Hardly A Seedling Anywhere; Second Plant Unexpectedly Blooms

 Thia is so far the worst season for seedlings I can recall. During a survey this week I found one more to bring the total barely into the double digits and it is almost April.

It has been somewhat drier than usual when I compared rainfall data at my home about a mile away between the two years.

There are no seedlings in the path so far.

Meanwhile, in the third planting area, a plant I though was dead has since my last visit sprouted leaves and flowers.

However the habitat around these plants is not hospitable to germination because it is overgrown and has a lot of leaf litter;

I may need to go out and do some temporary clearing and ask for a Ridge Rangers work day to follow up.

Still Few Lupine Seedlings; No Blooms On Possibly Declining Sole Mature Plant

 I visited the preserve today to see if there was any progress on this year's McFarlin's Lupine seedling season.

There was not. Two more in the second planting area and no more in the first planting area and only two more in the second planting area. There were none in the third planting area and the lone mature plant had a gray branch, making we wonder whether it will survive in time to bloom.

The bloom times have varied so I will just have to monitor. The issue through is that even if it blooms, it is growing in an overgrown area that is not optimal for seedling dispersal and emergence.

I have no control over that; it is up to FWC land managers to fix.

On the way out I checked the area where I usually find  Clitoria fragrans and found none. Not sure what that means.

I also collected a few pounds of broken glass and other debris.

 

Lupine Season Begins Slowly; Overgrowth Continues To Worsen

 I surveyed the McFarlin's Lupine planting areas this afternoon to see if any seedlings had emerged.

There were four in the first planting area, three in the second planting area and none in the third planting area.

As noted in an earlier post, the third planting area is the most overgrown of the three and definitely needs some work to open it up to encourage germination. The other two need some work, too. but not as much.

Meanwhile weather has also been a factor. Although there was 2.4 inches of rain in January, so far February rainfall has totaled only 0.2 of an inch, though more showers are predicted in the next 24 hours.

Overall, though, the La Nina winter means drier and warmer conditions, which is a stress factor for seedlings, but that is nature and there is nothing that needs to be done. That is because this effort is intended to determine whether this population can survive on its own.

I also picked up a couple of pounds of debris that has been exposed by weather and the recent discing of the fire lanes.

I will check back in a few weeks to see how many more seedlings have emerged.

I will also check out the volunteer areas where the mechanical work awakened an old seed bank. Last year there were no seedlings there., If none emerge this year. it could be a good candidate for a prescribed fire, since that
section was never burned.

    

An Intriguing Burrow May Mean Gopher Tortoise Arrival

 

While I was checking the third McFarlin's Lupine planting area, I discovered an intriguing looking burrow that was not there the last time I visited the area, which was last spring if memory serves.

The shape of the opening suggests it is a Gopher Tortoise burrow. There seemed to be tracks at the entrance. which indicates it is active. 

The preserve has not had a gopher tortoise population in the time I have been monitoring it. I have seen two gopher tortoises of unknown origin, but they did not persist. I found one of them dead. Not sure what became of the other one.

As noted in an earlier post, I recently found the empty shell of a Florida Box Turtle. but they do not dig burrows, so I can rule out that species as the occupant.

I will have to recheck the area from time to time to document what is happening.

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Checking On The Lupines

 

I went out over the weekend to see if any McFarlin's Lupine seedlings had begun emerging and what the status of the existing plants were.

I did not see any seedlings and when I checked the second planting area. I found none of the seedlings from last year had survived.

In the third planting area one remaining mature plant appeared healthy and likely to bloom this spring if it survives.

I will check again in a few weeks.

The Fire Lane Becomes A Fire Lane Again

 I was pleasantly surprised  on New Year's Day to see the mowing crew had arrived recently to give the fire lane a haircut so that it becomes a fire lane again.

I was visiting to collect trash exposed in the sand after recent rains. I collected a bucketful of glass shards, cans, bottles and an old shoe. 

The mowing crew did leave the area around the first lupine planting area alone as agreed to previously.

I briefly checked on the lupines in the second planting area. A few are still surviving and appeared healthy.

I will begin checking on new seedlings  in a few weeks.

The north and south fire lanes are flanked by exotic trees. 

One thing to watch is whether they cause problems inside the preserve. These species become quite  large at maturity, so they could become an issue if they become established.

The Case of the Mysterious Dead Turtle

 

Although most of the discussion about non-aquatic turtles and tortoises in Florida focuses on gopher tortoises. I've sometimes wondered whether people were not seeing the complete picture.

Gopher tortoises have certainly declined as development has overtaken their habitat, but I still see them or their active burrows regularly when I am in uplands.

Florida box turtles are another story. If I see one every year or so, I am delighted.

I have read they were actively collected in Florida at one time for the pet trade until wildlife officials stepped in.

I don't know much about their habits except that they do not dig deep burrows like gopher tortoises and instead hollow out a shallow pit and lie among the leaves and soil when they are not active.

Recently I found an empty Florida box turtle shell in the preserve. I have never recorded this species here are far as I can remember over the past 20 years I have been on the site.  

I am assuming it was coyote predation. I see coyote scat regularly in the preserve, but that is just a guess.