The Flickr Cityoflakeland Image Generatr

Photographed the Pure Gold-green Sweat Bee collecting pollen from a Peruvian Primrose-willow flower found along the the Marsh Rabbit Run Trail in the Circle B Bar Reserve located in the City of Lakeland in Polk County Florida U.S.A.

Augochlora pura known as the pure gold-green sweat bee, is a solitary sweat bee native to the eastern United States with striking green iridescence. This species is an important native pollinator in eastern deciduous forests and other habitats. It emerges in spring and remains active throughout the summer and early fall. As the common name of this group suggests, these sweat bees are attracted to human sweat, which they lick to consume salts Source: University of Florida

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Wind set us free, set us free...

Carolina False Dandelion flowers gone to seed, photographed off of the Heron Hideout Trail in the Circle B Bar Reserve located in the City of Lakeland in Polk County Florida U.S.A.

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Palm Warbler hunting for insects in the leaf litter alongside the Marsh Rabbit Run Trail in the Circle B Bar Reserve located in the City of Lakeland Polk County Florida U.S.A.

Subtly patterned brown-and-yellow warbler, known for constantly bobbing its tail. Often forages on the ground, unlike most other warblers. Breeding plumage shows a rufous cap. In fall and winter, look for pale eyebrow and dark line through the eye, diffuse streaks on underparts, and bright yellow undertail coverts. Two populations: “Western” is browner overall, brightest on the undertail coverts; “Yellow” is more suffused with yellow overall; they overlap extensively in range, especially during fall migration. Breeds in bogs and clearings in the boreal forest. In migration, found in a variety of open, shrubby habitats. One of the more common warblers wintering in the southern U.S.; also winters in the Caribbean and Yucatan Peninsula. Source: eBird

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Photographed the juvenile Little Blue Heron searching for prey alongside the Alligator Alley Trail located in the Circle B Bar Reserve in the City of Lakeland in Polk County Florida U.S.A.

The little blue heron is a small heron of the genus Egretta. It is a small, darkly colored heron with a two-toned bill. Juveniles are entirely white, bearing resemblance to the snowy egret. During the breeding season, adults develop different coloration on the head, legs, and feet.
Source: Wikipedia

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Double-crested Cormorant perched on a branch of a dead tree drying it's feathers along the Alligator Alley Trail in the Banana Creek Marsh in the Circle B Bar Reserve in the City of Lakeland in Polk County Florida U.S.A.

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Photographed the Florida Sandhill Crane walking along the Wading Bird Way Trail at Circle B Bar Reserve in the City of Lakeland Polk County Florida U.S.A.

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Tricolored Heron stalking prey off of the Herons Hideout Trail in the Banana Creek Marsh in Circle B Bar Reserve in the City of Lakeland Polk County Florida U.S.A.

A medium-sized, delicate and slim heron with a long, daggerlike bill. Its long thin neck curves up to its small head.

A colorful heron with a mix of blue-gray, lavender, and white. Unlike other dark herons, they have a white belly. Breeding birds have small white plumes extending from the back of the head, a bright blue patch of skin around the bill, and pink legs. Nonbreeding birds lack the flourishes of breeding birds and have yellowish legs. Juveniles have a rusty neck and rusty edged feathers.

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A pair of Raccoons on the Alligator Alley Trail in the Circle B Bar Reserve located in the City of Lakeland in Polk County Florida U.S.A.

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A large American Alligator sunbathing on the bank of the Banana Creek Marsh pond photographed from the Herons Hideout Trail in the Circle B Bar Reserve located in the City of Lakeland, Polk County Florida U.S.A.

American alligators are large crocodilians found only in the United States. They can grow to be more than 12 feet (3.6 meters) in length and weigh as much as 1,000 pounds (450 kilograms), with males being slightly larger than females on average. The animal’s dark skin is armored with small, bony scales called scutes.

A long, powerful tail helps propel the animal through water, as do webbed feet. They are cold-blooded and depend on the natural world around them to provide warmth. To do this, they will bask in the sun or dig holes in mud to trap heat. Although American alligators can be hard to miss while basking on the shore, they can look eerily like logs when floating in the water.

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Photographed the group of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks on sentry duty in the Banana Creek Marsh off of the Alligator Alley Trail in the Circle B Bar Reserve in the City of Lakeland in Polk County Florida U.S.A.

Ponds, fresh marshes. Favors shallow freshwater lakes; may come to those in open country, but seems to favor ponds surrounded by trees. Will nest on ground or in tree cavities. When foraging, often in dry fields, also in irrigated land.

