Red Shouldered Hawk in Flight

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Craig Glenn

Scrub Jay

Florida Scrub Jay

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Craig Glenn

Oleander Moth or Polka-Dot Wasp Moth

The Polka-Dot Wasp Moth (Syntomeida epilais) is a species of moth thought to be native to the Caribbean. The species is also called the Oleander Moth after the Oleander plant, from which its young feed. Like most wasp moths, these moths are day fliers.

And they prefer neotropic areas, to which they are native. The North American subspecies is S. epilais jucundissima, which is locally common in all areas of Florida, and has been seen as far north as Savannah, GA.

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Craig Glenn

Botany Photographs from Lyonia Preserve

Photographs taken by Craig Glenn at Lyonia Preserve in Volusia County Florida.

About Lyonia Preserve:
Lyonia Preserve is a 360-acre joint project of Volusia County's Land Acquisition and Management Division and the Volusia County School Board to restore and maintain scrub habitat. Since 1994, restoration efforts have removed overgrown sand pines and opened up the understory, creating the characteristic bare sand areas with low-growing vegetation preferred by scrub species.

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Craig Glenn

Florida Scrub Jay Part I

Scrub Jay

This is the first in a series of post talking about the Florida Scrub Jay. Also, a chance to share with everyone my first sighting and encounter with this really cool bird!

Did you know:

The Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens) is one of the species of scrub-jay native to North America. It is the only species of bird endemic to the U.S. state of Florida. Because of this, it is heavily sought by birders who travel from across the country to observe this unique species. It is known to have been present in Florida as a recognizably distinct species since at least 2 mya; possibly it is derived from the ancestors of Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay, the inland forms of the Western Scrub-jay.

It is 28 cm (11 in) long, and weighs 75–85 g (2.6–3.0 oz). It has a strong black bill, blue head and nape without a crest, a whitish forehead and supercilium, blue bib, blue wings, grayish underparts, gray back, long blue tail, black legs and feet.

Did you Know Source

Photographs taken at Lyonia Preserve by Craig Glenn.

About Lyonia Preserve:
Lyonia Preserve is a 360-acre joint project of Volusia County's Land Acquisition and Management Division and the Volusia County School Board to restore and maintain scrub habitat. Since 1994, restoration efforts have removed overgrown sand pines and opened up the understory, creating the characteristic bare sand areas with low-growing vegetation preferred by scrub species.


Thanks for stopping by,

Craig Glenn