Flowers & Lizards

Yesterday we were out driving around and my son spotted this guy hangin on a fence alongside a canal. It's a Basilisk. Not native. Very fast. In fact, they can run across the water.

Friday, after parrot watching, I was bored at work and decided to take a few pics of the things that are blooming where I work.

Surinam Cherries (not native, but I DO love jelly made out of 'em!)

Lantana canescens, aka Hammock shrubverbena. Extremely rare!

Necklace Pod

Flaveria linearis

Bahama Senna (Cassia chapmanii)

Passion and Cigars

Passiflora sexflora, also known as a Goat's Foot passionflower. They are rare, but quite abundant where I work. Jennifer Possley who works at Fairchild Botanical Gardens wrote an article about them http://www.dade.fnpschapters.org/pastnewslets/2006/newslet605.html#FTFA . She comes out to my park fairly often to check on our Passifloras. I haven't seen any of them bloom yet.

Not really sure what kind of tree this is, but I sort of like this picture.

According to my friend Misti, this is a rare cigar orchid. I have been looking at the odd plant outside my office window for over 2 years now, and noticed for the first time that it was starting to bloom. I'll have to get out a ladder so I can get better pictures when it's in full bloom. Thanks for the ID, Misti! Come down and see it!!

White Beautyberries!

Aren't they pretty? Thank you, Misti! And thanks to Sam, too, for taking this picture for me.

My Saturday

Well, it was supposed to rain today and be yucky and blah, but it turned out to be a really nice day! Before me and the kiddos went to the Geo-Event, I walked around my yard and took a few pics. The first one is of this really strange fern my sister gave me. I have no idea what kind it is, so if anyones knows, please tell me!

This is my Voodoo Lily. I saw some at the Fruit & Spice park that were MUCH bigger, but I've only had mine for a short time and am quite happy with how they're growing.

This pic is for Misti. It's the White Beautyberry! If you look closely, you can see the berries - still green. Can't wait to see them turn white! Such a cool plant!

Ok, I know...another spider??? Yes, deal with it. This is a tropical orbweaver. They come out at night and build these crazy-big webs and look very creepy hanging out in them. In my yard, they tend to set up shop right in our walking paths. We all go outside at night armed with brooms, waving them out in front as we walk. When the sun comes up, they go into hiding in the leaves...that's what this one is doing, They look 100 times bigger at night and 1000 times creepier, too!

We went to a Geo-Event this afternnon that was just fantastic! It was in an air conditioned auditorium. Pizza, snacks, drinks and prizes for everyone! I walked away with a few coins, an ammo can to hide, a smaller container to hide and tons of smaller stuff that will be great for trade swag. It was awesome!! The host, Silly Gilley, has set the bar very high for the next person who holds an event. I'm having one November, but it's a CITO (cache in- trash out), so I'm not worried about presents and give-aways. He really went overboard, but it made for a great event.

After the event, we met up with a couple other cachers and went to find a very creepy cache...Redfoot. It's supposed to be a local legend, like the SwampApe. We had so much fun finding this one! I can't imagine doing it in the daylight. The scary factor is much higher at night! I don't want to give anything away in case any cachers happen to read this, but it is alot of fun :) 2 thumbs up! I'll probably have some pics of the event to post tomorrow in case anyone's interested. Until then...good night, sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite!

My Lovely Tomato, R.I.P.

We went to Lake Placid this weekend to cut the grass and just check on things. I was going to trim my plumbago until I saw this Argiope aurantia hanging out in the middle of it...
Beautiful, huh? I'm not a spider fan, but I think this one is just really pretty. And she was HUGE, too!

Then, I came home from work this evening and found this... (ignore my mom's foot)

AAARRRGGGGG!!!!!!!!!! It ate my tomato!!!!!! @#$*&!!!! You don't mess with me and get away with it! I have loppers and I know how to use them...

Die you slimey destroyer of my beautiful tomato plant! Muhahahahaha!!!

What I don't understand is, where in the hell did it come from? I mean, I don't have any other tomatoes, my neighbors don't have tomatoes I don't live near a tomato field. So WHERE DID IT COME FROM and WHY??????