Fuel "Reduction" Indeed

I finally got a response of sorts from the person in charge of managing the preserve regarding the massive chainsaw operations around the Scrub Lupine planting areas.

The answer and promise not to laugh. was that they were conducting a "fuels reduction" operation. As you can see from these photos nothing has been reduced: except the height of the fuels.

Now there is a mass of dead vegetation lying on the ground, and in some cases seeming to block any chance for lupine seedlings to sprout beneath the dense piles of chainsawed foliage. I searched what open areas still remained in the first planting area and did not find any sign of seedling emergence.

There has been a mild drought this year and that was probably a factor, too.

Nevertheless, I suspect this work is done by unsupervised contractors, My original suggestion that they clear around the planting areas to reduce shade and leaf litter was somehow misinterpreted to mean to cut down a bunch of trees and leave the debris lying across the landscape.  

Meanwhile, summer is coming. Maybe a lucky lightning strike or two will deal with the situation.

The visit did have some highlights. Scrub blazing star, scrub morning glory and Curtiss' milkweed are blooming along with some more common plant species. Also, I flushed a Common Nighhawk from  its spot along one of the trails on my way and out of the preserve, which leads ne to believe it may be nesting. I left quickly to avoid stressing it.further.

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The Lake Blue Chainsaw Massacre

 I went to the preserve yesterday to check on McFarlin's Lupine seedlings that had emerged this year..

It did not go well.

My first stop was the second planting area.

I was greeted with a wall of downed trees, but was finally able to find a way through by moving a couple of small trees that had been chainsawed. I found two seedlings.

I went to the third planting area and saw no entry point.

Finally, I headed to the east-west path and found it was blocked, too.

I found a way in farther west from the northern fire lane. but encountered another blockade.

I worked my way though it but there was so much chain sawed trees and brush it seemed the seedling areas I normally survey were covered in brush, so I left. 

I sent an email to the FWC volunteer coordinator  this morning to find out what was going on.

If I find out anything, I will provide an update.

Lupine Update: No Surviving Seedlings This Year

 I revisited the site today to see if either of the two surviving Scrub Lupine seedlings were still alive.

They were not.

It has been a relatively dry summer and fall, but these are scrub plants that are adapted to arid conditions. so I doubt weather had anything to do with it.

All of the other plants here are thriving.

Habitat quality is not the whole story, either. 

Although some parts of the original planting areas and a later planting area are badly overgrown, there is still adequate open habitat with minimal leaf litter at the sites where this year's seedlings emerged. There seems to be fewer and fewer seedlings emerging each year. 

This was an experiment and sometimes experiments do not produce the desired results.

One thing I was wondering about is whether putting fire in the never-burned section where lupines emerged from an old seed bank might produce some results.

I'll leave that to people who are more qualified than I am to evaluate the situation All I can do is monitor and report the results.

Scrub Liatris Appears To Be Expanding

 I hiked the middle east-west trail today to check on the one surviving Scrub Lupine in the second planting area--it still lives and appears healthy--when I saw something else worth noting.

The Scrub Blazing Star aka Sand Torch (Liatris ohlingerae) appears to be spreading into the habitat on both sides of the trail. There were several plants in various stages of flowering both at the edge of the trail.and in the nearby open scrub.

I had also saw one plant in full bloom along the north-south trail, which 20 years ago was the main  location of this species in the preserve. 

I also saw a couple of  Bonamia grandiflora and  Asclepias curtissi.

I was also checking on something else, which was the presence or absence of acorns on the Turkey Oaks.

It was mostly absence. I cannot explain it since there  many acorns on these trees right now in other parts of the county. Very curious. 

And Then There Were Two

 I went out to check the site today after a strong storm came through the other day, but did not see anything concerning in the section I visited.

While I was there, I checked on the Scrub Lupine seedlings.

Only two have survived. One in the first planting area and one in the second planting area.

The rainy season has arrived and the fire lane vegetation is rank in some places.

Also, the Ear Tree growing in the right of way just outside the fence near the walk-through entrance in the north tract is dropping seed pods in the fire lane. Hard to say if any of them will germinate, but certainly don't want to repeat the spread of what I guess are Poinciana trees on the north fire lane.

Because of some health issues.I did not hike the entire perimeter so I cannot comment on what is happening in the rest of the property,

While I was there I did collect a small amount of trash exposed in the sand from recent rains. That seems to be a neverending task.

  

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.

 

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.

Some Lupines Survived The Storms

 I made a brief visit to the north tract today to check on the lupines and see what detritus had emerged from the sand.

Four seedlings from this year's crop are still alive and appear to be healthy.

Some of the flags were missing for some reason. I replaced them with the flags next to the plants that did not make it. There is no sense in having a flag present when the plant no longer is.

I will be checking for new seedlings in a couple of months.

After checking on the lupines, I spent about half an hour with a grabber and a bucket plucking pieces of glass, metal and plastic from the trails.

I also noticed someone appears to have chopped down a Scrub Bay next to the fire lane. Very mysterious.

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.

  

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. 

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.

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.

  

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.