Old Oak

I have a tree named Old Oak
Though my Mom says it's only 16
Moss and holes are on its limbs
Birds and their nests are in between

Gold Head Branch

I went to Gold Head Branch State Park. We hiked down to the steephead ravine and around Sheelar Lake. We saw many interesting plants like needle palm, lichens, and sundews. This is me sitting on a log over the stream.

This is a needle palm. They only live in ravines where it is warm and moist.

This is Sheelar Lake, one of the most beautiful lakes I've ever seen.


These are cool mushrooms on a log. They eat dead wood.


Dead logs are so full of life. This one has lichens. Lichens are fungus and green algae living together.

This beautiful forest creature is my mom in the saw palmettos.


Looking up from the bottom of the ravine.

These are sundews, living in the seeps on the edge of Sheelar lake. They eat insects that get stuck to their shiny leafs. Wet soils are low in nutrients, so they eat insects to stay healthy.

Payne's Prairie

I went to Payne's Prairie and saw many interesting animals. Like alligators, deer, egrets, and many other things. The alligators were sunning on the bank. On my way to the look out tower I saw two alligators asleep on the bank of the river with a deer right behind them! I do not think the deer noticed them, but it turned around and went away.

I also saw a very beautiful American egret. It's feathers look exactly like fur. Here is a picture.

Payne's Prairie is so much fun. Perhaps you can go there some time.

My River Trip

I have not posted to this blog in a long time. I've been busy. I went on a river rafting trip on the Green River in Desolation Canyon. It was really fun and there was a lot of rapids. We camped on the sand beaches and slept under the stars.


We saw some Native American rock art along the river. Really cool drawings.


My dad found a giant horse skull. We don't have a picture of it.

Hike

I went to a sled dog race in Montana. I got to look at and pet the dogs. It was a qualifying race for the Iditarod. It was fun to see them start the race. The dogs get excited.

More Florida Pictures

The best dog in the world.


This is salt marsh/palm island near Ozello.

West Indian Manatee

Here are some pictures of Missy, the manatee I met at Crystal River in Florida back in January. Manatees are an Endangered Species. She came right up to the boat and played with us like a kitten.

We cleaned her and she cleaned the boat. She had algae on her skin and so did the bottom of the boat.

Missy likes Crystal River in the winter because the air is cold and the spring water there is warm, much warmer than the ocean water. Manatees eat aquatic plants.

Did you know that Manatees have fingernails. They do. Their ancestors lived on land.