An Everglades Valentine’s Wish
Where there is love there is life. -Mahatma Gandhi
Wishing you all a very happy Valentine’s Day from the Everglades critters!
Mating Viceroy Butterflies (Limenitis archippus), Fern Forest Nature Center
It doesn’t take much to find love on an excursion into the natural world, where it surrounds us at every moment — which is why I escape to it as much as possible. It’s a beautiful reminder.
The boys hunt for, and bring the best sticks to build the new nest: Breeding Great Egrets Building Their Nest in the Florida Wetlands
Perfect headrest: Alligator Pair in the Florida Everglades. Recent studies have shown that up to 70 percent of alligator females remained with their partner — often for many years.
Alligator Pair During Mating Season in the SWA Trail Network of Grassy Waters Preserve, West Palm Beach
Monogamous (at least during the breeding season!) Great Blue Heron Mating Pair at Their Nest in the Florida Wetlands
CUDDLES: Great Blue Heron Mating Pair at their Nest in the Florida Wetlands
Heart Tree Sends its Love at the Fern Forest Nature Center
FeyGirl
Serenity Spell 
Beautiful
Thanks so much! 🙂
Great set of photos. Maybe you find more of these than most!
Aw, thanks so much! I think it’s probably easier in our climate than others, heh….
Grand photos like out of National Georgraphic! And I LOVE the heart tree valentine wish. 🙂
Isn’t that tree just amazing? That’s one of my favorites. And it was hidden so deeply in a canopy forest — a secret.
Thanks so very much!! 🙂
Even those with a prickly disposition can get in on the heart show:
http://portraitsofwildflowers.wordpress.com/2012/02/14/a-hardy-and-hearty-cactus/
Omigosh, this is FANTASTIC! Perfection!!
Love those pix- Do you have any good pix of Cypress Swamps w/ old growth cypress ?
My apologies for the tardy reply — I get lost in the spammed content at times!
If you do a search for “cypress” on the main Serenity Spell page, you’ll see some old-growth. But I’m sure I DO have more out there! 🙂
Amazing, wonderful. Love to you.
Aw, THANKS so very much! And right back at ya — much love to you!!
Love the pairs! Why is there never an ark around when you need one?
Aren’t they adorable? We’re so lucky to be surrounded by these guys!! Heh, I love it… Speaking of an ark, I just saw a trailer about Noah — with Russell Crowe!
Absolutely outstanding photos! You know I love seeing our alligator friends!
Heh, thank you!! Love is in the air — and our poor misunderstood gator friends, many of them are committed couples! Look at that.
You have captured Valentine´s Day at its best ! … Just love it …
I´m so glad that you are back in the blogosphere again 🙂 … // Maria 🙂
Aw, thanks so much Maria! It’s so easy to find love in our natural world… So this was a fun post! 🙂 And thank you for your welcoming words. Baby steps!
Ah, love in the wetlands… a great Valentines Day blog. Nothing like a pair of alligators snuggling up. 🙂 –Curt
Hee… Our gators are the most easy-going critters, all year — save THIS time! (Breeding, understandably!) So this was a…hmmm… extra-careful shot, shall I say? 🙂 Mom would not have approved.
I’ll bet she wouldn’t have. (grin) –Curt
beautiful post..:-)
Thank you so much! Love is all around, always. 🙂
Fantastic!
Heh, thanks! It’s easy to spy our aviary and gator couples down here… 🙂
Just too beautiful for words. YOU ARE A MASTER!!!
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY TO FROM EROFEJ AND MYSELF!
Aw, thanks so very much! You’re too kind. Happy belated Valentine’s to you, from (well, I have 3 kitties, heh)… 🙂
The bird pairs look like Audubon prints – at least, Audubon poses. They’re all so beautiful, and what’s not to love about those alligators? They make me smile.
I’m always fascinated by heron and egret nest building. The nests appear so flimsy and chaotic – but they fill the bill. (Just as the parents will fill those little bills!)
Happy Valentine’s Day!
I love that GBH pose on the nest… The male and female build it together, and it really is an engineering feat.
But that gator shot? Heh. Our gators are the most easy-going critters, all year — save THIS time! (Breeding, understandably!) So this was a…hmmm… extra-careful shot, shall I say? 🙂 Mom would *not* have approved.
Oh wonderful… happy Valentines Day… Michelle
Thank you so much! Love is all around, eh? 🙂
Lovely photos for this theme.
Thanks so very much! It’s not hard to find such scenes down here; we’re very lucky to be surrounded by such love and beauty!!
So many great shots! The great blue herons together are amazing.
Thank you so very much!! It was a truly fortunate shot — great timing. Since they build their nest together (the male and female), though, there are lots of such paired shots. Humans aren’t the only couples, eh? 🙂
what fabulous photos Fey! wow!!! they are Great! clear, close, clean, and clever
Thanks so much! Love is everywhere in the natural world…. 🙂
Ah, this is lovely. Thank you for sharing the love of the Everglades. You have no idea how refreshing your photographs are for my eyes right now when there’s so much gray around the Pacific NW these days.
Aw, thanks so very much! I’m thrilled that the images…and critters…could bring a bit of sunshine to your gray PNW days!
Is it beginning to clear up a bit? (I say this, as the Midwest and East Coast get slammed with another round of snow and ice!)
Beautiful photos — you’ve captured love outdoors in Nature. It truly is all around us if we take the time to notice. Thank you. 🙂
Thanks so much!! You’re completely right… It truly is! It takes a bit of quiet, and unfortunately, really getting out there these days to find it. But it’s there, in droves! 🙂
I love that and is so true. Just got to get out there and take it all in and that’s what you’re doing. 🙂
These are simply magnificent looks at what breathtaking beauty Florida has and why we must fight to keep it safe from concrete and greed. Thank you so much for your tender, loving heart~
What a wonderful, sweet… and sadly, completely TRUE comment. THANK you, from the bottom of my (tree-hugging) heart! It really doesn’t take much to see all the love and beauty out there. But the money and politics ruling our sad state…well….
Blessings to you, always!
Love what you do every day for all of them, please never stop~
♥✿♥✿♥✿♥!!!
So wonderful – the white of the egrets’ wings make it the photograph seem like a flurry of angels. Each of these pairings are so hopeful – they all look so noble and devoted.
What a beautiful comment… So very poetic, I just love how you say that. “Noble and devoted.” That’s how they all struck me as well.
Thanks so very much!!