Photos Of The Week: Close Encounters With Nature

FLORIDA — Phone cameras make it so easy to capture great moments any day, any time. Have you taken some great photos of flowers in bloom, children frolicking at the beach, breathtaking sunsets, dramatic skylines or a funny photo of the family dogs plunging into the backyard swimming pool?

The Florida Patch sites publish a collection of Photos of the Week each weekend sent in by readers.

Whether you snapped an amazing shot with your smartphone or spent hours capturing the decisive moment on a Nikon D6, send your photos to Tampa Bay Patch editor D'Ann White at dann.white@patch.com with the location of the photo and the name of the photographer. You might see your photo featured on Patch.

This has become one of our favorite features. We enjoy looking at the amazing photos we receive as much as residents enjoyed taking them.

The response has been overwhelming, and it's been fun — and challenging — to choose a collection of photos each week with a specific theme.

We're fortunate in Florida to have so many chances to interact with nature, whether it's visiting a zoo, botanical gardens, hiking in the woods, hanging out at the beach or just sitting in your own back yard.

Here's a selection of nature encounters submitted by our readers.