Last October of 2011 we ended our month long vacation in the Southwestern United States by staying a week in the Florida panhandle. During that stay we ventured into Topsail Hill Preserve State Park and just by providence happened across a beautiful field of blooming Liatris with butterflies, moths and bees doing their pollinating thing. In fact there were hundreds of these fluttering creatures darting in and around the Liatris and in some cases there were as many as 5 or 6 that were pollinating a single flower at the same time.
This was just at the entrance of Topsail Hill Preserve State Park right down from our vacation rental in Dune Allen Beach and we must have stayed there (in the no parking zone by the way) for probably 45 minutes to an hour just observing and photographing the flowers, butterflies and bees. I ended up taking a few hundred pictures during that hour or so and have hopefully the best posted here. Apparently the end of October is the best time to catch this pollinating crowd of creatures do there thing. If you ever get the chance to vacation in Ft Walton County along the beaches of 30A, stop in Topsail Hill Preserve State Park right at the little pond at the entrance and enjoy the show.
In the mean time enjoy the pictures here.
Moth on Liatris
Butterfly on Liatris
Bee on Liatris
Tags: Photography