Coyotes, Kohlas?/Possums and . . .

Went to the library for a charity meeting and what do we find in the window well, but an Opossum, fondly known here as Nature’s little sanitation engineer - certainly a surprise which temporarily distracted from our otherwise very productive meeting!

The Opossum, related to the Koala, is Florida's one marsupial (having a pouch for the babies) and he sure did look cute. Primates and opossums are the only mammals with opposable first toes. When threatened they hiss and snarl before playing dead, but ... they have immunity to poisonous snakes (handy in Florida).

The baby opossum managed to climb straight up the wall and escape the window well about 1/2 hour after I took the picture. And if you look closely in the window well below what do you see?  Answers are welcome in the comments section.

Do you see the skeleton as well as the living specimen?

Headline:  "Coyotes are here to stay" and are the number 2 concern after bears - yes there are coyotes on the beach.  Their natural predator, the red wolf was eradicated so ... enough said about this one . . . seems like they are the local  equivalent of London foxes (omnivorous and eat opossums!).

Beach Beacon, April 23, 2015

Construction continues on our condo roof and all around us in St Petersburg. Looking out to sea the other day a barge went floating by (well pushed by a tug) full of gravel for armoring the shoreline.

THe 2015 Florida Cup Paddleboard races are coming to us 16 May - watch this space.

See the glass mural of trees?

Cinderella's carriage 

Upcoming St Petersburg is known for artists and large murals on sides of public buildings. Little did we know there is also some gorgeous glass work, shown here on the side of an elevator shaft of the building next to Moon Under Water, a local British pub. Why it is called Moon Under Water is explained here and is related to British Army recruiting tactics in the 18th century. Moon Under Water is also a 1946 essay by George Orwell.

Do you see what I see?

There are some very interesting Florida plants as well as the aforementioned wildlife.

The smell of the orange blossoms in the orchard is far better than the eating of the fruit or the honey they produce! Personally I prefer sea grape honey - very light and subtle.

Mini Me's Lemon Tree & herb pot
No lemons . . . yet!

And who knew Basil so loved sea air - it grows like crazy with no snails & slugs to eat it here on my beach balcony!!  Friend's basil has grown 1.5 feet tall - almost faster than we can eat it.

An Anole posing on a Cycad
(he looks almost like a miniature fox!)