Fall Arrives, But Some Wildflowers Waiting

 

Today was the first day of fall and I went out in the midday heat to find out what was blooming.

It was mostly an early purple affair. The Chapman's Blazing Star were rife in their usual spots on the preserve's west side.

In the center were an impressive array of Scrub Blazing Star. 

I saw one blooming Scrub Morning Glory and the Scrub Holly berries are emerging, but are still green.

I noticed a handful of the McFarlin's Lupin have survived their first summer, which is a sign they may survive to adulthood, but there is another summer between now and then.

Still holding off from flowering here are the Carphephorous and the Balduina, both of which are still in the bud stage.

I noticed the recent rains have turned up more broken glass and I found an intact beer bottle and wine bottle that re likely courtesy of the generosity of the neighbors.

I guess will have to return with a grabber and a bucket to remove them from the landscape.

Seedlings Survive Tropical Storm Debby

 I went out today to check on storm damage, but noticed fresh tire tracks that led me to conclude FWC folks were on the job. 

I did check the second Scrub Lupine planting area and found all of the seedlings appeared to have survived after surviving the hot spring weather.

Let's see if they survive until next spring and grow to maturity. 

I checked on the Clitoria fragrans, too. It seems to be holding on, but could use some new material.

The rain also exposed more formerly buried trash, I will return to collect.

I noticed that in the east-west corridor near the second lupine planting area there is an abundance of Septic Weed/Coffee Senna, probably brought in by mowing equipment, Sleepy Orange likes that, as I recall.

  

Some Lupine Seedlings Survive Until The Start of the Rainy Season; Most Do Not

 I made a quick survey of the lupine patches in the afternoon summer heat today.

I stopped first at the second planting area and found eight of the 12 seedlings that emerged this year still alive, though some were less robust looking than others.

I headed north to the call of a Northern Bobwhite somewhere in the fencerow. It was the first one I had heard there in a few years.

The fire lane appeared to have been recently mowed, exposing a lot of small debris that I will deal with in cooler parts of the day.

I finally reached the first planting area and found one lone surviving seedling among the 64 I had flagged earlier this year. It was at the northern edge of the east-west path.

I will come back later to remove the flags/

I was thinking I had kept numbers in previous years, but apparently I did not.

A quick word about June weather.

The National Weather Service, this was the fourth warmest June on record with an average temperature of 84.4 F. Official rainfall was 7.4 inches, but at my house,, which is about halfway between Gilbert Field and the preserve, I recorded 8.9 inches.

Despite Record Dry May, Some Lupine Seedlings Survive

 My is always a tough time for Lupine seedlings because of the typical heat and lack of rainfall.

According to the National Weather Service in Ruskin, the average temperature in Winter Haven last month was 82.9 F, which is the hottest since the station began keeping records in 1941.

Rainfall was 2.61 inches, but most of that fell in a single day in the middle of the month. There has been no measurable precipitation at my home a mile from the preserve  since May 16.

In the first planting area, 8 of the 65 seedlings flagged earlier this year are still alive.

In the second planting area, 10 of the 12 flagged seedlings are surviving.

In the third planting area, which is the worst managed of the site, all four seedlings are dead.

That means that so far the survival rate is   about 20 percent, which is encouraging. 

Rainfall is predicted this week. 

Cogon Grass Control At Last; Mid-Spring Seedling Survival

 

I visited the site today and was pleased to see that there had been some great work done to whack the Brazilian Pepper on the periphery and to zap the Cogon Grass that had been expanding over the past several years in the southeastern corner of the north tract where a small population of Clitoria fragrans survives.

As I understand it, additional treatments will probably be necessary. 

Meanwhile, I spent some time today tallying the mid-spring survival rate of the McFarlin's Lupine seedlings.

With all apologies to T.S. Eliot, when it comes to lupines, May is the cruelest month.

Temperatures have reached the 90s and there has been no measurable precipitation.

In the first planting area, there are 19 live seedlings and 54 dead ones.

In the second planting area, there are 10 live plants and 2 dead ones.

In the overgrown third planting area, there are 2 live plants and 3 dead plants. 

The number of dead plants are likely to increase as I observed some with withered lower leaves.

I will follow up at the end of the month as the rainy season, if it occurs, begins.

 

McFarlin's Lupine Gains Full Species Status; New Justification For Increased Protection, Improved Site Management

 

The pink-blossomed lupine that grows here is finally a full species again and this time it looks as though the designation will stick.

Although a local botanist named James Brigham McFarlin wrote in the early 1930s that this lupine was likely a separate species, he never formally described it.

That task fell to John Beckner, who published the first formal description in 1982 and named it Lupinus aridorum. However in 1986 another botanist named Duane Isley wrote that it was a variety of Lupinus westianus., a species found in the Florida Panhandle.

