Florida | Beautiful Flower Pictures Blog

Wonderful Wild Florida

by hankinslawrenceimages | May 8, 2011 | Florida, Flowers, Photo Locations

In February, I spent a wonderful week photographing in Florida. On a similar trip in 2009, I visited a number of botanical gardens and a few national parks. This trip – I spent all my photography time in state and national parks and preserves. I had to chance to explore several places that were new to me – and to return to some old favorites.

I’d like to introduce all of you to some of the amazing places I visited on this trip. You’ll also get a sneak peak at some of the photos from the trip that will be added to my blog and website in the coming months.

Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

My first stop was at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park in Homosassa Springs, Florida. Homosassa Springs give visitors a chance to see Florida’s wildlife up close and in person. With everything from manatees to birds to a Florida Panther, you can really get a sense of the animals people share the state of Florida with.

I photographed this Florida Bobcat and the Great White Egret with breeding plumage (above) at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park.

Big Cypress National Preserve

After visiting Homosassa Springs, I headed south to the Naples area. I was really looking forward to revisiting one of my favorite natural places – Big Cypress National Preserve. In the past, I’ve photographed some wonderful birds and flowers along the Loop Road, which is currently closed for reconstruction. So I spent my time exploring other areas of Big Cypress.

My favorite spot at Big Cypress on this trip was the Kirby Storter Boardwalk area. I photographed landscapes in the Cypress Swamp on a couple of mornings – and found and photographed my first Alligator Lily (Hymenocallis palmeri) in a nearby field.

While at Big Cypress, I also had the chance to visit Clyde Butcher’s Big Cypress Gallery. If you like black & white landscape photography, please check out Clyde Butcher’s website – his photographs are amazing.

Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park

While still in the Naples area, I made my first visit to the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park. Located very close to Big Cypress National Preserve, Fakahatchee Strand is a linear swamp forest with a wide variety of habitats.

I had a wonderful conversation with one of the rangers about how they maintain healthy environments through the use of proscribed burns. He explained how not only do the burns help manage wildfires, but also benefit wildflowers and wildife.

He also gave me directions on where I could find a String Lily (Crinum americanum) blooming in an area that had been burned just 30 days prior.

Everglades National Park

After a few wonderful days in the Naples area, I headed east to the Everglades National Park. I don’t have the words to describe how unique the Everglades are. Every few miles, I had the opportunity to explore different environments – from prairies to mangroves to mahogany hammocks. I loved the view overlooking this Everglades prairie.

Everywhere I went, I saw an amazing variety of birds. One of the highlights of my visit to the Everglades was seeing some Roseate Spoonbills in flight. Somehow in the past, I’d only seen them wading – so seeing beautiful pink birds in flight in the afternoon light was spectacular.

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Canaveral National Seashore

After leaving the Everglades, I headed north to Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Canaveral National Seashore in the Titusville area. These two spots make a great first stop on the long drive home from south Florida to Bethesda.

At Merritt Island NWR, I saw all sorts of birds along the wildlife drive. I also found a variety of wildflowers, including several types of asters. My favorites are the Blanket Flowers (Gaillardia pulchella) that I photographed along the side of the road.

My last stop before leaving Florida and heading for home was Canaveral National Seashore to see sunrise on the beach. It was the perfect way to end a trip that including so many wonderful places where I saw the wildflowers, wildlife and natural landscapes of Florida.

New Photo: String Lily

by hankinslawrenceimages | Mar 20, 2011 | Florida, Flowers, New Photos, Photo Locations, Wildflowers

I’ve recently added a new photo – String Lily – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.

I photographed this String Lily (Crinum americanum) in Everglades National Park. I’d seen and photographed a couple of other string lilies on my trip but what I liked about this one was that only one flower was blooming and the other two were still in bud stage. So often, string lilies can look tired and raggedly – this one is just starting to bloom. I may edit one of my other string lilies – showing all the blossoms in full bloom. But in the meantime – I thought I’d start by showing this lovely flower just starting to bloom.

This photograph is available as either a 12X15 or 20X26 ″ gallery-wrapped canvas. You can order String Lily from my website and I will have it available at shows.

New Photo: Alligator Lily

by hankinslawrenceimages | Mar 15, 2011 | Amaryllidaceae Family, Florida, Flowers, New Photos, Wildflowers

I’ve recently added a new photo – Alligator Lily – to my Beautifulflowerpictures.com website.

I photographed this Alligator Lily (Hymenocallis palmeri) at Big Cypress National Preserve not far from the boardwalk at Kirby Storter. I found this on my second morning photographing in the area. Instead of heading into the cypress swamp, I headed out into a field. I wasn’t sure what I’d find – I figured I”d photograph the trees against the bright blue sky. And then I spotted an alligator lily just off the path. A little ways further on the path I found another one. This is the second alligator lily I found – it was in full bloom and in beautiful condition. I’m so glad I headed out into the field that morning instead of back into the swamp.

This photograph is available as either a 12X15 or 20X26 ″ gallery-wrapped canvas. You can order Alligator Lily from my website and I will have it available at shows.

String Lily – Crinum Americanum

by hankinslawrenceimages | Mar 10, 2011 | Amaryllidaceae Family, Florida, Flowers, Wildflowers

On my recent trip to Florida, I was able to photograph several String Lilies (crinum americanum). Known also as Swamp Lilies or Seven Sisters, the string lilies were one of the wildflowers I was really looking for and hoped to photograph. On previous trips to Florida, I’d never found one in good enough shape to photograph.

String lilies are native to much of the Southeastern United States. Found from South Carolina to Texas, these wonderful flowers are listed alternately as members of the lily and amaryllis family. There really doesn’t seem to be any consensus as to which family they belong.

The plants grow 3-4 feet tall in swamps and marshes. The wide green leaves grow directly out of the bulb. At the top of the stem, between two and six flowers blossom. The flowers have 6 white petal and six stamens that are white and purple.

The bulbs and leaves of String Lilies are poisonous to humans and should not be eaten. They are however the favorite food of Lubber grasshoppers. Sphinx moths pollinate the String Lilies.

I photographed the String Lilies in several locations in south Florida – Big Cypress National Preserve, Everglades National Park and Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park. While speaking with a park ranger at Fakahatchee Strand, I learned the String Lilies are one of the first wildflowers to grow back after a marsh is burned by fire. The String Lily I photographed at Fakahatchee Strand was in an area that had burned about 30 days prior to my visit.

If you’d like more information about String Lilies, you can find information at these websites:

Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Database

NC State University Plant Fact Sheets

USDA Plant Profile