One Path Clear, More To Go

I finally finished work yesterday on removing the mass of Natal grass from the central trail through the preserve.

I now have a relatively easy task of clearing  branches away from this and other paths, which will involve loppers and shouldn't take more than a single visit.

The fire lane still lies unmowed despite pledges to get the work done. It remains an eyesore, an exotic weed sink and a fire hazard.  Also, when it's mowed it's easier to find the trash the neighbors have tossed over the fence.

Meanwhile, my next major project is to work on the trail on the south tract in preparation for Nature Fest and to make it easier for me to get around the property.

They Only Come Out At Night

This large millipede species (Narceus gordanus, if you want to be formal) is quite common here.
I find them curled up under leaf litter when I'm doing various kinds of management work.
I've seen their tracks in the sand, but rarely seen them on the move.
At dusk today I spotted one in the open after I had been photographing some moths nearby.[

Moths & Milkweed

I made an interesting discovery this week.
While I was wrapping up some exotics control around dusk, I saw a  couple of Harlequin Moths on Curtiss' Milkweed.

I had seen these moths in the preserve before,, but I had never seen moths of this species nectaring before.

Typically, sphinxes and flower moths do this, but from what I've read, most other moths do not. In fact, many moths do not feed much in their adult stage.

Scrub's Summer White

White flowers are everywhere in the scrub at Lake Blue this summer.

                                       Curtiss' Milkweed

                                       Pine Catchfly

                                    Milkweed Seed Pod and Milkweed Bug

There's Curtiss' Milkweed, Pine Catchfly, Feay's Palaox, Elliott's Milk Pea and Sandlace. Another white natural object is the opening seed pod for Butterfly Weed, which has orang flowers. Inside the seed pod is a Large Milkweed Bug.

It's hot, but there's lot to see.

More Than Lock Missing At Gate

Yesterday's discovery of tire ruts and an open gate at the end of First Avenue was the result of hasty inventory. My truck was parked on the other side of the preserve and a thunderstorm was bearing down on me.
It was sunny this afternoon and I went out to take another look.
Someone had also removed the small FWC boundary sign from the gate post.
I took a few photos and nailed a replacement sign to a gate post at the entrance.
This is the first problem I've had with the neighbors on this side other than beer bottles over the fence in awhile.
This incident may merit more attention.

An Open Gate; Natal Grass Work Continues

I was out on a thunderstorm-abbreviated walk though the preserve today when I ran into a wide-open gate at the end of First Avenue. There were wheel ruts in the fire lane. It looks as though someone backed a truck in. The chain and lock on the gate were missing. I hadn't been to that entrance recently, so I'm not sure what happened.

Later in the afternoon, I resumed work clearing Natal grass from fire lane from the north-south path to the eastern fire lane near one of the Lupine planting area.

I have two more days of work, I think. Then I will see how long it lasts.

Dawn In Summer At The Preserve

I stopped by at dawn today to retrieve some equipment I left behind yesterday afternoon to avoid a lightning storm.

I'm rarely here this early, especially at this time of year.

Towhees and a bobwhite were calling from the underbrush. A Common Nighthawk was making its last foraging run of the evening at bushtop level.

The neighbors; Indian Peafowl was calling  in the distance.

Other than that it was very peaceful. I should come out more often at dawn.