Now thanks to the recently published results of detailed genetic and morphological analysis of lupines throughout Florida  by Edwin Bridges and Steve Enzor, the plant has regained its full species status. 

According to an article  published in the latest issue of Sabal Minor, the Florida Native Plant Society's bimonthly newsletter, the reclassification provides greater justification for more efforts to protect the few remaining populations.

The article says that Bridges and Orzell have concluded that now that the uncertainty over whether this  was a separate species or merely a variety of another species found in the western Panhandle has been resolved, its status has changed from Globally Vulnerable to Globally Imperiled.

That, in turn, could help to attract state and federal resources to prevent its extinction.

Here at the preserve that would certainly mean opening up more of the terrain around the planting sites to provide better conditions for seed germination and pant survival.

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Lupine Seedling Count Increases Slightly

 I continued the survey of what should be near the end of seedling emergence.

The total as of today was:

First planting area:  85 seedlings.

Second planting area: 12 seedlings.

Third planting area: 4 seedlings.

Today I found one new seedling in each planting area.

As expected, several of the seedlings have died already,

I will follow up at the end of the dry season to check on the survival rate.

I also checked the fence line on the south tract. There is still a cherry laurel blocking the fire lane.

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Seedlings Still Appearing; Open Gate

 I am still finding additional seedlings at the preserve.

All of them are in the first planting area.

Although the majority are in the path next to the first planting area, I finally found one seedling in one of the openings in the first planting area's western section.

The adult plants from later plantings and seedling survival from a couple of years ago are pretty much done blooming. They should start broadcasting seeds in a month or so.

Like others in this planting area, the seedlings are popping up amid the sand spike moss (Selaginella arenicola) that has re-established itself after being removed back when to make way for the initial planting.

In places where I have open sand, Sand Skink tracks are hard to miss, which is another sign of spring.

On the way back to my truck, I noticed the front gate was open. The chain and lock were intact, so I assumed someone just forgot to relock it when they left. Anyway,. it is locked now.

Clearing The Fire Lane For George

 

There have been fallen trees partially blocking the fire lanes for the past couple of years.

I did some work but had decided to let George do it. instead of me.

It seems George died, Meanwhile, I received a small battery-power chainsaw for Christmas that is able to sever tree branches, but not tree trunks.

I decided to go out today to see what I could do to improve the situation.

I was able to trim four of the deadfalls, which will make it easier for FWC staff to check out the area as needed.

I also found two more seedlings today in the now protected path adjacent to the first planting area.

The lupines in the third planting area are in full bloom, but need space to spread seeds. That will be a project for another day.

More Lupines And A Bucketful of Debris

 I revisited the site this morning and put down six more flags, five in the first planting area and one in the second planting area.

One interesting change was I found the westernmost seedling just west of the westermost mature plant that has flowered for the past two years.

I visited the volunteer sites and still find no seedlings. Maybe a future burn will change that. 

The mature plants are still blooming, but one looked close to being done.

While I was doing this I walked the trail system and picked some pieces of broken beer and soda bottles and other debris that rain and wind exposed.

I also noticed a vehicle had been on site recently. but had not entered the path full of seedlings next to the first planting area, which made me glad that my friends at FWC have put the word out to avoid that area.

  

Seedlings Still Popping Up; More Plants Begin To Bloom

 I went out today with just enough flags to mark additional seedlings that I found today.

The bulk of the seedlings are still occurring in open areas in and around the first planting area, which was established in 2008.

According to my count today, there are 54 seedlings in that area.

There are nine seedlings so far in the second planting area, which was established in 2010.

In the most recent planting area, which dates from less than five years ago, there were only three seedlings.

I have checked the volunteer areas farther west a couple of times and so far have found no seedlings.

I'd add that a few of the seedlings I  have flagged this year have already died, which is expected.    

I plan to check for new seedlings at least once again this month. I normally don't any after that.

I plan a follow up survey in May or June to see how many of the seedlings have survived.

Lupines Begin To Bloom

 

While I was checking for and finding additional seedlings at the preserve today, I walked by the only mature plant near the first planting area and noticed it was beginning to bloom.

I did not check the plants in the third planting area, but assume they will begin blooming soon.

I left some extra flags to use in the next survey.

After I left that area. I went out to check the north fence line,

I noticed one of the neighbors had a hog pen, complete with hog.

I noticed some hog damage in the fire land nearby, but for now the animal appeared to be securely confined. 

 

Additional Reasons To Keep Vehicles Away From Lupine Area

 During the ongoing monitoring of the emergence of this year's crop of Scrub Lupine seedlings I feel vindicated about making it a point to emphasize the need to keep vehicles out of the path near the original planting area.

That's because that seems to be where the bulk of this year's crop lies.

As you can see by the flags, they are spread all the across the path.

