Fence fixed, toxic waste collected, etc.

I finally fixed the fence after removing the trees and then set out to explore the rest of the fire lane. I found a 5-gallong bucket that appeared to contain oil or something like it and removed it after finding a cover. I also carried out a large garbage bag of, well, garbage and did some minor weed whacking with a sling blade. I think the project for this year will be widening and clearing the fire lanes.

Other trails in the sand

When people speak of trails in the sand in scrub, they're usually talking about Sand Skinks. However, sometimes the sand surface looks like a miniature railyard with many crisscrossing paths. The tracks are on the surface, not beneath it. They belong to Narceus gordanus, the resident large species of millipede that is quite common here. I had this species identified a couple of years ago by a scientist at the University of Florida. It was first described in 1948, owing to the slow progress in cataloguing Millipedia, no matter how easy they are to find.

Fixing the fence again

I've been avoiding the gym for the past few days because I haven't needed it. Two large trees fell on the north fence line and I've been slowing chopping them into manageable pieces, hauling them with cable and will have the fence up again by this weekend. The firelane adjacent needs work. The Johnson grass is back with a vengeance.

A new view of Asclepias curtissi

Asclepias curtissi appears to be more common this year on my island. I've seen several plants and they are usually white when in full bloom and begin to yellow in decine. Over the weekend I found a few with a lilac tint. They appear to be new flowers--one had a few unopened buds. I will post photos when I get them back. It is thrilling to find little secrets about plants you think you already know.

The spiders among us

In the course of some of my other wildlife work I have encountered all kinds of spiders, some familiar, some unfamiliar. It opens up an entirely new group of organisms to learn about. I will post some photos as I obtain them.