nature

Vernal Purple Invader

Wisteria 2 (1)

Wisteria sinensis

Wisteria 1 (1)

Wisteria sinensis

Neon Sea Grape Venation

Coccoloba uvifera

For a sea grape jelly recipe and more, click here.

Snake Plants Occupy Coquina Beach

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Sansevieria trifasciata

Sabal Roots on Rattlesnake Island

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Sabal palmetto

Don’t they look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book?

Nantahala National Forest Pollinator Party

Kudzu Bloom

Pueraria lobata

Antigua Black Pineapple Farm

Pineapple Farm in Saint Mary Parish, Antigua

Ananas comosus

Flamboyant Tree

Delonix regia

Antigua locals call this tree “chuk chuk” due to the sound the seed pod makes when used as a rhythmic musical instrument.

Buttonbush

Cephalanthus occidentalis

Click here for buttonbush photos taken over 1,700 miles away from the one featured above.

West Indian Fuzzy Chiton

Acanthopleura granulata

The West Indian fuzzy chiton attaches itself to limestone cliffs throughout the Caribbean while munching on algae.

Limestone Cliff in Dickenson Bay

Beach Morning Glory

Ipomea pes-caprae

Summer Storm Over Ormond Beach

Pink Invader

Albizia julibrissin

Chance Encounter Under the Overpass

Odocoileus virginianus

Amidst kudzu and trumpet creeper, a doe stands sentry high above the North Oconee Greenway on a Sunday afternoon.

Curry and Eggs

Murraya koenigii

Murraya koenigii (and Halyomorpha halys)

A curious array of stink bug eggs is almost tossed into a pan of shimmering olive oil. Once apparent, they’re returned to the potted plant. Hopefully the compassionate act doesn’t end in the decimation of beloved leaves.

Click here for the vegan pozole recipe these tiny orbs almost joined.

Revisiting the House Without Us

Six years after visiting North Carolina’s Outer Banks for the first time, I returned this summer. Kudzu continues to slowly swallow this house on Highway 64 in Jamesville. View photos from that initial road trip here.