So far, so good

I checked the gate this afternoon. The lock and chain were still there. I walked the perimeter fence, pausing to wish one of the neighbors Happy Easter, to check for new fence cuts. There were none. Perhaps it was a passing fad or they're (whoever THEY area) are just taking a break until the next time. I did find a new piece of wire in the same place where I've found copper wire before. It's not far from the TECO substation and the rail siding. Very mysterious.

What (ugh!) could have been

I met one of the neighbors today, a lovely older ( she admitted to 90+) lady named Ruth.. She said the reason for the east-west road is that at one time there were plans to develop a mobile home park, which for some reason never worked out. That certainly saved a lot of endangered species and kept a great future preserve from being trashed. Besides, they never could have grown a decent lawn anyway.

Do not extinguish

I was wondering today whether there is a land-management equivalent to the "Do Not Resuscistate" cards people have when they want to die naturally without a lot of heroic crap. If there were ever a fire here, I would hope that I could direct the fire crew to protect any property around the preserve, but to let the fire within the preserve pretty much run its course. That would bring a more salutary effect that this gyrochopping they have in mind. Technology is easier. Nature is better.

Not the Easter bunny

I discovered the chain and lock had been stolen from the gate at Holt & Holton (why do they have two streets with such similar names so close together). This is the first time that has happened since May 2003. FWC finally brought replacement locks in August 2005. This time I'll probably take matters into my own hands and see what happens.

Bad grass, good grass

One of the challenges here is to deal with exotics. Grasses are the most serious category. There are three species that are particularly troublesome: cogon grass, Natal grass and Guinea grass. The only practical removal is pulling in the case of Natal grass or digging in the case of cogon or Guinea, especially the later because, as its former scientific name (Panicum maxima) implies, it's a big species. The challenge is finding enough bags to contain it all. It's amazing how quickly the bags fill. On the other hand there are lovely grasses here, my favorite being Lopsided Indian Grass, which shows its stuff in the fall. I had never seen it or known of it before I arrived. It has certainly been a welcome addition to the landscape. I also have some Wiregrass, which is the prescribed firestarter's friend. Most of it hasn't had much to do lately, though. More's the pity.

Dirt bike intrusion

I'm not sure whether the dirt biker is still with me. I haven't had time to explore the property for new evidence. The no-vehicle sign remains undisturbed. It's always something, but I need to get into the north tract to check into some trash issues anyway. I want to wait awhile for my next Sand Skink walk. I need to replace some of the bowed boards anyway.

Click, Click

Sunday while I was checking the Sand Skink route along the northern fire lane , underneath one board was a pair of Click Beetles. I had seen a larva recently, but assumed it was from another species. Apparently not. They were about 30 mm long and brownish. I've found Eyed Elaters here and one of the smaller (10 mm) brown species, but these guys are new to me. I'll have to look them up in Kenn Kaufman's new insect guide, which is awesome, by the way. Later on I hauled out three bags of trash from the windrows near the fire lane. I would have carried out more, but I ran out of bags.