Prairies and Snakes

Certainly one thing I share with other plein air painters is the occasional encounter with snakes.  One day when I was painting along a canal a weed whacker came up the waterway and as it was chopping the invasive water plants, it spewed them into the air along with chopped bits of snakes which landed a bit too close to me for my comfort. Some of them were still wiggling as they rained down and landed!  As I stood and watched I saw hundreds of delighted birds appear seemingly out of nowhere to swoop down and treat themselves to an unexpected feast.  On another occasion at Paynes Prairie State Park, I happened to look over the bridge and saw a tangle of snakes (see photo).  There were people on the bridge exclaiming "look at the moccasins!" and someone was actually throwing little things at them. When I checked with the park ranger, I was told that they were green water snakes mating, not moccasins.  I read on switcheroozoo that "The Florida green water snake is a common, harmless snake that can be found in weedy marshes and grasses around ponds and along canals, sometimes basking in the vegetation. If threatened or harassed, the green water snake may bite and emit an unpleasant smell. These snakes are active primarily in the daytime, but can also be found feeding on minnows or small fish in the early evenings. Florida green water snakes are excellent swimmers and can dive from logs or tree limbs into the water. They bear their young alive and can have litters as large as 100!"  In researching them further I found an article from the Florida Scientist stating that "U.S. Highway 441 at Paynes Prairie appears to have one of the highest levels of snake road mortality ever reported" and that this same snake was one of the most commonly killed.  Aside from painting, I am using the Six Artists Six Prairies project to learn as much as I can about our prairies and their inhabitants and to share interesting tidbits I find.

Mary Jane Volkmann

Storm Clouds

18x24 inches

oil on stretched canvas

I have painted at the Florida prairies for years. Once I was painting along early in the morning at Paynes Prairie State Park, on a bridge that spans the edge of the lake. I heard someone approaching on the bridge. Often visitors stop quietly to watch me paint. I wanted to finish one spot on the painting before greeting the visitor. It took a few moments. I put my brush down to turn to my visitor with a smile. I stared into the face of a doe who was about 2 feet from me, watching intently. It was a thrill I must say. We watched each other for at least 30 seconds before she turned with a flick of her tail and took off running off the bridge into the bushes. One of the joys of my job are the encounters I have with birds and animals in the wild. Though I have had close encounters with alligators and snakes, most of my visitors are harmless and wonderful to observe.

Linda Blondheim

Solski Trail on Fish Prairie

24x24 inches

acrylic on stretched canvas

This is a wonderful trail that skirts the rim of Fish Prairie from Fair Oaks in Evinston, FL. Fair Oaks is my very favorite place in the world. I have been painting there for about four years now. I am blessed to have free range of the 160 acres with my friend Rick's golf cart. I load up my back pack with my paint box and tripod, and in the cool season, my bulldog Henry. We check out the pastures, watching the birds and occasional deer. There is a lovely picnic table dedicated to Sebastian Solski, who worked so hard to make the trail, at the trail head. I like to stop there and paint often. This painting was done from a reference photo I took a few weeks ago on the prairie rim. Henry likes to snooze while I paint. I turn on my Pandora radio and listen to Puccini. It's heaven!!

Linda Blondheim

Prairie Tom

"Prarire Tom"

 acrylic, 16" x 20"

   Florida is a great place to observe birds. Turkeys are one of my favorites. I live just a stones throw outside Tomoka State Park in Ormond Beach and our neighborhood is lucky enough to have deer and wild turkey walking about the streets. The males in our neighborhood, during mating season, will protect their females at all cost. I have seen folks riding their bicycles down the street, minding their own business, and from out of nowhere, a tom turkey will give chase! Turkeys are often in my driveway pecking at their own reflection in my truck bumper.

Scott Hiestand

Observing in the prairies

Today I was looking back at the pictures I have taken during my walks and painting sessions in Paynes Prairie over the years and changing seasons, remembering how much I have seen and observed, often just by standing still and looking. I came across this lucky shot. Note the guy in the middle with the fish in his mouth! Well, I assume it's a guy... can anyone enlighten me? Ah, so much still to learn!

Mary Jane Volkmann

Prairie Bull

Paynes Prairie, one of the very few place in Florida where a hint of the wild west can be found. Buffalo and wild horses can be seen grazing throught the park area.

Scott Hiestand