To fully appreciate the Florida environment one must look at the detail of the patterns on the natural landscape. These Rabbit-bells (Crotalaria rotundifolia) are an example of what can be found when one takes time for a closer look.
These pea or bean family (Fabaceae) plants can be found across Florida in dry or sandy woods. They flower all year.
Pictured below the plants are stunning. . . but look again with just the tip of my index finger in the shot. . .
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. . .and with my index finger holding one of the 'bells.' . . . its not hard to see how this native plant could be easily overlooked.
There is a garden of these rabbit-bells covering the berm of our very dry lake in Deltona. . .further down in the soggy soil one finds a massive garden . . . in miniature. . . dominated by pink sundews (Drosera capillaris) and pipewort or 'hat pins' (Eriocaulon spp.) pictured below. . .
Above, looking diagonally across the 'garden'. . . and below the garden as seen from an elevation of 12-inches. From my height (about 6-feet) it appears as swaths of red and white and yellow with no real detail.
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5 Fast Facts You Need to Know about the Ryan Lochte and Kayla Rae Reid Romance
Ryan Lochte has a new girlfriend. Everyone's favorite Olympic swimmer is dating Playboy model Kayla Rae Reid.
Ryan Lochte has a new woman in his life. The five-time Olympic gold medalist is dating Playboy model Kayla Rae Reid and the couple couldn’t look any cuter as they pose for sweet selfies and dine out with Lochte’s mother.
Lochte, 31, and Reid, 24, have been dating since at least March, according to Us Weekly. The Olympic swimmer is competing at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro this August.
Here’s what you need to know.
1. Lochte and Reid Love to Make Kissy Faces
Lochte and Reid have not kept their love a secret. The couple has shared multiple photos making kissy faces at each other on Instagram. Lochte has also given him and Reid a celebrity couple name — #Rayla. The Olympic swimmer first mentioned to Us Weekly back in March that he was in a stable relationship.
The couple also spent Cinco de Mayo together. Lochte mixed a couple of homemade margaritas together to celebrate. “Not bad way to end a great day with @kaylaraereid on #cincodemayo and homemade margaritas,” he captioned a photo of the beverages.
Last spring, Lochte was linked to Amanda Sauer, who taught sixth grade science and coached soccer, according to WCNC, the local NBC affiliate in Charlotte, North Carolina. He met her at a bar in Charlotte and she didn’t know he was an Olympic swimmer when they first met.
2. Lochte Already Introduced Reid to His Mother
Things are serious enough between Lochte and Reid that he took her out to dinner with his mother, Ileana Lochte. The three dined out and Lochte shared the special moment on Instagram with the caption, “Dinner with MY two gems: my mom and @kaylaraereid #BYOsalad #shirleytemple.”
Ileana became famous in her own right during the 2012 Olympics when she told Today that her son “goes out on one-night stands.” She added, “He’s not able to give fully to a relationship because he’s always on the go.” Lochte quickly clarified his mother’s comments, telling Us Weekly at the time:
"They took it out of context. My mom is really new to all of this and the media. She meant since the last 4 years I just wanted to focus on swimming, and I didn’t really have time for a relationship."
3. Reid Isn't All That Interested in Swimming
Reid’s most endearing quality may be that she’s not all that interested in Lochte’s day job. He told Us Weekly that his girlfriend doesn’t know much about the sport that has earned him international recognition. Lochte also has never had much interest in dating a fellow swimmer or another Olympian as he told Us Weekly.
"I could never, no! I mean, I just never really tried to go out and date. It just kind of happened, but now that I have someone it is stability and it is nice. It’s also really nice having someone who isn’t all into swimming and doesn’t really know much."
The Playboy model was name Playmate of the Month in July 2015. Reid was born in Virginia and moved to Palm Springs, California at age 10, according to Playboy bio. She hopes to one day launch a career in television and says in her bio:
"I always want to be the best version of myself. A part of that is people know me not only as a Playmate but as an intellectual, determined, driven woman. As I say, if you dream it, you have it. Right now, I feel like I can do anything."
4. Lochte is No Longer a Party Boy
The best-looking male swimmer in Olympic history, Lochte spent as much time winning medals at the 2012 London Olympics as he did hitting the nightclubs and partying. He’s trying to shed the party boy image, training hard and settling down into a relationship.
“I’m definitely more mature,” he told Us Weekly. “Going into the [London] games I was more of a single guy party boy.”
5. Lochte is participating in his 3rd Olympics summer 2016 Rio
The What Would Ryan Lochte Do? star already has 11 Olympic medals including five gold, three silver and three bronze, collected at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Seven of those are for individual events.
Lochte will always be more fun and personable than his teammate Michael Phelps. . .more 'real' as some have described him, and we don't see Ryan dragging any toddlers along to future Olympics, but you never know. . .
