Fire in the Wild Woods

The above photo is a shot taken of the woods across the road from my house. Beneath these tangled limbs is where my woodland garden is located. The fiery glow fortunately comes from the setting sun, approximately 93 million miles away, and my garden is quite safe!

I took that shot with my telephoto lens zoomed to its max. Below is the same view, taken with less zoom:

Another shot, across from my house, with the sunset reflected in the upper woodlands:

Earlier in the day, before the sunset, I took this photo of the woodland trees, viewed through the arch near my patio. The shrubs in the foreground are azaleas and yaupon hollies:

Winter, stripping the leaves, reveals the thickness of the wild woods. The forest has begrudged me a few paths and planting areas, but when I am gone, vines and woody tentacles will quickly reclaim the land I borrowed. There was an old saying that a squirrel could enter the state of Alabama on its northern border and travel from tree to tree, all the way to the coast without touching the ground. I believe a modern squirrel could do the same, though he might have to be creative in choosing his route.

I like the woods. They shelter my garden, and they provide homes for an abundance of wildlife. I love when the birds come out of the woods to visit my bird feeders. Below are a cardinal, a white throated Sparrow, and in the last photo, a black-capped chickadee, who seems to be asking the sparrow if he can have some too!

In a couple of months the bare branches will all have fresh new leaves, and the tangled mess of limbs will look simply lush. Every chance I get now, I walk the property to find signs of spring. But the evergreen plants that have persisted through the dreary winter catch my attention. The nandinas are spectacular. Note the white berries a single nandina in the woodland garden produces. All the others have the more common red berries.

And here are a few other plants that continue to provide winter interest:Top row: Variegated pittisporum; Autumn fern. Bottom row: Heuchera villosa 'Autumn Bride'; Azalea.

The urn in the lady garden still contains the remains of last year's Boston fern. The vignette, with the rusty bicycle in the background, has winter appeal:

Spring is coming, but when I see my wild woods lit up in the burning sunsets of winter, or when I admire plants that provide interest when others are dormant, I do not mind if this season lingers for a few more weeks. Yes, I said weeks!

By the Beautiful Sea

Want an escape? A trip to a paradise by the beautiful sea? Then come with me to Seaside, an idyllic planned community located on Florida's panhandle, beside one of the most beautiful beaches on earth. It is a place for dreams, romance, fun, and relaxation. If you think you are in a movie set, you aren't wrong; for Seaside first became famous when it was chosen for the set of the movie 'The Truman Show', released in 1998.

Earlier this week I returned from a visit to Seaside, and I have been reliving the experience, going through over 200 photos I shot over my four days there. We stayed in a delightful cottage named Natchez House, and it was only a short walk to the beach. The weather was cold, but the charming architecture more than compensated for that. Natchez House is shown in the first photo below:

Most of the cottages are vacation rentals, but there are some year round residents. Below is the community school and the interfaith chapel, where we attended church on Sunday:

Except for some common areas in the town center, there are no lawns in Seaside. All plantings are native vegetation. Among them are live oak, yaupon holly, coco palms, and loblolly pines. Also included are non-poisonous sumac, pampas grass, creeping fig, and, of course, sea oats. The orange fruit on the bush in the second row below are kumquats. Tasty! There was one tree I couldn't identify. It is shown in the last two photos. It reminds me of a sweet gum, but the balls aren't prickly. Could it be an osage orange tree?

(Follow-up note: Thanks to my fellow garden blogger, Floridagirl, who has identified the mystery tree for me. It is the American Sycamore!)

Of course, there would be no Seaside without the beach! Even in winter, the beach is extraordinary. White sands like this come from quartz and can be found in only a few locations around the world:

The sea was calm, and I did not see any evidence of last year's Gulf oil spill. I was amazed by a group of ducks paddling in the salt water, something I have never seen. I think the duck I saw is the Common Merganser, also called Saltwater Fish Duck and Sawbill Duck. Probably they are attracted by the marshes of nearby Topsail Hill State Preserve and Grayton Beach State Park. I also saw the more usual sandpipers. The photo of bird tracks in the following group shows the prints of both the mergansers and the sandpipers, together in the sand:

Every main street in Seaside has access to the beach through a pavilion, and each one is unique. I must have taken thirty shots of the Natchez Pavilion before I captured the following image at sunset. The beaches along the Gulf coast are famous for their sunsets:Such was the perfect ending. Pleasant dreams to you all!   Deborah