from down the street.
Flowers you’ll find here include the classic
beach sunflower, orange canna lily, bromeliads
and hibiscus of all colors and many more.
If you want to know more about planting a
garden or are just curious about the plants
and trees you see every day, visit the Florida
Native Plant Society website www.fnps.org.
FLORIDA’S BIRDS
If you spend any time in Englewood at all
you will get to know the fascinating birds
who call this area home, or their vacation
home. We might not have flamingos of the
non-plastic variety, but we do have pelicans,
egrets, white and blue herons, sandhill cranes,
and the occasional American bald eagle. On
the beach you might see tiny sandpipers
hopping along the waterline, and seagulls
eyeing your picnic lunch. Blue herons and
egrets often wait patiently for the spoils from
people fishing from the shore. Brown pelicans
with their long bills, will fight for those fish,
splashing loudly when they dive into the
water.
Your backyard could be home to bright
red cardinals, noisy woodpeckers, tiny
hummingbirds or maybe the Florida scrub
jay which is protected under both state and
federal law. Sandhill cranes, travelling in
families or pairs, can be found loping across
the street or grazing in your yard. And look
up in that light tower, or if you’re on the
water, the channel markers, and you might see
a majestic osprey building a nest. If, like many
of those in our area, you develop an interest
in birds, be sure to contact the Venice Area
Audubon Society www.veniceaudubon.org.
2018 11
PHOTO BY MARY LUNDEBERG
/www.fnps.org
/www.veniceaudubon.org