

Sun setting over the mangroves

 

One afternoon we watched an osprey eating his lunch--the bird had caught a large fish in one claw, and perched on a nearby palm tree trunk, he maneuvered to get a better grasp on his struggling catch. After some time, he finally subdued the fish enough to eat it slowly, relishing each bite!

 

The Osprey's lunch

In the afternoons, I painted my plant specimens indoors--a sprig of Spanish moss (Tsillandia usneoides) that I'd collected turned out very nice. I noticed that my specimen had several dried seed pods, and wondered what the flowers looked like and when they might bloom. I found out the yellow, inconspicuous flowers bloom during spring, from April to around June. This member of the Bromeliad family is so intricate, it took me a long time to figure out its growth pattern well enough to draw it credibly.

 

Spanish Moss (Tsillandia usneoides)

Another afternoon I walked over the causeway and met a gentleman who had waded in the chilly inlet to fish, and caught several. His fishing gear included an electrically-aerated tank to keep the fish alive until he got them home. I photographed him with his catch: three nice-size sea bass and a large mullet.

 

Fisherman on the causeway

Fisherman's catch

 I loved some of the yard decorations and gardens in the neighborhood--only in Florida!

 

An Ozello garden

Prickly Pears and driftwood 

Yard decorations

Our time to leave came too soon, but we still had two more days in Wakulla Springs at the Edward Ball Wakulla Springs Lodge. 

 

Florida Coonties (Zamia integrifolia), a Cycad.

Elena on the back deck.

On the drive north to Wakulla Springs we decided to take a short detour to have lunch in Cedar Key, a small island off the west coast. Friends had told us about it when they'd vacationed there years ago, and I wanted to see it. 

What little we saw was charming, another piece of the Old Florida. I would have loved to have had more time there to explore, but our reservation called for us to arrive at Wakulla around 4 PM, and we were still a ways away. The next time, maybe we'll stop there longer, or even stay for a while.

 

Herb in Cedar Key.

To be continued--Wakulla Springs...

February 2026 Bloom Day

First Crocus of the year.

 

On February's Bloom Day this year, snow still covers most of my back yard, but the snow has retreated from the south-facing front yard. Yesterday I spotted a tiny species Crocus peeking out from the clumps of dried vegetation.

A couple of snow drops and a couple of clumps of the buds of 'Orange Monarch' were also coming up. The green buds of daffodils and narcissi are showing too, along with the foliage of the Sternbergia planted last fall.

 

First snow drop (Galanthus elwesii 'Mount Everest')

Buds of 'Orange Monarch' Crocus.

The front yard in February.

The east yard yesterday morning.

The Witchhazel on the west side of the house is in bloom, though the showy 'Diane' in the back yard has yet to display anything. Hopefully today's rain will melt more of the crusted snow in the back yard, starting the process of growth.

 

Southern Witchhazel in bloom.

 

There are more flowers indoors: some orchids in the master bath and elsewhere, and an African violet.

 

Orchid display in master bath.

Miltassia orchid in bloom

The miniature orchid, Epidendrum polybulbon is still displaying its one bloom, and the African violet is still covered in blossoms.

 

Epidendrum polybulbon

 

'Optimara' African violet with succulents on a windowsill.

Downstairs a pink Pahlaenopsis has re-bloomed. I'm hoping that spring will bring more of my Phalaenopsis orchids into bloom in the next few months.

 

Pink Phalaenopsis.

Let's hope spring arrives soon, I'm so tired of winter! Thank you to Carol Michel and her May Dreams Garden blog for hosting Garden Blogger's Bloom Day every 15th day of the month.
 

A Winter Jaunt in Florida

 

View of Ozello from our house.

We'd planned a Florida vacation this winter, as a belated celebration of our 50th Wedding Anniversary, and had booked a rental house for a week in February on the Ozello Trail, just south of Crystal River. As luck would have it, our week turned out to be the ideal time to get away from Virginia--there was snow and ice on the ground when we left, and another storm dropped more snow in our area the day after we left--then sub-zero temperatures set in.

