This group consists of 25,000 to 30,000 different species or wild types that are found throughout the world including tropical forests, semi-desert regions, near the seashore and the tundra. Although most Orchids are found in tropical regions, some such as Cypripedium passerinum and guttatum and Coeloglossum virdie, bloom within the Arctic Circle. Some Orchid groups are pantropical, meaning they grow in many different countries, while some are endemic, which is to say they are restricted to certain countries or even certain habitats within a country. In addition to the wild species, about a hundred thousand hybrids have been raised. This family probably contains the most varied plants and flowers. Their beauty, strange shapes and long life attract an abundance of attention. Their sizes vary greatly; a whole plant in bloom may only be the size of a nickel, others may weigh a ton and have flowers with wispy petals 30 inches long or sprays of smaller flowers 12-14 feet long. Their blossoms come in practically every color, although there are no truly black orchids; however, some are colored so darkly they appear black.

This is one of my own orchids and it’s probably the most prolific and reliable of all of the varieties I own.

They have a white belly, grey neck, and black back with abundant white spots and stripes. They feed mainly on the ground, where they forage for seeds, small insects, spiders and scorpions. Termites and ants are a preferred food source in the dry season.

This inquisitive and adorable bird was in the aviary at the Brevard Zoo in Viera, Florida. He didn’t mind my getting right up to him and snapping away.

Our backyard HUGE philodendron is home to everything….snakes, frogs, birds, lizards, squirrels, insects, and the occasional opossum. The frogs have dwindled because of the many birds and squirrels that have dominated the backyard. Oh well.

This photo was taken at Lucas Nursery outside of their Butterfly Encounter in Oviedo, Florida. It was a difficult shot to get and I did have to crop in a bit, but I was able to get the wings fully extended for a nicely composed shot. Lucas Nursery is a fantastic place to photograph flowers and butterflies.

We experienced this tameness when visiting an area in Titusville that is known to have Scrub Jays around. Although it was fun to have experienced these cute birds taking peanuts from us, we do not wish to disturb them in their natural habitats. This was a one-time only learning experience and will not be approaching them like this again.

This 4,372-acre state park lies on the shores of Lake Louisa in the northeast corner of the Green Swamp. It is one of 13 in a chain of lakes connected by the Palatlakaha River, which is designated as an Outstanding Florida Water.

Found this beauty in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. This park is one of the best places to find many species of butterflies, birds, plants, flowers, and other wildlife unique to Florida. It’s located near Titusville, Florida (see my Links page)

This photo was taken at Ritch Grissom Memorial Wetlands at Viera (known as Viera Wetlands–see Links page). The heron had caught a fish and was flipping it around as they do often before swallowing it whole. This time one of the flips went wrong and down the fish fell. The heron just looked down and stared at it…never leaving the stump. Must not have been that hungry.

Its range is in Florida, and southern Georgia. The Florida redbelly turtle is mainly herbivorous, and can be found in nearly any type of aquatic habitat. It reaches particularly high densities in spring runs, and occasionally can be found in brackish water. This species is active year-round and spends a large portion of the day basking on logs. They are noted for sometimes laying their eggs in the nest mounds of alligators.

The Florida redbelly is closely related to the Peninsula Cooter (Pseudemys floridana) and can often be found basking on logs together. The Florida redbelly can be distinguished from the other turtles by its distinctive red-tinged plastron (belly) and two cusps (like teeth) on its upper beak.

Florida redbellies are commonly exported for consumption and the pet trade, with about 50% wild caught individuals and 50% captive bred.

This photo was taken at Green Cay Wetlands in South Florida.

Coccinellids are small insects, ranging from 1 mm to 10 mm (0.04 to 0.4 inches), and are commonly yellow, orange, or scarlet with small black spots on their wing covers, with black legs, head and antennae. A very large number of coccinellid species are mostly, or entirely, black, grey, or brown and may be difficult for non-entomologists to recognize as coccinellids. Conversely, there are many small beetles that are easily mistaken for coccinellids, such as the tortoise beetles.