The winter in Mississippi has been mostly mild for the most part but still left me with very little plant and insect life to go look for until the Spring time returns again. However, that has allowed me to take some time to rest and recover from a growing season that seemed to stretch on … Continue reading Bogging in the New Year
I recently made a post on Instagram about the intersection of my queer identity and my love for nature and how I often drew from one to help explain the other. However, Instagram isn't always the most effective place for me to write out complete thoughts and so I've decided to continue this thought process … Continue reading Nature is Queer, and so am I
Orchids inhabit the full length of Mississippi; from the rocky Northeastern corner where you can find plants and animals that are usually only found in the Mountains, down to the wiregrass savannas of the coastal counties. They come in shades of green, orange, white, pink, etc. Their shapes and forms abound. They are as diverse … Continue reading August is for Orchids
Spring and the approaching Summer here in South Mississippi have left me busy as always. Working full time with two days off per week means that I have to plan my schedule to see as much as I can on the days I'm free even if that means laundry piles up. Lately my brain has … Continue reading Watching Jewels Run
April and May in Mississippi are the months of the pink orchids in South Mississippi. I would say orchids in general, but there are too many spectacular species spread out across the season to narrow orchid season down to just a couple months. Orchids were the biggest surprise to me when I began a dive … Continue reading Pretty in Pink
Rough Green Snake This is going to differ slightly my normal writing goals in that this is coming out of my head as something that's two steps away from a journal entry. Usually I try to present blog posts that are educational and present accurate information about local ecosystems. In a way this is going … Continue reading Serpents
I've been exceedingly busy lately, spending all my time off in the woods somewhere trying to photograph and document Spring's wildflowers and wildlife. I thought about what I wanted this next post to be about but everything dropped off my to-do list after my recent visit to the Blackwater natural area (both a National Forest … Continue reading Wilderness
Spring brings with it warmth and promises a new growth cycle for the numerous plants that inhabit the state of Mississippi. As someone who frequents the longleaf pine savannas that are abundant in the southern part of the state, early spring means seeing Sarracenia alata , Chaptalia tomentosa and Orontium aquaticum flowers. These early Spring … Continue reading Harbingers of Spring
This is the plant that started it all. At a time when I had only the vaguest of grasps on what a longleaf pine savanna ecosystem was like or of all the plants and animals that have evolved over their histories to thrive in these places, I was told that I might enjoy going out … Continue reading Pale Pitcher Plant, Sarracenia alata
Brown-headed Nuthatches and Pine Warblers sang above my head as I wandered through the savanna. I knew what I was looking for but didn't know exactly where I'd find it. What I did know is that my light was fading and I needed to hurry if I wanted to get the photos I wanted; not … Continue reading Pinguicula primuliflora, or Southern Butterwort
A Southern Naturalist 