The Woods Are Lovely, Dark And Deep......

My hike along the Hammock Trail today was magical.  There were so many things to delight in.  One fork of the pathway leads you to an opening in a dry prairie that you could walk out into.  It seemed to go on forever.  

The path in front of me....

The path to the right of me...

The path to the left of me

The path behind me

I didn’t stay long, as it threatened rain; but it was truly grand in there.  I heard the grasshopper sparrow; but didn’t see on in the prairie itself.  I hear bobwhite calls, cardinals, and meadowlark but didn’t actually see one of them.  I did see a whole host of gorgeous flowers though, and butterflies. 

St. John's Wort

Meadow Beauty

Chicory

Rabbit Tobacco

Since the wind had picked up and the skies seemed to threaten rain, I decided to turn back instead of continue along my path.  When I reached the fork in the road, I took the other one.  This led deep into the hammock.  It was magical.  Deep, cool, green moss covered nearly every fallen tree.  Long, lush, green grasses grew up on the forest floor.  Trees towered overhead…live oak, long leaf and slash pines and several types of vines, including bull briar.  There are a plethora of epiphytic plants in the woods; as well…including Spanish moss…which is neither Spanish, nor is it moss, by the way.  It is a native air plant closely related to pineapple.  It used to be used to stuff car seats, bed mattresses and the like.  When you say to someone “Sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite” you’re talking about the chiggers or red bugs that inhabit the Spanish moss.  Not nice insects, either.  They crawl under your skin to do all kinds of things…like mate and lay eggs.   If you ever pick Spanish moss off of trees, to use in crafts, ALWAYS heat it in your oven until the bugs die before using it.  There are also orchid and other air plants that make lovely additions to the wooded path.  They do not harm the trees (unless it grows in such proliferation that it blocks the tree from photosynthesis).

Air Plant

Fungi

Gumbo Limbo tree or "Tourist Tree"

Close up of moss

Baby cardinal hiding in the vines

Thistle

Prairie orchid