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Snowy Egret photographed from the Alligator Alley Trail hunting the shoreline of Lake Hancock in the Circle B Bar Reserve in the City of Lakeland Polk County Florida U.S.A.

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Barred Owl perched on a branch in a favourite spot up in a Live Oak off of the Shady Oaks Trail at Circle B Bar Reserve located in the City of Lakeland in Polk County Florida U.S.A.

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Florida Red-bellied Cooter photographed resting on a log in the Banana Creek Marsh along the Alligator Alley Trail in Circle B Bar Reserve in the City of Lakeland in Polk County Florida U.S.A.

Florida Red-bellied Cooters, Pseudemys nelson, are found across the entire peninsula of Florida and into the southeastern part of Georgia. They were first classified as a separate species by Archie Carr in 1938. This is a large aquatic turtle with females reaching shell lengths of almost 15 inches. The males are smaller in size than the females and have elongated front nails that they use in courtship. They can be identified by the red blotches that extend up the carapace (top of the shell), a most often plain, reddish plastron (belly), and a notched upper beak.
These cooters are herbivorous as sub-adults and adults but the juveniles will eat a wide variety of plants and small animals. They can be found in freshwater ponds, lakes, marshes, and very slow-moving rivers and streams. The turtles prefer slow water movement and heavy vegetation and will not be found in swift-moving rivers or waterways with low vegetation.
Florida Red-bellied Cooters lay their eggs from May through August in well-draining soils close to freshwater. They have often been observed laying their eggs in alligator nest mounds. The average is about 14 eggs per clutch and the cooters can lay 3 to 6 clutches of eggs per year. The hatchlings look different than the adults, being greenish in color with yellow bars on the carapace.
Many animals such as raccoons feed on the eggs. Natural predators for this species are numerous when the turtles are hatchlings. However, as they mature, few animals other than the alligator can penetrate the thick shells of the Florida Red-bellied Cooter.
Source: imagine Our Florida

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Photographed the Great Egret preening while perched on a branch in the canal off of the Alligator Alley Trail in the Circle B Bar Reserve located in the City of Lakeland in Polk County Florida U.S.A.

Great Egrets are tall, long-legged wading birds with long, S-curved necks and long, dagger-like bills. In flight, the long neck is tucked in and the legs extend far beyond the tip of the short tail.

The elegant Great Egret is a dazzling sight in many a North American wetland. Slightly smaller and more svelte than a Great Blue Heron, these are still large birds with impressive wingspans. They hunt in classic heron fashion, standing immobile or wading through wetlands to capture fish with a deadly jab of their yellow bill. Great Egrets were hunted nearly to extinction for their plumes in the late nineteenth century, sparking conservation movements and some of the first laws to protect birds.

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Photographed the Green Heron perched on a branch fixed on a catch in the Banana Creek Marsh off of Alligator Alley trail in the Circle B Bar Reserve in the City of Lakeland in Polk County Florida U.S.A.

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Glossy Ibis in the Banana Creek Marsh along the Eagle Roost Trail in the Circle B Bar Reserve in the City of Lakeland in Polk County Florida U.S.A.

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Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks resting in the Banana Creek Marsh off of the Alligator Alley trail in the Circle B Bar Reserve located in the City of Lakeland in Polk County Florida U.S.A.

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Common Gallinule photographed in the Banana Creek Marsh off of the Eagle Roost Trail in the Circle B Bar Reserve in the City of Lakeland in Polk County Florida U.S.A.

The Common Gallinule swims like a duck and walks atop floating vegetation like a rail with its long and slender toes. This boldly marked rail has a brilliant red shield over the bill and a white racing stripe down its side. It squawks and whinnies from thick cover in marshes and ponds from Canada to Chile, peeking in and out of vegetation. This species was formerly called the Common Moorhen and is closely related to moorhen species in the Old World.

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Gray Catbird perched on a branch just off of the Shady Oaks Trail out at Circle B Bar Reserve located in the City of Lakeland in Polk County Florida U.S.A.

A cousin of the mockingbird, these medium-sized gray songbirds are common across the warmer parts of North America, where they are frequently heard (but less often seen) in backyards and parks. They often return to the same summer territory year after year.

Catbirds’ bodies are a uniform soft gray, with black caps, and rust-red feathers under their relatively long tails. They often perch with a lowered tail and appear hunchbacked.

Smaller and slimmer than an American robin, catbirds measure 8 to 9 inches (20 to 23 centimeters) long.

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Photographed the Great Blue Heron enttering the pond off of the Wading Bird Way Trail located in the Circle B Bar Resserve located in the City of Lakeland in Polk County Florida U.S.A.

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