Milkweed and milkweed bug found in conservation area.

Milkweed seed.  Can you see the guinea pig?

Milkweed bug  Oncopeltus fasciatus

Although it was my intention to not post photos of buildings, this is an exception. Storms are nature and FishHawk has its share!  Resident Greg Dean captured these views while practicing his camera wizardry at night, giving us a wonderful before and during scenes of lightning brightening up an evil looking sky. Seems timely with the new Harry Potter film being released.

More fungus photos! It is growing everywhere and you can smell it in the wooded areas.

Depending on the weather and time of day some of the most beautiful views in FishHawk can be found with one of the many ponds in the foreground. Resident Kannan Deivasigamani took advantage of one of those times and submitted these photos.

.

 We seem to have fallen into the typical Florida Gulf Coast weather that most people are familiar with: hot, humid, afternoon showers.  Unfortunately, the recent showers seem to be in the mornings and evenings, too! If you are a fungus watcher, that is good news. Homeowners and visitors who walk along the miles of trails in FishHawk Ranch will notice an almost countless variety of fungus.  Be sure to take your camera when you walk, and pay close attention to the sides of the trails. Never know what beauty might be lurking.  Please do know disturb any of the fungus, some are poisonous and it is wise to leave it as is. Others are harmless and deserve to be left for the next person to enjoy. The problem is that most of us do not know the difference.

Resident Diane Steinbach has been outdoors regularly with her camera. With all the recent moisture in the Tampa area she has noted that, "the fungus is amungus!"  Evidently the grasshoppers are among us, also. She caught a beautiful shot of an eastern lubber.

The southern magnolia tree Magnolia grandiflora is very popular in the landscaping throughout the community. Here are photos of the flower at different stages.