April 14, 2014
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| Bougainvillea in my backyard |
Spring is here on the Suncoast of Florida! We actually do
have seasons in Florida, they just aren’t as pronounced as other places. I hope
it’s finally sprung in your neighborhood too! It has been such a hard and nasty
winter across most of the nation and even worldwide. We deserve a gorgeous
spring and a calm summer. Here’s hoping……
Bob and I just finished our first year in the new house so
we’ve finally experienced a whole cycle. We saw a definite change in the temps
this winter and even had at least four nights in January where we got into the
30s. I had to cover a few of my plants and bring in the potted ones. We had the
heat going a lot and I cut way back on my daily walks and bike rides. I just
didn’t want to go when it was 50 degrees and the wind was howling. I even
ordered a turtleneck and some earmuffs! I had thrown all of mine out.
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| Tree friend at Robinson Preserve |
During winter, many plants here drop their leaves. I noticed
how sparse the foliage was in Robinson Preserve and flowers were few and far between.
The geckos and small lizards were only out on warm days and we never saw our
two snake friends in the backyard.
Last month our mango tree was in full bloom. So was the
avocado. Now we have a riot of color in our backyard with our fantastic bougainvillea.
The snakes were spotted at the neighbors this week and lizards are once again
running across our screen enclosure. Two rabbits have taken up residence in the
shrubs and we see evidence of our armadillo, but no sightings, just little
holes dug in the yard.
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| Wild flowers on the trail |
I’ve started my walks at Robinson again and am pleased to
see that things are becoming lush. The strangler figs have grown all new
leaves, my gumbo limbo tree has bright little buds and the horseshoe crabs
should be mating again during the full moon. Flowers are popping open along the
trails and the egrets are in their breeding plumage. It won’t be long before
the sea turtles will be nesting again on Anna Maria Island.
I hope that you are doing well and enjoying spring wherever
you are. It’s my favorite season and I’m so happy to have things warming up
here and blooming. Blessings to you for a wonderful spring!
