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As I said in previous posts, Nature Preserves down here are exceptional treats for weekend walks in Florida's wilderness and swamplands.  Boyd Nature Preserve is just down the road about 5 miles but in the center of town.  It has an awesome juxtaposition from yelling at notoriously lousy drivers and going under an interstate bypass to becoming this quiet, peaceful, and serene area that gives you the illusion you are in the middle of nowhere.


Boyd Hill is more than 800 acres of scenery, wildlife and, as you will see at the bottom, gators, too.  This guy is surveying the area for his next meal. 


A little gator peeking through the lily pads.


Egrets are always looking for little marine life to munch.


They are slow and deliberate.  Kind of like watching paint dry, or grass grow.


The walkways meander all over the place.  You never really know where you are but somehow get you back to the welcome center.


I have a love-hate relationship with my camera.  Its smarter than I am, and we sometimes can't get on the same page.  Luckily, this time we were able to focus on the spider instead of the leaves behind it.



As I was walking along I spotted this rock in the shallow creek.  


And then the rock's eyes moved.



A little guy romping safely with Mama around.


He had fashioned a cave area next tot he bank. and while I watched for the longest time, eventually he got tired of me and slowly slid back and under into his nest.


Older, and craggy, this guy didn't seem perturbed by me.  Something like a fox eyeballing a chicken, I suspect.


Boyd Hill is my favorite: always something to see, and just walking in the wild is a fun way to spend the afternoon.


Fascinating root system.


Ah, here we have lunch for the hawk that started us out today.


God, the dangers that lurk in this bit of area.  Snakes, gators, all manner of creepy crawlers.





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