Wild Florida Photo
Nature Photography by Paul Rebmann
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SCARLET HIBISCUS
This magnificent scarlet hibiscus flower was photographed while kayaking along Spring Garden Creek between DeLeon Springs State Park and Lake Woodruff.
Also called scarlet rosemallow, this is an occasional shrub-like plant of swamps and other wet areas found mostly in the central and northeast peninsula and also some counties of south Florida and the panhandle.
Hibiscus coccineus ranges throughout the southeastern coastal states from Virginia to Louisiana plus Arkansas.
The large distinctive flowers are up to eight inches across and have five bright red petals, a green five-lobed calyx and linear, entire, unforked bracts.
Scarlet hibiscus blooms in the summer, mostly in July and early August.
THE FAIRCHILD OAK
This majestic live oak tree is estimated to be more than 400 years old
Found at Bulow Creek State Park,
it was named for botanist Dr. David Fairchild who was fond of and visited the tree regularly in the early 1900s.
This is the same Fairchild that Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens in Coral Gables, Florida is named after.
The Fairchild Oak is one of the highlights of the Ormond Scenic Loop and Trail.
Capt. James Ormond's 19th century Damietta plantation included this landmark oak tree.
For more information and photographs of live oaks visit the Wild Florida Photo Quercus virginiana page.
MONARCH on SPOTTED BEEBALM
A female monarch butterfly feeding on the flowers of spotted beebalm.
These remarkable butterflies that are known for their multi-generational migrations can be found year-round in south Florida, and typically March though October in the rest of the state.
After several years of dramatic decreases in the monarch population, preliminary reports indicate that 2014 numbers are looking better
(see Monarch Watch blog).
For more information and photographs of monarch butterflies, go to the Wild Florida Photo monarch page.
Spotted beebalm is also called horsemint and is the only native species of Monarda in Florida.
It is visited by many different pollinators while in bloom.
For more information and photographs of spotted beebalm visit the Wild Florida Photo spotted beebalm page.
DAWN OVER THE OCEAN
The sky over the ocean at sunrise is ever changing and often presents colorful scenes.
I call this featured photo Red Dawn Breaking and especially liked how the red light of the rising sun broke through the clouds and created a purple cast in the ocean wash on the beach.
On another morning the early light cast a rainbow of colors on the various layers of criss-crossing clouds in the sky in
Dawn Sky Colors in Layers
SPRING-RUN SPIDERLILY
This is a frequent emersed plant of spring-run and adjacent lake margins in the central and north peninsula, plus in Wakulla and Jefferson Counties and is also found in Baldwin County, Alabama.
Spring-run spiderlily has deciduous leaves, an ovary that is about 5/8 to 1-1/8 inch long and around a half inch wide and a staminal cup that is 2-1/3 inch wide or larger.
The staminal cup (corona) is a membrane that connects the filaments and differentiates the genus Hymenocallis from the Crinum (Swamplilies) which lack this membrane.
The 3 to 9 leaves of Hymenocallis rotata arch upward or are nearly erect, coriaceous, strongly channeled and deep green with an acute apex.
The strap-like leaves are 16 to 39 inches long and usually 3/4 - 2 inch wide, sometimes slightly wider.
The glaucous 2-edged scape is 14-28 inches tall.
Two to four flowers open at nearly the same time with a green perianth tube usually 3-1/2 - 4-3/4 in. long, occasionally shorter.
The white tepals are 3-1/2 - 5-3/4 in. long, 3/10 - 6/10 in. wide and extend nearly horizontally from the base of the corona, with a green stripe along the keel and at the base and apex. The corona (staminal cup) is white with a small yellowish-green proximal eye with two to three prominent lacerate projections along the margin between the filaments.
Anthers are about a 1/2 to 3/4 inch long.
Flowering time is late spring through early summer.
PHAON CRESCENT on FOGFRUIT
A Phaon Crescent butterfly feeding on the flowers of it's larval host plant, turkey tangle fogfruit. The scientific name of fogfruit is Phyla nodiflora, leading me to title this image Phaon on Phyla.
This small butterfly can be found flying at any time of year throughout Florida in various disturbed areas such as roadsides, vacant lots, canal banks and utility corridors, often in close association with the larval host plant.
The range includes much of the south central United States as far north as Missouri and northwest into eastern Colorado.
Found through much of the southeastern coastal plain and west in the U.S.-Mexico boarder region, south into Mexico to Guatemala and also in Cuba.
The wingspan of the Phaon crescent is from 1 to 1-1/2 inches.
The forewing is orange with a black border and lines, and a pale cream to yellowish median band.
The underside of the hindwing is cream to yellowish with brown markings, with the winter form showing more brown.