Manatees, Quite a Character daily painting by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

The first manatee of the season made its way past our dock last night. Our new neighbors said there were a group of manatees in the canal last week, but I didn't see them myself. Manatees are vegetarians, and come into the canal during the day to feed on a sea grass bed at the end the canal where it opens up into a wider pond. At night they head back out to the river and into the deeper water that might be a bit warmer on a cold night. It's hard to get a good picture because the manatees swim just under the surface of the water, so all you see is a pattern of expanding circles on the surface unless they happen to do a nose-up for a quick breath. I've promised my sister for years that if she just visits Florida in February I can guarantee that she'll see a manatee int he wild. This year she's coming, so I'm going to have to watch their movement patterns carefully to fulfill my promise!

The palm in today's Everglades painting is Quite a Character. Don't you know someone just like him/her? A bit prickly in places but strong, stately, and with some gorgeous attributes!

Quite a Character
7" x 5"

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