Most everyone agrees climate change is unfolding before our eyes. While western Canada (Jasper National Park in Alberta) and Greece are fighting deadly wildfires, China and Japan are battling floods and earthquakes. In the Tampa Bay area, we're experiencing sweltering temperatures, in the mid-90s most days. Thankfully, rain came down almost everyday for an hour or two in the late afternoons in the last several weeks. Then we were dealt with Little Debby, the tropical storm that brought more rain, torrential at times, even though we were not in the storm's path.
As a result, our garden is lush. Birds love it. An array of birds - bluejays, mockingbirds, cardinals, woodpeckers, ibises, rabbits, squirrels and recently a white egret - visit everyday. They mesmerize us for hours :-)!
One beautiful morning in July, we met some friends at Weedon Island Preserve in St Pete for a kayaking adventure. We did the 4-mile paddling trail that meanders through a mangrove forest, giving us a chance to get up close and personal with the wildlife - birds, oysters, crabs - that calls it home. Florida mangroves help protect land from erosion, provide shelter and protection for birds and shellfish and absorb storm surge impact from extreme weather such as the recent Tropical Storm Debby.
Kayaking through a tunnel of mangroves
White ibis
Yellow-crowned night heron
We captured the following sceneries on a walk to the beach a week ago.
A family fishing under the causeway
Oleander bush
Palm and plumeria (flowers used to make Hawaiian leis)
These are the flora and fauna we frequently see in the Tampa Bay area. You might see alligators in lakes at the county or state parks, but we haven't encountered any recently.
TS Debby brought cooler temperatures for a couple of days. Now it's right back up to high 90s, but feels like 100! How's the weather in your neck of the woods?
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