Beautyberry and the Beasts

Beautyberry is a vine- like shrub native to Fl.  This lovely grows along the fence line across the road from our place. I asked around but nobody seemed to know what it was called so I checked out a book on Native Florida Plants at our little library over in the village and there it was!  Beautyberry ..  And a beauty it is.  The book says it blooms all summer long.  I have seen it here before but I didn't discover it until later in the year, like maybe late Nov. and its 's leaves had all fallen away, leaving just the ball of berries and they were a darker shade of purple at that stage.  So pretty anyway and so different from what I have seen in VT. It says that the birds like it and that it can start from seed or cutting.  So I will try rooting a shoot or two in some water and Lord willing may have some growing right near our birdbath.

I like to come over to this pasture often as I am buddies with a couple girlfriends who live here...or at least graze here.  We first met them one evening at dusk as we were walking and stopped to pick up some trash someone had dropped alongside our road.  Dennis went to the fence line to retrieve the litterbug's scatterings and we heard what sounded like a large animal charging across the field straight toward us.  That brought my heart up into my throat for a few seconds until we realized it was just a couple of hopeful heifers  thinking to be fed !  There ARE bears, deer and even a few panthers in Florida. The heifers stopped their charge just short of the fence and proceeded with extreme caution, coming closer to check us out.  We told them that we would be back another time soon with some goodies for them.  Now and again we take these friendly gals a piece of fruit or a bit of a veggie.

I 've been having a bad time with my internet server, a WiFi setup available to us here in the Park. Uploading photos or downloading anything but words takes FOREVER, just like the old dial-up. Hopefully with so many using it and so many complaints and reports they will fix it soon.  I guess the Lord is trying to create in me a bit of patience!  

This was a rainy morning here, a gentle rain good for my newly seeded front lawn.