Linear view vs. Masonry View

Not So Wealthy Soil

Last time I went adventuring I left you in the middle of nowhere. As hard as it might be to imagine in Florida these days (with the fastest growing population in the country), there are still some undeveloped areas (thankfully).

Though in this case, it wasn’t from lack of trying. Settlement in the Withlacoochee forest began shortly after the Orange Belt Railway was built in the late 1800s.

This whistle-stop, which the railroad optimistically named Richloam, was marketed to settlers as fertile farmland (hence the name). But just because the land had been clearcut by lumbermen didn’t mean it was suitable for crops.

Nevertheless, the community slowly grew. In 1922 Sid Brinson built a post office and general store. Though I wouldn’t call it civilized at that point, it was still remote and a bit lawless. Once, while residents were fighting over a dog, they shot the local sheriff (at least they didn’t shoot the dog).

In 1928 the Richloam General Store and Post Office burned down during a robbery. Sid rebuilt his store but it didn’t last much longer. Making a living in the area was a struggle since the timber was gone and it was difficult to get crops to the faraway markets.

The Great Depression exacerbated the situation. To the point that in 1936 the US Land Resettlement Administration bought out many of the families and helped them relocate to more prosperous areas of the state.

Over the next few decades the forest slowly erased much of the settlement. In 1973 John Brinson (a relative of Sid’s) acquired the old storefront. The family reopened the general store in 2016. A year later the Richloam General Store was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the town’s only remaining building.

The day I visited, my car was the only one in the parking lot. It looked closed but the sign said open so I ventured in. It was like stepping back in time, the store sells a little bit of everything (as a good general store should). I purchased a couple household items, a gift, and an ice cream cone (hey, it was summertime and it was hot outside).

The cashier said the family is expanding the store and will have a little cafe soon. Might be worth a return trip next time I need to get away from civilization!

0

Pineapple Plaudit

While I was preparing for the incoming storm I noticed that one of my little pineapple fruits* had turned yellow. Pineapple cultivation is new to me but I took it as a sign that it was ready to harvest.

All the pineapple tops that I planted were Tropical Golds and as the name implies, they grow well in Florida’s climate. In fact, pineapples were one of the state’s early agricultural successes. The first pineapple plantation was established in Key West in the 1860s.

The crop was profitable, so cultivation soon expanded around the state. At one point, Florida was the “The Pineapple Capital of the World”. Unfortunately, the boom was short-lived. In the early 1900s a few factors combined to destroy the industry (freezes, insects, red wilt, and Cuban growers flooding the market).

I’m really pleased with my little experiment, not only was it free (I saved the tops from the landfill) but it was super easy (I plopped the cured tops in the ground and then ignored them). As one of Dole’s patented varieties it lived up to the hype, it was just delicious – sweet but low in acid. And yes, I saved the top and will be planting it soon!

* Technically, the pineapple plant does not produce a fruit, it is a berry which develops from multiple flowers. Trust me, I was surprised when it bloomed back in April. Look how pretty they are!
2

Could’ve Been Worse

Canal, Full but Not Overflowing
Snapped
A Lot of Foliage
Seems Empty

It’s been a little bit tense around here for the past 36 hours. Though she was only a tropical storm, when Debby swirled by she made an impact. There was an awful lot of flooding south and north of me, though thankfully my neighborhood escaped the worst of it.

When the rain finally stopped this evening I headed outside to assess the damage. Overall, I’m impressed with how well my yard handled the roughly 8” of rain, there was very little ponding. All my plants are very wind blown but they survived, with the exception of one.

I was sad to discover one of my sea grapes snapped off near the base. I’d been so happy with their growth! I had planted them a couple years ago to shade the western side of my house. They’d grown vigorously, reaching my roofline this summer and keeping the sun at bay.

As I chopped it up I noticed a couple of small shoots attached to the stump below the break. It is a native plant, accustomed to the harshness of life in Florida, I imagine it will regrow.

Here’s hoping everyone recovers from this storm…
4

Debby Day

Since the main brunt of Debby hadn’t yet arrived I headed over to check on my beach this morning. As expected, the surf was up and so were the surfers. They don’t get many opportunities to catch waves over here on the West Coast of Florida so they were excited by the breakers.

While my walk coincided with low tide, it didn’t seem like it since the outer bands of the storm were already pushing water well past the high tide wrack line. The choppy waves were eroding the shoreline, dragging off tons of sand. Nothing too drastic, just part of the natural ebb and flow of a barrier island.

Thankfully, I made it home before the rain started. It will be interesting to see how the day progresses. Hopefully, Debby’s impact will be minimal!
0

Foraging for a Fox Squirrel

Passionvine
Ocola Skipper 
(Panoquina ocola)
American Bumblebee (Bombus pensylvanicus)
Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae)
Dorantes Longtail 
(Urbanus dorantes)
Waiting for a Turn
Zabulon Skipper (Poanes zabulon)
Eastern Lubber Grasshopper (Romalea microptera)
Sleepy Orange (Abaeis nicippe)
Viceroy (Limenitis archippus)
Laurel Swallowtail (Papilio palamedes)
American Bluehearts (Buchnera americana)
Mexican Primrose (Ludwigia peruviana)
Rose of Plymouth (Sabatia stellaris)
Hydrolea corymbosa
(Rhexia virginica)
Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)
Brown Anole (Anolis cristatellus)
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)
Alligator
Tadpole
Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis)
Mac Lake
Drapery of Spanish Moss

Last week I drove over toward the center of the state in search of a Fox Squirrel. After all my outdoor adventures across the country over the years I still have yet to photograph one. That morning, as I drove east my hopes were high since a friend had recently shared some sightings online.

I started my day at Colt Creek State Park before wandering over to the Green Swamp. As can be expected in Florida in July, it was hot and humid. Though I struck out on my desired goal, there were still plenty of interesting things to see; birds, butterflies, reptiles, flowers (and even mating grasshoppers).

On my return trip I opted for side roads and wound up in the middle of nowhere. But more about that later…
1

Unlikely Visitor

I found this handsome, roughly 1″ long, bug in my carport yesterday evening. Its size and unique appearance caught my eye and warranted a few photos.

Good thing it tolerated a mini photoshoot because I needed all the images during my research into the species. Placing it in the leaf-footed bug family was fairly simple. After all, those fancy legs are pretty obvious.

Since most of the species in that family reside in Mexico and Central America, I was left with just two possibilities; the Florida Leaf-footed Bug (Acanthocephala femorata) or the Flag-footed Bug (Anisoscelis affinis).

The former certainly sounded the most promising since I live in Florida (and the latter’s only US records are from Texas). I searched online images and both species had life stages that somewhat resembled my insect. Though, to complicate matters, all leaf-footed bugs can change color, to match the fruit they are consuming in order to avoid predation. So color was not a helpful identifier.

This is where my photos came in handy. In all its life stages, the Florida Leaf-footed Bug has a pointed tylus on its head (the genus name Acanthocephala translates as spiny head). The Flag-footed Bug does not have this protuberance. So, even though it sounds unlikely, I’m pretty sure it’s the latter.

I wonder how in the world it got here. I did have a couple packages delivered recently, perhaps it was a stowaway?

Now that it’s here, it’ll probably survive just fine. Specimens have been found hiding in Yellow Buttercups (Turner ulmifolia) and feeding on passionvines (Passiflora sp.), both of which I have planted in my yard.
2