The PhotoHunt theme this week is “Spotted”

When I saw the PhotoHunt theme this week is “Spotted”, the first thing that crossed my mind was the Spot-Breasted Oriole.

These birds are native to Mexico and Central America, but because of their vivid plumage, many were caught and brought to the U.S. to be caged birds in the 1950′s and 1960′s. Many of those, however, escaped and began to populate South Florida. Today, if you live in a suburban neighborhood and have shrubbery that produce berries, you might see one of these beautiful bright songbirds with their spotted breasts.

I had a family group visit my yard – the top photo is a young, immature Oriole, who’s just starting to come into his spots. The photo below is a mature bird in his full spotted glory.

Happy weekend, everyone!

We had a little bit of a cool spell over the last weekend – for us. Listen, wherever you live, when the low is 82º one night and 55º the next, it feels a heck of a lot colder than the temperatures alone, sound!

Sly, discovering MJ’s bathrobe, or as we like to call it, the “mobile blankie.”
And no, we didn’t put him there – he crawled in there all by himself!

I looked out the window, Sunday morning, and saw this:

Giant Swallowtail Butterfly

This must be an old, slow Swallowtail, because I have never had one hold still for its close-up before. I think that maybe the sudden temperature drop must have taken it by surprise, too, because it seemed all too happy to hang out, take in a little South Florida sunshine, and maybe have a snack.

Pavonia Bahamensis

This shrub is a relative of the Hibiscus, and is actually native to the Bahamas, but is naturalized here. It’s a great favorite of the bees and hummingbirds (when we get them… but I haven’t spotted any yet – insert frowny face here).

Northern Mockingbird

While I stood there, waiting to see if the Swallowtail would hold still, this young mockingbird popped out of the Pavonia, not three feet away from me, decided that I was no threat, and unconcernedly began snacking on the Beautyberry.

Even though the temperatures will be back up to 90º by the weekend (just in time for my niece’s outdoor wedding – pray for rain!), the signs of fall are beginning to make themselves known.

Please feel free to click on the photos – I’ve resized them larger than usual, so you can really get into the details!

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Michelle at Rambling Woods is hosting Nature Notes: Signs of the Season, a weekly meme dedicated to challenging us to take a moment out of our hectic lives and notice the seasonal changes – large and small – taking place in nature all around each of us, in our own little corners of the world. Please visit Michelle and all the other participants, and maybe take some of your own Nature Notes!