It wasn't exactly balmy when we arrived in Crystal River on Saturday afternoon--I made a wrong turn and ended up at Fort Island beach just as the wind was picking up. I dashed out to snap this photo and the sand was blowing so hard it was like being stung by tiny missiles!

 

The beach at Fort Island, near Crystal River.

We had dinner at Crump's Landing, just across the causeway from the house in the gale and barely managed to enter the restaurant--the storm brought 40 MPH winds to the Florida coast that night, and subfreezing temperatures. The wind subsided the following day and the sun came out, but we had temperatures below freezing the next couple of nights too. 

Fortunately, our hosts had provided two portable heaters and warm blankets for us, but Herb hadn't brought any warm clothing with him, so I went out and bought him a sweatshirt and a polartec jacket at the Goodwill store in Crystal River.

 

Our vacation home.

The view of Ozello from our house, watercolor sketch.

 

I did this little watercolor sketch on our first day there, looking out over the back deck from the glass doors. 

On the next night, the full moon rising over the marshes was a wonderful sight!

 

Moonrise over Ozello

Driving along the 10-mile Ozello Trail back and forth from Homosassa Springs to shop for groceries, I kept noticing these bushes with colorful red berries all over the place, and wondered what they might be. My curiosity got the better of me and I stopped at a pull-off by the side of the road to snap off a branch from a bush to take back to the house for identification and painting.

 

Watercolor sketch of Brazilian Pepper Tree branch.

 

I had thought this might be one of the Florida native hollies, but I was mistaken--my specimen turned out to be an aggressive invasive plant known as the Brazilian Pepper Tree (Schinus terebinthifolius), which is related to poison ivy and poison sumac. I washed my hands as soon as I discovered this and handled it with suitable care from then on. Fortunately the plant's sap is not as toxic as some of their relatives, but it was still enough to cause me some itching later that evening. I disposed of the specimen as soon as my sketch was finished.

 

Brazilian Pepper Tree (Schinus terebinthifolium)

 

By Tuesday morning the weather had warmed up enough for us to try an exploratory walk around our neighborhood. I collected some botanical material to paint in the afternoon, inside the house. For my first specimen I picked a couple of small branches of a mangrove with flower buds, and some of its unusual, viviparous fruit, called "propagules."

 

Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle)

 

My sketch of the Red Mangrove

The following day was the warmest, and we walked down the other side of the road towards a small beach and park. The tide was going out, and there were lots of birds: white pelicans, ibises and a little blue heron.

 

The beach at Ozello

 

Little blue heron

Ozello park.

 I went out to paint that afternoon, thinking I might visit the Crystal River Archeological Park, but decided to stop along mile 5 of the Ozello Trail instead--the typical landscape of our surroundings--the watery expanses, the marsh grasses with their hammocks of native vegetation, were very appealing. I pulled off at a boat launch, parked and climbed up to a hammock--the highest elevation around--for a vantage point for my painting.

 

View from the Ozello Trail, watercolor

 

The Ozello Trail view

 To be continued...

Two New Artworks

Big Meadows Wildflowers No. 1, watercolor on paper, 21"h x 14"w.

 

 

I've been working on these two companion paintings for the past couple of months or more. My compositions were inspired by last summer's excursion to Big Meadows, a lovely area in Shenandoah National Park about an hour's drive from where I live.

 Last year's copious spring and early summer rains fueled a spectacular blooming season for the wildflowers in this area. Unfortunately, no one is allowed to take any plant material from a national park, so I had to work from my photos--I took plenty, and began with drawings of the plants, and went on to combinations of these. 

The orange hues of the Turk's cap lilies are echoed in the colors of the Butterfly weed and the Monarch butterfly in the other painting, and the mauve-pink of the wild roses in the pinky-lilac of the Milkweed. Together, they make for a nice set of companion pieces.

 

Big Meadows Wildflowers No. 2, watercolor on paper, 21"h x 14"w.

I hope to show bot of these at Art at the Mill this coming spring, will have to get them framed.