The Owl and the Frog

 A Green Tree Frog (Hyla cinera) on a banana leaf.

See all the Frogs of Florida at the University of Florida FROGS & TOADS site.

A Barred Owl (Strix varia).

 Below:  The Barred Owl goes by a lot of other colloquial names but is probably best known as the "Hoot Owl."  The owl increasingly likes suburban neighborhoods as its favorite food is vermin:  Rats and mice.

 FLORIDA:  How Dry can it get?

 As the central peninsula of Florida continues to dry, wildfires are more likely to occur.  Higher sun angles, strong winds, and lack of rain are creating an increasingly dangerous risk of wildfires.  The smell of smoke is heavy in the air this evening as a dozen fires burn in our general vicinity.

The past few days winds have calmed in the evenings allowing the smoke from wildfires to settle.  There are currently 40,000 acres burning in the state with a total of 109 active wildfires according to the Florida Forestry Service.  In east central Florida there are at least a dozen fires burning tonight.

There is little chance of rain until at least the 10th of May.

Above:  The current Keetch Byram Drought Index shows that a good portion of Florida is currently experiencing desert-like soil conditions.  This drought has been caused in large part by at least two years of La Niña conditions in the Pacific Ocean.  While the current La Niña is now officially over, there is a lag prior to a shift in weather patterns.   Historically, Florida's rainy season does not begin until the end of May.