Grayton Beach State Park

This is a continuation of a drive that Trudy and I took last week to visit Florida State Parks to the west of Tallahassee.

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Opportunities ... that is what I felt early Sunday morning looking through this window of the bed and breakfast where we stayed in Marianna. Bands of gold and clear blue and repeating patterns of light and shadow ...


were also at Grayton Beach.


Mmmmmm. So fine!









The miraculously clear water along the natural shoreline of Grayton Beach would not exist without our Florida State Parks. From the center of the park facing the ocean, you can see to the right and left walls of condos just beyond the boundaries of the park.

Last week, Trudy and I drove west for four days to explore six parks. The images below are all from the Florida Caverns near Marianna.

Columbine was blooming profusely among the limestone rocks along the trail bordering the Chipola River floodplain.


This is my first look at a small flower tree called silverbell.


These Atamasco lilies are larger versions of the rain lilies of Wakulla.


I walked off the trail into the verdant, green floodplain swamp of the Chipola River.


Park Ranger Robert provided a memorable cave tour.

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Dogwood Flowers at Wakulla Springs

The bright white flowers of the dogwood trees at Wakulla Springs are exceptional this year ... and I am patiently waiting for a day with no wind for more macro images of these beauties.

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Mostly Ferns

Here is the harvest from a walk from my house into the St. Marks Refuge

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St. John's Wort


Cinnamon Fern Fertile Fronds

Cypress Knees in upper Sopchoppy River

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Wild Azelias near Sopchoppy

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Close Encounters on the FL Trail near the Spring Creek Highway

I grabbed a 60mm F2.8 macro when I found some fuzzy fern fiddleheads, and left the lens on the camera while taking photos the rest of the hike.

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Found in the Fog

Fog and mist offer challenges and rewards ...

This was an awesome, incredible egret event along the Lighthouse Road at sunrise, last weekend.


Then, the fog rolled in off the Gulf late in the afternoon on the following day for this photo of the pilings at the end of the Lighthouse Road.

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Palms at Piney Island

These photos feature palms on Piney Island. The Island is mostly salt marsh with a few clumps of trees along the eastern shoreline of Apalachee Bay, between Spring Creek and Panacea. It is in the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge and only accessible by boat. I went with David Moynahan last month in his do-everything (photography, kayak and camp) john boat. To view David's photos of the day, go his post for February 23, 2011 at http://davidmoynahan.blogspot.com/.

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Here are two photos of my favorite cabage tree of the entire island.




These three tall palms lead my attention to the open Gulf where often I go for perspective. Here, I can almost feel the curverture of the earth. We are but a small part of the whole