The sun slipped quietly away the other night but there was still a bit of a show up in the sky. In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Indy said, “X never, ever marks the spot.” but it did then and it does now, because Treasure Island definitely lives up to its name.
Last week I was fortunate to have not one, but two, fun boating adventures. The first trip was a day of fishing with friends on the east side of Tampa Bay (a new-to-me area).
Note that I said fishing, not catching. Even though the fish weren’t biting there was plenty of music and laughter. All in all, it was a wonderful day on the water!
The second outing was a boating basics class offered by a local marina. I love the water but I haven’t spent much time on it and I have a lot to learn. Even though I was nervous, Captain Jeff was a thorough and patient instructor who obviously loves his profession. He even paused our lesson for a bit of dolphin watching.
I rather enjoyed driving the boat and learning to read the water. It will take a lot more training and practice before I will feel confident out there but it was definitely a good introduction. Even if I had learned nothing, it was a great opportunity to get out on the water.
A large, upscale grocery store just debuted a new, reusable bag highlighting key features of this state. I was tempted to buy a couple to give to my houseguests until I looked closer at the images depicted.
First of all, the majority of the plants depicted are not native to the state (ie, hibiscus, papaya, coconut, star fruit, and mango). Though to be fair, they do grow like weeds here.
As for the animals, they nailed it with the alligator but the flamboyant flamingo is a poor choice since they were effectively extirpated from the state by the 1920s. A better choice would’ve been the Roseate Spoonbill which is a relatively common, pink, wading bird of similar size found throughout the state.
But the absolute last straw was the odd creature near the bottom right corner. What was supposed to have been a Manatee is instead an Elephant Seal, and they have never, ever lived in Florida!
Needless to say, I did not purchase the bag though it certainly made me chuckle. Not sure who designed it but they should probably get a different job. Side note, WTF now means What The Florida to me because it just can’t get any weirder than down here!
Though Hurricane Ian made landfall much further south, the storm’s strong winds ripped through the Sarasota area last September. Myakka River State Park sustained quite a bit of damage, and several trails have yet to reopen.
My friend and I noticed a lot of downed trees during our recent visit but this scene in particular caught my eye. Look at how this pine tree twisted and bent before it finally snapped. The wind had to have been moving in a circular motion and incredibly fast.
I took this photo because I was in awe of the amount of force involved to snap that large tree like it was a toothpick. It wasn’t until I looked at the image on my computer that I realized there’s more to the story.
Look behind the broken tree. See all those palm trees? They underwent the same violent turbulence yet with their flexible trunks they managed to escape with minimal damage. I feel that’s a bit of a life lesson…
Came across this interesting specimen alongside a trail in Myakka River State Park. If I knew then what I know now about the Tropical Soda Apple (Solanum viarum), I would’ve happily yanked that nasty weed right out of the ground!
This spiny plant, native to Brazil and Argentina, was first documented in Florida in 1988. Since then it has infested over a million acres in the state and spread to other southern states. Due to its rapid growth and landscape dominance, TSA was added to the Florida Noxious Weed List in 1994 and the Federal Noxious list the following year.
Ready for some fun math? Each plant is capable of producing 200 (or more) fruit per year and each fruit contains about 400 seeds. That’s 80,000 seeds that are happily dispersed by hungry wildlife. (Cautionary note: though wildlife seems to enjoy the ripe fruit it contains solasodine, which is poisonous to humans.)
Now, back to the math, with an estimated 75% germination rate that’s 60,000 new plants a year. Here’s the mind-boggling part, by that second year; 60,000 x 200 fruits x 400 seeds = 4.8 billion seeds!
From my years of experience fighting Buffelgrass (a noxious weed out west) I know that battles like this require multiple modes of attack. It’s easy to see why manual removal is not an adequate measure.
There are several herbicides that have proven effective and the USDA has authorized use of the Tropical Soda Apple Leaf Beetle (Gratiana boliviana) as a biological pest control. Currently, there is also a natural, biological herbicide being developed for control TSA though it is not yet available for public.
Next time I see one of these out on the trail, regardless of all the spines, I’m pulling it up!
Last week’s visit to Myakka River State Park was a bit warm but Alyssa and I had a wonderful time wandering.
Luckily for us, wildlife outnumbered people during our visit. We were treated to an Eastern Meadowlark serenade, watched a fawn and a three adult White-tailed deer graze, glimpsed a Wild Turkey, spotted a Limpkin, and spent some quality time with a dozen American Alligators (from a safe distance, of course).
Though the water level was low, the river valley was full of lush green growth. Easy to see why the ranch that preceded the park was named “Meadow Sweet Pastures”.
Thank goodness the land was set aside back in 1942 before Florida’s massive growth spurts (the first after WWII and most recently, in the past few years). The park’s 37,000 acres provide a safe haven for wildlife that are increasingly hemmed in by housing developments.
We ended our day with a little waterfront snack under a partial rainbow. Truly a lovely outing!
The water was so incredible yesterday morning during the beach cleanup that I was compelled to take a photo break. While I’m pleased with them, they are a pale imitation…
This morning’s beach cleanup on Treasure Island was another successful outing. Our beaches are fairly clean, thanks in a large part to the flow of the gulf current, since it is picking up speed along our coast, it carries debris away.
When the current hits the Texas coastal bend it slows down and drops it all off. Which I experienced first hand when I lived along the Texas coast, it was great for beach combing but also rather depressing to see all the trash wash ashore.
Even with the assist from the water, I filled my bag twice this morning, mostly cigarette butts (and one used condom – blech). As always, I found a few treasures and this time I even made a little money (three whole pennies). The best part of the morning was just being on the beach, it was gorgeous!
While wandering around Myakka River State Park my friend Alyssa and I stumbled across a Tampa Butterfly Orchid (Encyclia tampensis) hanging out of a live oak.
The first part of the common name refers to the fact that the species was discovered in 1847 in the Tampa area. The second part was inspired by the way the flowers flutter in the breeze.
Though this delicate beauty is one of the most prolific orchids native to Florida (and the Caribbean), it is a regulated plant in the state. A move designed to protect the species from orchid thieves. Here’s hoping the species continues to thrive!
Westley here. Just wanted to pop in to let you know that you there’s a meow inside the word homeowner. Good luck pronouncing it correctly in the future!
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