After birding:
The next morning, after the requisite wildlife tour, we headed back to Apalachicola. This was to be our last full day
there, and
we had a big agendum.
Of course, we encountered a few delays along the way--Beth and I
always stop for turtles crossing the road. We get out, move the turtle to the other side of the road, then spend a
few minutes identifying and photographing it.
But at the forest at last, we intended to spend the balance of the day exploring the the famous "Pleea savannah."
This area has this name because of a characteristic plant called
Pleea tenuifolia. I can only presume that the presence of this plant means the area
is at some ecologically successional stage that is considered desirable by land management authorities.
It was a day punctuated by many storms. Indeed, we had to wait for half an our before we got out of the car because
the first of the day's heavy rainstorms was in full expression. We napped in the car until it passed, lulled by the
sounds of pounding raindrops.
Starting off the photo-show, I present this pretty pair of Sarracenia rosea plants.
For the fanatic, here is
a slightly closer view of the plant on the left,
and this photograph of a plant I found under a disintegrating pine
that was dropping old limbs.
