Fox's Low Road Trail

We live about 50 miles from Myakka River State Park near Sarasota.  After seeing some wonderful pictures of Florida native orchids last weekend, I decided to make a trip to the park and check it out for myself.

We left the house about 7:30 a.m. in Riverview and arrived about 8:30.  After a short conversation with the Park Ranger at the gate we were hiking on the Fox's Low Road Trail east of the Upper Myakka Lake by 9:00. 

It was about this time that Linda discovered she forgot the bug repellant. Yikes! I'm o.k. to go-with-the-flow for most things, but bugs and Linda don't get along well.  Undeterred we trudged onwards willing to risk it. No pain, no gain, right?

Less than a 1/4 mile into the trail we saw two small does foraging just off the trail.  We rounded a turn that opened out into a massive prairie of palmetto and various scrub brush and other grasses. Their heads were barely visible above the brush line. I snapped this picture as the second one meandered across the road seemingly unconcerned about us.

I'm not knowledgeable about orchids and wouldn't know a "Florida native orchid" if it walked up to me and offered to shake my hand, but we continued our search for another 3/4 mile down the trail. Linda successfully located some nicely apportioned fire ant hills.  It was a very lovely introduction (ouch).

This trail was loaded with dragon flys of a variety of colors.  This blue one photographed pretty well and cooperated better than most by "sitting still".

We also saw a couple of red shouldered hawks hunting for breakfast and later crossed paths with a very well fed osprey.  Our search for orchids ended and we headed back to the parking area and toward the birdwalk.