I recently met this adult, non-breeding Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) on the beach near my house. The big bill is a standout feature on this, the largest member of the plover family.

The other key identifier is that they do not flock together. Unlike other plovers, this species was practicing social distancing before it was cool.

Talk about racking up frequent flier miles, these plovers winter along all the US coastlines but their summer breeding range is way up north of the Arctic Circle.

Fridays are usually a half day of work for me. I was especially happy to get out early yesterday since it was warm and sunny (after a week of gray, chilly weather).

I finally made it over to Weedon Island Preserve. The state bought the island in 1974, to protect the remnants of what was once a thriving Manasota village. Now managed by Pinellas County, wildlife abounds in the preserve which I was excited to explore.

As so often happens, I came across something new for me to learn about. Dotted Beebalm (Monarda punctata), also known as Horsemint, is a fragrant and showy member of the mint family.

The lavender-pink bracts are the visual highlight but the small, yellow tubular flowers are the main draw for pollinators. Thriving in salty, sandy soil this native plant attracts wasp species that prey on harmful caterpillars and insects.

All that and it smells good, too (reminiscent of thyme). I can’t wait to plant some, it will be a great addition to my yard!

Considered an invasive species here in Florida, Ceasar Weed (Urena lobata) is highly prized in other parts of the world. A member of the hibiscus family (along with cotton), Ceasar Weed’s long fibers make great cordage.

A good substitute for flax and jute, it is widely grown in Africa giving rise to its other common name, Congo Jute. According to one source, the cordage industry brought this plant to the state in the 1880s for cultivation. A program that never panned out.

A hundred and forty years later this shrub, with the attractive red stems and dainty pink flowers, is here to stay. The seed casings are covered in stiff hairs that attach easily to any soft object (like my socks or deer fur) which enables them to hitchhike across the landscape with ease.

It’s not all bad news though, the plant has known antibacterial properties as well as other possible medicinal uses.

Mullet jumping may sound like an event from the redneck games involving beer, bad haircuts, and 4wheelers. It’s actually far more interesting (though just as poorly understood by science).

The main theories are that mullets jump to avoid predation, to remove parasites, or to break open their egg sacs during spawning season. Much less popular among researchers is the idea that mullets throw themselves out of the water because it’s just plain fun.

In my, albeit limited, experience these past couple years living along the Gulf of Mexico, I noted the mass jumping events during December and January. This lends merit to the sac breaking theory since it happens to correspond with the mullet spawning season (November-January).

No matter why they do it, it does look like they’re having fun!

The recent riptides and swirling currents along our coast stirred up a bunch of debris from the shallow sea floor and tossed it up on the shore. While some visitors were disturbed by the mess, to me it was a beachcomber’s paradise.

The most exciting find of my day was this small brittle star. Does that central disc remind you of something? A sand dollar, perhaps? You’re on to something!

Brittle stars, sea stars, sea cucumbers, and sand dollars are all members of the same phylum, Echinoderm (Greek for spiny skin).

Like their multi-armed counterparts, brittle stars can also regrow their limbs. In fact, they earned the moniker brittle star because they shed their arms so easily (as a mechanism to avoid predation).

But brittle stars take regeneration to the next level with their ability to completely separate from their central disc and organs: a single arm can produce an entirely new brittle star. That’s so amazing that it is almost creepy.