I love this picture! The Ruddy Turnstone looks like it's admiring itself in a mirror.
I wish you could see the bright yellow feet on this Snowy Egret.
As always, the Sanderlings were playing at the ocean's edge - running back and forth as the waves licked the sandy beach.
I always have to look up the plovers to see which one it is. This one, I believe is a Wilson's Plover.
He spotted me as I inched closer - but didn't run into the thick brush until after I got some good shots. I was still quite a distance away from him and close enough to the house to run back in if he looked aggressive. (He didn't) We can hear them howl and scream in the evenings, but we've only seen them during the day a couple of times.
Another sighting on the OTOW property. This guy was along the side of a dirt/sand road back by a cattle farm. He was large - 5 or 6 feet long and quite stocky. I could be wrong, but my online research has led me to identify this guy as a Florida Pine Snake - a rather rare snake - "of special concern" by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Whenever I moved, he stuck his forked tongue out at me and shook his tail. He had no rattles. Bill stayed in the car as I checked him out closer.
Further down the road we visited with some woodpeckers. This is a common Downy (or maybe it's a Hairy) Woodpecker.
And this, of course, is a beautiful Red-headed Woodpecker.
One of the more common birds here on campus is this Chipping Sparrow.
We always enjoy the hawks! This Red-tailed Hawk was flying overhead trying to get the attention of another hawk in the area. I hope they didn't see our Pine Snake!
According to their literature, In 1993, eight Naples residents founded the Garden with the dream of creating a world-class botanical garden. In 2000 they purchased a 170-acre site with seven different habitats just south of Old Naples. Today, what was acre after acre of melaleuca, Brazilian pepper and other invasive species is now beautiful gardens, lakes and restored natural areas.
Near the front entrance is this pineapple - the symbol of welcome. I had never seen a pineapple plant so I found this really neat.
This place is fabulous - one beautiful vista after another.
Look at the blooms on these pond lilies!
We weren't the only creatures that appreciated the beautiful flowers.
Look at the way the sunlight dances on the bloom creating some magnificent colors!
They have a very nice butterfly garden. Unfortunately, we only saw a couple of butterflies. This one was small but extraordinary.
This is a Eucalyptus Rainbow Tree - nicknamed the most colorful tree on Earth. The reason for the name is obvious. It was really cool!
Peggy, a Master Gardener, stopped often to read the signage.
Geckos swell their throats to intimidate visitors or attract a mate. I wonder which one he was doing?
I think all our walking wore the guys out!
I actually took this picture in our back yard. This pretty little guy likes our Bottle Brush bush.
Butterflies are difficult to photograph as they rarely sit still.
I love the way this Long-tailed Skipper blends with the background of dried leaves.
This must be some kind of Swallowtail.
We have lots of Bluebirds here in Florida - and I loved the way this one looked with the bright red berries.
We also have our share of spiders. Bill was giving this big boy (he was HUGE) a closer look.
A Yellow-rumped Warbler - fairly common around here.
This is the first Eastern Towhee I've seen this year. He was off in the distance - but identification is easy with his distinctive markings.
