The week before Christmas I had a tour through Gasparilla Sound and had the distinct opportunity to witness Mother Nature engaged in the creation of life. (Sort of appropriate this holiday season.) This is a Lightning Whelk in the act of laying an egg sac. This tube or sac will be about 1 foot long, and each section or disc has segments filled with albumin to feed the young snails as they begin to create a protective shell. When they are ready, they will eat through the paper-like casing and fall to the ocean floor a full 4mm (millimeter) in size, to begin a courageous journey toward adulthood. The female Whelk will lay close to 200-300 eggs within that casing, and the chances of survival are slim as you can imagine. I'll keep my fingers crossed, and hope for the best.
(photo provided by Sandra and James Harrison)

We had the pleasure for the second year in a row to help our friends at the University of Florida and the IFAS extension in providing yaks for the freshwater module of the Florida Master Naturalist Program. About 20 well prepared and eager participants embarked on a journey through Shell Creek in Punta Gorda, to test their new found knowledge. As we glided along this pristine creek, we came upon beautiful Climbing Aster, Moonflower, and Apple Snail eggs clinging to the reeds. A few even caught a glimpse of the elusive Limpkin searching for those snails. Along the banks of this meandering creek we encountered a couple of young gators who were resting in the weeds and lazily watched us glide by; passive spectators to this parade of multi-colored polyethylene. All in all, a great paddle with enthusiastic friends who will serve their community well with their newly acquired knowledge.

I had the pleasure of taking out one of the winners of the Bit Of Hope Ranch's raffle to help "waffle" the injured Belgian Draft Horse in her fight with MRSA.  George and his friend Kim joined me for a eco-tour through the deep recesses of the "Woolverton Trails," Catfish Creek, and Gasparilla Sound on a spectacular Sunday Morning. October has brought with it some cooler evenings with less humidity, which made for a delightful 8:30AM launch. The tides were low and outgoing and that means feeding time in the preserve! As we floated in literally inches of water, we could see the tips of turtle grass barely above the surface of the water, and every movement of the fish below as their tails left ripples on the surface until SLAM! an unsuspecting minnow became lunch. Herons, Egrets, and Ibis waded, and Kingfisher, Pelicans, and Osprey soared looking for prey.  A Manatee even wagged its' fuke at us upon our return. Nothing short of ANOTHER perfect day in PARADISE...

We still have t-shirts for sale. These Hanes 50/50 cotton/ polyester blend shirts are cool, lightweight, soft, and the perfect "T" for our sub tropical climate. Get the coolest look on the sun coast and be the envy of your friends back home. Just $12.99 plus tax.