I also checked the volunteer area farther west. No seedlings were present. Probably needs its first burn. It is the only section of the north tract that has never been burned.

   

Next Time Bring More Flags

I went out today to monitor the seedling emergence.

It is increasing and I did not bring enough flags to mark every plant.

So far it looks like there are about 50 seedlings, mostly in the first planting area.

The new seedlings include plants emerging in a portion of the trail near the first planting area, but not near the area where some mature plants put out seeds last year before the tractors may have buried them.

If the pledge to keep vehicles out of the path near the first planting area is honored. it would  protect those plants. 

Meanwhile, a handful of adult plants appear to be ready to bloom within the next month.

Next year may be interesting.

 

Lupines Still Popping Up; Cogon Grass Even More So

 

This afternoon I found more Scrub Lupine seedlings, all of the new ones in and around the first planting area.

I also found a second plant from last year's crop whose flag had faded so much I had not noticed it earlier.

One of the seedlings appeared to have died already, which is not unusual. The test will be to see how may survive until the summer rainy season.

Meanwhile the Cogon Grass patch at the southeastern corner of the northern tract continues to spread untreated. At last check it seemed to be spreading toward the eastern fire lane rather than westward toward a small patch of Clitoria fragrans that only inhabits that part of the preserve.

Many years ago there was a small patch of Cogon Grass in that section of the fire lane. I duck it up and bagged and then brought in some Natal Grass from elsewhere in the preserve to outcompete, which it did for many years.

This is no longer a small patch and if my friends from FWC are reading this, you might want to check out the situation.

  

Lupines Slowly Emerge

 I have been visiting the preserve more of less weekly to check on the emergence of Scrub Lupine seedlings in the various planting areas.

As of today, 21 seedlings have appeared and been flagged. There is also a single surviving seedling from 2023.

Most of them are in the older planting areas, portions of which are still more open and free of leaf litter than the third planting area. That area is badly overgrown and needs some serious management attention, though it is unclear how soon that will occur. It still contains some mature plants that appear to be healthy and should bloom again this spring if they survive.

I have visited the volunteer sights farther west a couple of times and so far have seen no seedlings.

That section has never been burned. It was not burned because the lupines were discovered there just before the planned landscape burn that occurred in 2008.

I was wondering whether fire would result in more seedlings popping up from the old seed bank in that section of the property. No Scrub Lupine emerged anywhere else on the property after the fire.

Blue Lupine did emerge a couple of times in the sandhill area where a relic population of Clitoria fragrans survives, but it was just a single plant and did not persist.

 

Lupine, Leaf Litter And More

 One of the most obvious failures of a work day several years ago involving Duke Energy at the preserve was the lack of a long-term plan to control  regrowth of the tree canopy.

As anyone who has a tree in their yard or a neighbor who has tree can attest, trees shed leaves annually and someone has to deal with the results.

In some habitats that is no big deal because the leaves have an ecological benefit and are better left where they fall.

In scrub habitat it can be a bit more challenging.

This is true here regarding the attempt to create a sustainable population of Scrub Lupine, which was recently once again described as a separate species from another lupine in the Florida Panhandle and is extremely rare.

It does not do well with a lot of tree canopy, which has overwhelmed the latest  planting area and created a lot of leaf litter and that is the challenge in the most recent planting area here.

Today I set out with a rake to deal with the leaf litter, but it seemed that stronger measures might be appropriate.

In the most recent planting area, I found one seedling after raking the leaves and another after checking the remains of a dead plant and still another amid the little bare ground amid some sprouting oaks.

I was still removing old flags from previous years and while I was at work found one survivor from last year's seedling emergence that will need some help to see the sun.

The earlier planting areas--especially the first one--are badly overgrown.

.I do not have any herbicide to treat the small stumps, but may use spray paint as an interim treatment I will report how that works out.

      

A New Lupine Season, Slowly

 

I went out this afternoon for the first survey of 2024 for Scrub Lupine seedlings.

So far, only about half a dozen seedlings have emerged, mostly in the second planting area and generally on the periphery.

I have removed all of the old flags from previous years so there is no confusion about the current distribution. The numbered disks remain in the ground.

The most recent planting area, which still contains some adult plants that may produce more seeds this spring,  was notable by the absence so far of seedlings, The area is extremely overgrown, shaded and covered with leaf litter, the last of which is the only issue over I have any control at the moment.

The ground is more intensively covered with spike moss than it was when the original plantings occurred.  I am not sure how that affects seedling emergence.

Meanwhile, data submitted to iNaturalist indicates there has been a proposed split among Florida lupine species that includes the determination that Lupinus aridorum is now considered a separate species and not a subspecies of L. westianus, which is found in the Florida Panhandle and adjacent areas of the Southeast.

I have not seen a paper redescribing the species and do not know whether the change is being accepted.