The Pier has been a staple attraction in St Petersburg FL for almost 125 years.  Well, actually, “a” Pier—there have been several different versions over time. The city of St Petersburg FL owes its very existence to a pier. The first St Pete Pier was built in 1889 by Russian émigré Peter Demens, who owned the … More History of the St Pete Pier

It hasn’t exactly been the best year ever …

Back in the 50s, at least two species of Brown Anole, from Cuba and the Bahamas, arrived in Florida, likely as stowaways on cargo ships, and began spreading.  More arrived later from the pet trade, and there are now perhaps as many as eight different introduced species here. Crowding out the native Carolina Green Anole, … More Color Variations in St Pete’s Anole Lizards

Seen during my daily walks in Pinellas County’s wonderful parks system.

After the end of the Ice Age, about 10,000 years ago, the Clovis people, with their distinctive fluted spear points, are replaced in North America by a newer culture known as “Archaic” Paleo-Indian. At this time, although the extensive glaciers in the north were melting and sea levels were rising, Florida remained relatively dry, and … More Harney Flats Archaeological Site

Some photos from a walk through downtown St Pete. I sometimes forget what a great town this is.  🙂

Some of the plants, native and non-native, I have seen recently during my daily walks in Florida. I’m mostly plant-illiterate, so I tried to pick species I could identify. Sorry if I boo-boo’d on any of them—please correct me if needed.  🙂

My mobile home park looks to have come through okay. A few trees down, but nobody’s home seems damaged. It looks like all the real damage in St Pete came from flooding (the storm surge unfortunately hit at high tide–the worst possible time) rather than from wind damage. So although there is extensive and severe … More Back in St Pete

Well, the hurricane headed right at St Pete, and since I am in a mobile home park I was subject to mandatory evacuation. So I hopped in the van and headed over to Titusville. Anyway, I got to take a little bit of a walk around Titusville before it started raining here. The SpaceX launch … More Greetings From Titusville

Some photos from a visit. This is a large park in Hillsborough County, just outside of Tampa. There are picnic areas, playgrounds, and around 20 miles of hiking and kayaking trails. There is also a reconstruction of Fort Foster, which was here during the Seminole Wars, and a small museum, but alas that area is … More Hillsborough River State Park