We’re one month into 2016, and so far I like it.  Nature and the internet collided to bring us some good entertainment.  Crocodiles, pythons, pirates, bees… lots of wild things.   Here’s what I found:A pool without an enclosure has its drawbacks, but I don’t mind when these ducks visit. I draw the line at crocodiles.  I get the feeling that’s not his first dip in the pool… or his last.  

While alligators and crocodiles are native to the Everglades, pythons are not.  In recent years the snakes have multiplied and they’re threatening native wildlife.  Enter the 2016 Python Challenge, a competition to see how many 20-ft snakes you can wrangle.  I think I’ll pass on it this year, but I wish the hunters good luck!A month-long celebration of Jose Gaspar, a notoriously despicable (and probably fictional) pirate, is in full-swing here in Tampa.  This ship will lead a canon-fired invasion of hundreds of thousands of “pirates” into the city this Saturday.  We could celebrate an honorable historical figure, but then the festivities wouldn’t include pillaging, plundering, and drinking too much rum.   So Gasparilla it is!

Toby built this owl box for the adorable little screech owls that visit our oak tree.  Too bad the bee guy had to take the whole thing.  ?

Here’s an instrument built for mother nature to play.  We need this in Florida.

I hope you all have a lovely day! ???

In Bloom is a monthly roundup of Florida news and other things I’ve stumbled upon around the Web, along with photos I’ve taken. Have something you’d like to share? Email me: [email protected].