We spent the weekend up in Gainesville and besides watching the Gators football game and revisiting some of our favorite restaurants we also visited Sweetwater Wetlands Park on Sunday and I revisited Sweetwater Wetlands Park and La Chua on Monday AM while the girls slept in.
Great Egret eating a Pig Frog. It took him awhile but he eventually got the frog lined up and swallowed it down.
Bold Jumping Spider
Gator sunning – they sit with their mouths open to help them thermoregulate.
Black Swallowtail – I got several pictures of the butterfly in flight, my first time really trying that.
Field Wolf Spider and Young American Alligator
Mexican Free-tailed Bats leaving the Bat House at the University of Florida.
Banded Water Snake – sorry grandma.
Snowy Egret fishing
Four-spotted Velvet Ant-I have seen many regular velvet ants but had never even heard of this type. FYI Velvet Ants are actually solitary wasps and the sting is supposed to be extremely painful.
Photos of snakes can’t hurt me, but I would not like to be near them, poisonous or not.
Great photos as always.
Love,
Big Granny
You never seem to surprise and amaze me. I am sure you had a great time going back to your original storming grounds. My favorite photos are the six clips of the Great Egret and pig frog. I can just imagine the pig frog saying to himself in the first two photos: “0h, oh. This doesn’t look good for me.” In the second set of photos, the pig frog is thinking, “I think I see the Egrets tonsils, and that is not a good sign.” Finally, in the last set of photos, the pig frog is thinking, “ Tell my wife I won’t be home for dinner tonight, but I will be someone’s dinner tonight.”
That gator was one big and curvy mouth that no one needs to get close to. I love the butterfly, the snake, ant, bats and I love everything you photograph.