Orange Blossom Special

At last the weather has started to warm up and plants hit hard by the cold are springing back.  I really enjoy these Orange Blossoms and clearly the Bees do to.

Seeing the Beauty of Green

 

With the light behind it, I was sure how this photo would turn out, but the trees diffused the light very well.  Besides being one of the older homes in Venice FL, the trees are what caught my attention here.  In my opinion trees are essential to making anyplace livable.  I'm sure there are a lot of environmental experts who would agree with me.  

But just from a simply aesthetic viewpoint the trees, flower box's, and other plants make this an absolutely beautiful home, without them I don't think I would care for it much at all.

Library Garden

 

 

My favorite parts of Venice Florida, where I take most of my photos are on the island.  But there are some very nice spots off the island as well.  One of those is the Jacaranda Library.  The whole library is very nice one of things that makes it so is the garden and pond outside.  It is a feature that can be enjoyed from large windows inside as well.

Alien Seed Pod

 

There is this thing in our yard that looks to me like an alien seed pod, I've been around here over six years and had never seen anything like it before.  It's actually from a common plant, so common that it's best known as the cardboard plant.  Technically it's Zamia furfuracea an evergreen plant that grows in Mexico and Southern Florida.  If I understand it though the seed pod is not as common, it appears only when the plant feels threatened so constant trimming and our recent cold snap might have caused that.

Palmy sky

Right now it's very mild and pleasant, aka balmy.  We are said to have rain heading our way though so I thought I'd post this photo with the brighter sky before it started turning darker.

Red Hibiscus

It seems to be cold all over right now.  I thought I'd warm it up a bit with a beautiful red bloom.  Our plants aren't used to the cold snap like we are having at this time and we all hope they do well.  Even with the cold, we are thankful it is not as bad as much of the rest of the country.

Heritage Park

It's good to see someone besides myself enjoy this delightful park.  I know other people do, but most drive right by it heading for the beach.   

Heritage Park is a four block long narrow park between the East and West bound lanes of Venice Ave. that ends right at the beach.


Here you will find very pleasant winding trails, several monuments, and wonderful landscaping including some very impressive banyan trees.

One Last Christmas Photo

One of the more unusual, but tropical, holiday displays at the Venice Arboretum was my pick for last Christmas photo of the season.  Nothing about this display is typical Christmas, except ornaments and tinsel, but it has a very Florida beach feel. 

I've enjoyed sharing a bit of Christmas in Venice Florida and hope you enjoyed it too.

Ribbons and Shells

One of many decorated tropical plants at the Venice arboretum decorated by different groups.  I thought this one did a great job of giving the holidays a more tropical feel.

Pink Poinsettias

These look rather red to me here but they are actually very pink.  A little darker perhaps than pink flamingos but I thought the color was a little more "Florida"!

Inviting Entry

Walking around one of the Islands historic districs I came across this older home with a very inviting entry.  The landscaping, fountian, and arched porch give a real sense of welcoming people in.

Glory on the Beach

When I went out to the Beach at the Beachcomber in Venice (yesterdays post) I saw some flowers I hadn't seen at other area beaches. They looked like Morning Glories but I thought the beach was an odd place for them. Turns out they are in fact Beach Morning Glories also known as Railroad Vines. Thank you Alice for helping with that.

Normally I only post one photo a day, but I thought this close up should be accompanied with a larger view.