An unusual butterfly came into Roxy's Square this evening, attracted to plumbago - I think it is a giant swallowtail! It was the second time today that I wished I had my Nikon - not sure why I didn't bring it in the field with me today on such a gorgeous, flat calm day, and then I knew this butterfly moment would be fleeting so I settled with my phone since it was in hand. In looking at the live photos, these butterflies move their wings in such an interesting way....in some

I had a moment(s) recently that reinforced lessons taught early on in the wildlife photography course I am taking - prepare back up batteries and memory cards. Such a simple and obvious concept but of course lessons only seem to sink in through experience for me... Side note: another recent lesson learned - skip the cute gardening gloves at the dollar tree! .... I was watering plants on my patio over the weekend when an odd bird noise caught my attention. I found a pair of

After I weed whacked the grass in Roxy's Square today, I tried to get her to pose in one of her favorite dirt spots in front of the plumbago pergola. I love this candid shot I wound up with instead. You can feel her happiness in her expression and the full tail wag. She was more interested in posing after she proudly stole the treats I put down on the trampoline. She can be a thief but her reaction to getting caught is so endearing. She is maybe never happier than when she ge

After I took Roxy on her pooh walk this morning, I made my rounds saving any desirables from the impending mower. I wound up with a great haul - a nice bushel of spiderwort, about a dozen plugs of tropical salvia, a few scorpiontails, and some plugs of a cute, pink succulent that I love and don't know the name of.... I pulled them up with as much root or stem as possible and put them all in water - they went in the ground after work when it cooled off. I also moved pavers a

I went into the garden this evening seeking something beautiful to fall into. I have been feeling a bit exhausted and disoriented coming back from a beautiful vacation that rolled right into a giant unexpected wave of grief with a death in the family. Cam also left for her dads for ten days and is headed to Boston to celebrate a family wedding. Separations like this offer incredible balance in my life but they can also be so very tough. All this to say, I needed some time out

Today was our last full day in the Exumas. We slept in and then ventured over to Little Exuma to visit the Tropic of Cancer Beach, named for the meridian line that passes right through it and known for powdery sand and stunning turquoise waters. The bridge connecting Great Exuma and Little Exuma is a little one way connector and the roads on much of both islands are unpaved and very rustic. We enjoyed swimming and sitting in the shade enjoying the scenery for a bit. Cam reall

We enjoyed a down day yesterday and did not leave the airbnb. I woke up before anyone else and enjoyed a cup of coffee while watching the tide go out, exposing a massive tidal flat sandbar. I watched an American oystercatcher hunting and wished I had my Nikon to zoom in on him. I also watched some local fisherman walk across to the flat, clearly timing it perfectly to spend all day flats fishing the entire perimeter. Later in the day, I got mom on a double kayak with me and C

Today’s Exuma adventure did not disapoint. We started the morning with an early meet time at the Exuma Markets followed by a shuttle up to the north end of Great Exuma, where we boarded a boat at Barraterre Dock. Our first stop was to visit the endangered Bahamian Rock Iguanas. These ancient looking lizards are only found on a few tiny islands within the Exuma Cays. We got to see hundreds of them on the beach which was quite a spectacle! These critters are very limited in pop

I haven't blogged since the last day of May as I have been busy prepping for a significant summer splash, requested by my best and most favorite little life inspirer. My daughter has been in a phase of aspiring to be a marine biologist for a solid year or so, and of course...I have leaned in hard. About six months ago, she asked if we could go to a random place on the map called Compass Cay to swim with the sharks. I had never heard of this place but was immediately enticed

I went out to enjoy Roxy's Square this morning but it was so steamy out that my lens kept fogging when I would get close to the ground. The sun is shining after a day or two of gloomy slow on/off rain. I wonder what the solution is for this situation. One of my favorite photographer's specialties is shooting south Florida swamp environments. I wonder what kind of accommodations he has to make to his equipment to avoid the steamy effect on the lens. <If you haven't heard of hi

WOW - I like to think I brought in some incredible luck with my last post about how gulf fritillaries, the OG, are difficult to shoot. I can't wait to show you these incredible shots of this experience this morning... I was enjoying photographing butterflies and flowers in Roxy's Square early this morning, went in to upload them, and saw they were all under exposed. I was a bit bummed bc I had an intense moment with a zebra longwing -official state butt of FL - that had lande

I adventured into Roxy's Square earlier today and noticed a butterfly was caught in a spider web that I have been observing for a few weeks. I got a decent shot with my iphone which I am sharing mostly bc Roxy girl is in the background looking cute. I have always enjoyed iphone point and shoot photography but I do not find it nearly as satisfying as manipulating settings and feeling it when you get it right. I am developing this skill which is a super fun blend of art, scien

The learning curve is a bit steep but I have spent a few hours and have a functional home page and one post live...I consider this a win but how will the second post work? Thank you for your patience as I learn. I consider myself a lifelong learner and this is just a little virtual tangent on a relatively boring holiday weekend. I plan to share mostly from the perspective of my little butterfly garden in Roxy's Square but I am embracing this as a place for creative inspirati

I am new to setting up a blog and learning how to upload and create using some photos I took yesterday in Roxy's Square <3 I have been learning photography while also trying to stay off of social media recently. Someone special suggested I should start a blog highlighting my native plant gardening journey in my small side yard - Roxy's Square. I am excited to have a virtual space to express my photography journey along with & through my love for pollinator gardening. Nurturin