an ode to pine flatwoods
both the people from florida and the people not-from florida often remark on florida’s flatness, complaining about how boring the landscape is unless it’s a gulf coast beach or cinderella’s castle.
that’s cause they haven’t opened their minds to the possibilities. because, what do you mean there’s nothing to look at?
i see palm fronds that keep small animals safe during a storm, big bumble-bees pollinating native flowers, i see blueberries and blackberry bushes. i see old tortoises and juicy beauty berries, bright purple. i see cute little white button flowers that almost look like snow suspended in the air. almost a blanket over the grass.
i see an entire ecosystem within the brush that is only visible to those that care to see it.
i see all types of birds of prey: red-shouldered hawks, swallow-tailed kites, turkey vultures, bald eagles. i see armadillos. have you ever been close to an armadillo before? they’ve gotta be one of the coolest animals. they are basically a mini-dinosaur, but somehow still cute-looking. they’re harmless, minding their own business and eating bugs, hobbling along the brush. i can hear a sandhill crane cawing in the distance.
extra-large air plants, flowering, right in the middle of the forest, and y’know, people purchase these at tropical plant stores. but here they are, living without a pay wall, in their natural environment. i see a river otter and a baby gator in the river, then i see a black racer snake rushing along the wiregrass.
not to mention, deer, rabbits, and boar all run around here, too. i’ve never seen them myself, but black bears, bob cats, and panthers all roam these flatwoods.
i see many buckeye butterflies and gulf fritillary butterflies.
fetterbush is blooming and this eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly is loving it.
if you’re willing to just shut up and put yourself in it, listen, you will be opened up to a world teeming with flora and fauna.
there’s so much life and beauty in the (mostly) untouched land in the southeastern peninsula of turtle island, a.k.a. “florida.”
never underestimate the aliveness of the pine flatwoods.
<3mia
everything i create is made without artificial intelligence. i am staunchly against AI, and will never use it to replace or ‘assist’ my creative process.
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