Our day started heading to Torreya State Park in search of a rare tree. But I thought that we should stop at a rest area on I-10 just in case a few moths came to the lights before (or after) last nights thunderstorms. Well, starting with this Giant Leopard Moth was a good sign.
A few other moths made the stop worth while then we headed on our way.
We got to Torreya a bit later than expected since we were in the Central Time Zone and Torreya was slightly east in the Eastern Time Zone. Fortunately, for plants this doesn’t matter.
Finding the Florida Torreya wasn’t difficult There weren’t many conifers in the park, in areas where we had found the trees before. This part of the panhandle was seriously damaged by Hurricane Michael a few years ago, but some of the unusual plants seem to have survived.
An interesting fern relative, this “spike-moss” is in the genus Selaginella. I’m not sure that we had seen these on past visits.
This red buckeye is an attractive small tree that is still thriving in the understory.
Now here’s something strange. This is an insect gall that is slightly smaller than a tennis ball.
A couple of moths on the undersides of leaves made Susan quite happy.
And finally, what I believe is a gecko that I found at Florida Caverns State Park. I’m still working on identifying this little critter.
We are now in Pensacola for the night. Tomorrow we will explore some parks nearby before heading to Dauphin Island, Alabama.
More tomorrow…
Michael's Place 