Weather – James Leon Young

August 17, 2020August 17, 2020

Storm at St. Marks NWR

On 7/21/2020 I headed down to St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge to get some sunset pictures. I knew rain and storms were possible which sometimes can make sunsets more interesting.

As I was driving along lighthouse road near the “T-Dike” I saw to the east one of the yellow construction vehicles used to repair the levee sitting near a structure sometimes called the “bus stop”.

The sun was low in the west and illuminated the scene very nicely and there were some dark clouds forming in the east. I left my tripod in my white van (the Vana White) so I could walk faster.

November 2, 2019November 10, 2019

St. Marks NWR Lighthouse Relighting Ceremony.

The relighting of the Historic St. Marks Lighthouse with its newly installed lantern was celebrated on October 31, 2019,coinciding with the 88^th anniversary of the creation of the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge.

While volunteers interpreted the Lighthouse Keepers’ Quarters for visitors, the Refuge staff, volunteers, and Friends of St. Marks Wildlife Refuge prepared for the ceremony with an eye on the radar. A narrow squall line approaching from the west delivered a quick drenching rain and then colorful clouds as the sky cleared and the festivities continued on schedule.
Continue reading “St. Marks NWR Lighthouse Relighting Ceremony.”

January 6, 2018January 6, 2018

Weather plant and ice crystals in rain barrel.

We are fortunate to have a weather plant in our back yard. A glance at this amazing plant will tell us instantly if it is freezing outside.

Our weather plant is a Florida anise and when the temperature drops below freezing the leaves wilt. The first time this happened I thought the plant was dead but in a few hours it was back to normal.
Continue reading “Weather plant and ice crystals in rain barrel.”

February 20, 2017February 22, 2017

Roll clouds over a Tallahassee Florida parking lot

If someone asked me where the best place is to take photographs of roll clouds I would probably not answer “In a Publix grocery store parking lot after sunset”. However that is the place I saw and photographed my first Florida “Roll Cloud” formation. Continue reading “Roll clouds over a Tallahassee Florida parking lot”

September 29, 2016February 22, 2017

Beautiful palm tree succumbs to hurricane Hermine

I lost a friend this year. A friend that I visited often. That friend was a palm tree located behind the St. Marks NWR lighthouse. As a young tree it had been pushed over to its side, possibly by a tropical storm. The tree not only survived but bent back upright over the years. Palm trees that survive such events are often beautiful and I, like many other photographers, wanted to record this wonderful tree next to the salt marsh.

Continue reading “Beautiful palm tree succumbs to hurricane Hermine”

January 9, 2016

Stoney Bayou on a cool overcast winter afternoon

As my wife and I were heading out for some birding and photography on a cool overcast afternoon at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge we were greeted by a gentleman who commented that “There is nothing to see here today”. We knew better. There is always something to see if you know where (and how) to look.

We saw an alligator eat a huge blue crab in Mounds Pool 1 and a Great Blue heron swallow a flounder in Stoney Bayou. The sound of birds was everywhere and large numbers of migratory birds were settling down for the night on the sand islands.

My favorite image of the day was this late afternoon shot of Stoney Bayou pool #1 with an old tree stump in the foreground , a small rocky sand island in the background, and blocks of “sea” foam floating on the water.

It is very easy to overlook a photo subject like this, particularly if you are focused only on a single subject like wildlife. Keep an open mind and learn to “see” and don’t let a few clouds discourage you from going out in nature.

Stoney Bayou shoreline on a cool overcast winter day with an old tree stump in foreground. (1-8-2016) - St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge.

Thanks for visiting,

Jim