Believe it or not, this is a BIG couch! However, Darwin is a BIG dawg! He actually fell asleep like this with his feet on the ground!

As it always does in the spring, our giant pongam tree lost its leaves in the past couple of weeks. The near barren tree left us a great view of a giant bird’s nest, which we believe belongs to a hawk we saw flying several times overhead.

This morning I found more than 25 hornworms on my tomato plants! One hungry hornworm can devour a plant in no time at all.

My best friend, Darwin (AKA Dardie)

According to an interesting USA Today article, children’s books about animals and nature on the decline. What a shame.

Did you know that the rhinoceros beetle can carry 850 times its weight on its back? The thousands of students who have attended a Lilly Badilly presentation know that!

As an advocate of geography education, the world needs more books about nature and stories about far away places with unusual plants and animals. Children love to hold a book in their laps and learn about the world. Fortunately with my post as a book reviewer for Good Reads with Ronna, I get to read some really excellent books about plants and animals. Although I am not sure why there are less books on these subjects for children these days, I refuse to believe they aren’t needed. What do you think?

An interview I did with Geographer Dr. Joseph Kerski 3 years ago was picked up by Science Buddies. Look for the link under the “Interviews” section.

I reviewed two cute books by Dawn Publications today on Good Reads with Ronna.

I took these photos in Tree Tops Park yesterday.

It isn’t that often that we come across a group of manatees we can see up close. But today my husband and I hit the jackpot! He was riding his bike home from the beach and called to tell me there were many manatees near the bridge at Stanley Goldman Park. I raced over with my 200 mm lens.

The water is very warm there, and that’s why they often gather in that spot. A mommy and her baby were loving each other up, and in the last 2 photos you can see manatees drinking water from a hose a man sprayed from his back yard. Read all about manatees here.

Cypress Knees

Roseate Spoonbill

Water ripples after gator takes a swim

Cypress reflection

One awesome knee

A forest of misty Cypress trees

Cat (of some sort) paw print? Panther? Bobcat?

Great Blue Heron

Low, low water levels

Iced tea-colored water

Air plant

Young alligator

Hawk

Humongous grasshopper

Daddy Long Legs

Graceful Crane

Ibis and Heron hangin out

Stork

Pelican

I found a dead butterfly in perfect condition on the sidewalk. Poor thing. It sure is beautiful and was fascinating to look at through a magnifying glass. I put it in a cardboard box and shipped it to my daughter at college so she could look at it through a microscope.

Every day I am grateful for many things, and today I am extra grateful for my dog, Darwin.

I truly believe that people who are lonely or not lonely, sick or healthy, happy or depressed, can improve their quality of life by having a dog. Dogs:

• Love you unconditionally
• Do not discriminate
• Are happy about the smallest things: A hug, a treat, a ride in the car or a game of catch
• Follow you around and make you feel important
• Are loyal to you no matter what
• Need you to take care them, which makes you worry less about yourself and more about your pet
• Require that you exercise them, and in turn, you get a daily workout
• Sit right next to you when you are sick or sad, making you feel better instantly
• Have been proven to lower stress levels as well as blood pressure
• Improve your social life by attracting attention from other humans when you are out walking

So go ahead and find yourself a new best friend who walks on all fours. You’ll be so glad you did.