Florida Panhandle

I’m finally getting back to my blog and what better way to ease back in than to post some photos of a recent visit to the Florida Panhandle. While the beaches there are fantastic, we spent most of our time exploring the Long Leaf Pine forests, scouting for pitcher plant bogs, and marveling at the antics of the endangered Red Caucated Woodpeckers. Okay….so we did visit the beach one evening. Despite living half a mile away from a world class beach, I couldn’t resist an evening of sand between my toes.

Here’s a handful of photos from our little expedition.
We arrived late in the day, just in time for a lovely rain shower.  This is the road that leads to the pitcher plant bog we discovered last year.  We hiked out to it but it was raining too hard to bring the camera gear.  Photos would have to wait until the next day.

The wait was worth it.  While the pitcher plants weren’t as dense as last year, likely due to a late season freeze, the warm late day light bathed the forest and the bog in a wonderful golden light.  I’m trying to figure out how to post a slide show here in the body of this blog post so I can show more images from this magical place.

Here’s a close up of Sarracenia leucophylla, the white topped pitcher plant, along with it’s bloom bud, waiting to open.

We stumbled upon another bog with an impressive density of Sarracenia flava, the green topped pitcher plant.  The bog was nestled in a recently burned area of forest along the edge of a lake.  Visually, I was captivated by the vertical lines of the charred pines against the soft blue lake.  I decided to use the opportunity to add to my Impressions series.

Here’s a more conventional view that not only highlights the beauty of the area but illustrates the incredible pitcher plant bog.

A view from the other direction.

We also spent some time hiking along some clear sandy bottom streams.  The submerged water lily leaves appeared to be dancing in the slow moving current.

The visit to the beach yielded a wonderful opportunity to create some graphic/abstract images using fence shadows on the sand dunes.  I love the way the shadows were rendered a cool blue offset by the warm tone of the sand.  I could have shot at this location for hours if the light allowed.  Sadly, the light was fleeting and I had only a few minutes.

I never tire of Florida’s natural places.  I’ve lived here my entire life and still keep discovering the beauty the state has to offer.  We’ll be heading to south Florida in a few days for a short visit to Big Cypress and Corkscrew Swamp.  I’m counting down the hours.  Before I leave, I hope to post some photos from several recent pet portrait sessions.  I’ve had some terrific canine models over the past few weeks!