Category Archives: Okra Paradise Farms

Half way between Atlanta and Orlando and all the way to paradise!

Pond, Dogs, Snake 2023-07-04

What kind of snake is this?


[Snake on the lily pad]

Snake on the lily pad

Probably not a moccasin, because it doesn’t have any stripes, and I’ve never
seen one leave its tail sticking out like that.
Usually a cottonmouth will face you and hiss.

The dogs found another snake earlier that probably was a moccasin, so we made them come along.


[Blondie joins Arrow exploring]

Blondie joins Arrow exploring

We also saw an anhinga on the surface.
Usually we see them perched in a tree or flying.
It did eventually fly off and perch.


[Anhinga on the pond]

Anhinga on the pond

Before


[Blondie in the bushes]

Blondie in the bushes

ItB


[Blondie and Gretchen]

Blondie and Gretchen

OWN


[Old wasp nest]

Old wasp nest

HT


[Heron tree]

Heron tree

GB


[Grinning Blondie in the boat]

Grinning Blondie in the boat

HB


[Gretchen, Honeybun]

Gretchen, Honeybun

ABH


[Arrow, Blondie, Honeybun, Gretchen]

Arrow, Blondie, Honeybun, Gretchen

Aswim


[Arrow won't admit she can swim]

Arrow won’t admit she can swim

AH


[Arrow, Honeybun, Gretchen]

Arrow, Honeybun, Gretchen

HA


[Honeybun, Arrow]

Honeybun, Arrow

HBA


[Honeybun, Arrow, Blondie]

Honeybun, Arrow, Blondie

RoalC


[Relic of a lost civilization]

Relic of a lost civilization

AgE


[Arrow goes exploring]

Arrow goes exploring

-jsq

Dig out the dog: Arrow stuck under a storage shed 2023-07-15

We came home after a day on the river and had to dig out the dog.


[Honeybun, Blondie, and Arrow stuck under a storage shed]

Honeybun, Blondie, and Arrow stuck under a storage shed

You can hardly see the little pooch,
but

you can sure hear her complaining about being stuck under a storage shed.

I got a shovel and dug the opening out more.

She’s fine.

No dogs were harmed in the making of this video.

How she got under there is still a mystery.

-jsq

Dogs like water 2023-06-18

Turns out dogs like water.


[Arrow, Honeybun, Blondie, at water spigot 2023-06-18]

Arrow, Honeybun, Blondie, at water spigot 2023-06-18

Especially Arrow.

Here is a YouTube video playlist:


https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLk2OxkA4UvwDyXxn-2JbD8yV5vrShmCK

Facebook video version:


https://www.facebook.com/OkraParadiseFarms/posts/pfbid0LsEEoXSKQfFEztWjQcorn3g7d1nUPhGgiHmYBifQZhXmRMdQ52SNX5jzkEhVXHg5l

And some still pictures.
Continue reading →

Cattle egrets 2023-06-04

These cattle egrets showed up as soon as I started mowing with the tractor.


[Walking, flying, group, cattle egrets, OPF 2023-06-04]

Walking, flying, group, cattle egrets, OPF 2023-06-04

They followed me around, eventually getting within two feet of the tractor,
jockeying to snatch up bugs.

This is the best writeup I’ve found on the origin of Bubulcus ibis,
which it now lives on six continents and is sometimes found in Antarctica.

Judy Lehmberg, CBS News, June 15, 2017,
Nature up close: Cattle egrets, masters of emigration, Continue reading →

Bees in downed tree 2023-05-30

I could hear them well before we got there.


[Movie: Flying from downed tree (65M)]

Movie: Flying from downed tree (65M)

Video:


https://youtu.be/6cKzV1uZFto

These bees were probably living in that tree before it fell down.

Both the tree and the bees are still very much alive.

These are native bees, not imported honeybees.

-jsq

Swamp Rosemallow 2023-05-27

These usually start blooming in June, so it’s a little ahead.


[Halberdleaf rose-mallow]

Halberdleaf rose-mallow

It appears to be a Hibiscus laevis, halberdleaf rose-mallow or scarlet rose mallow.

Here are flowers from nearby plants a year ago, and
a year before that.

-jsq

Staking a maypop 2023-05-07

Update 2023-05-30:
Maypop fruit 2023-05-29.

This maypop is growing in an area we burned in January,
and it had nothing to climb up on.


[Staking a maypop]

Staking a maypop

So Gretchen put in a stake for this Passiflora incarnata.

-jsq