This popped up in my Facebook feed, just a few days after I posted my recent bittern experience. Further proof that technology is spying on us all! Though trust me, most of us are way too boring for any agency to really care.
Kudos to the bird nerd that created this absolutely impossible “I’m not a robot” checkbox (also known as a CAPTCHA)! 😂
By the way did you know it was an acronym? Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart.
Saturday’s fun didn’t end with my morning of kayaking. After washing the salt off me I took an afternoon siesta, resting up for the evening ahead.
What better way to wrap up a beautiful summer day than with a backyard concert? The Habitat was featuring Jonas Lorence (who I first encountered at Parrothead events in Texas) and a relative newcomer to the Trop Rock scene, Monallo.
Heather and Ken started hosting concerts years ago, making improvements every off season. I have no idea what they’ll work on next because their backyard oasis is pretty darn near perfect. I especially love all the lights and quirky artwork.
Oh, and based on the back of Ken’s t-shirt, it appears he and I are kindred spirits! 🙄😂
Since I recently rearranged my schedule and now have weekends off, I can finally go out and play with my friends. I was looking forward to yesterday morning’s kayak trip all week and it did not disappoint.
We launched from an unassuming patch of dirt on the north side of a highway. It wasn’t the most inviting location but once we paddled through the mangroves into Feather Sound it was easy to see why Christine chose this spot.
Unlike other areas I’ve paddled around here, we were far outnumbered by wildlife! I counted at least a dozen bird species in addition to the dolphins, rays, needlefish, mullet, and manatees.
The water was wonderfully flat which not only made it a delight to paddle but also easier to spot aquatic animals. Dolphins swam by during the first part of our voyage around Big Island Gap, though they were busy fishing and remained in the distance.
After a short respite under some shady mangroves, we continued around the north side of the island where we came across a fever of juvenile rays. They were the smallest I’ve yet seen, only about 6″ from wingtip to wingtip (technically pectoral fin-tip but wingtip is commonly used since they appear to fly through the water).
I met this Least Bittern (Ixobrychus exilis) over a month ago while touring the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive but I only recently found these photos on my camera.
This tiniest member of the North American heron family is often overlooked since it slinks through thick reeds instead of crouching over open water like it’s larger relatives. When threatened this slender bird will morph into “bittern pose”, stretching out its neck in an effort to blend in with the surrounding plants. That’s when those long stripes really come in handy!
That behavior is actually referenced in it’s binomial, the first part from Ancient Greek ixias refers to a reed-like plant, while the species name is Latin for slender.
In all my years of birding I’ve heard their distinct call multiple times but this is one of the very few times I’ve seen one and by far the best photo session. Thanks, little one!
Recently I read that there’s a section of the Berlin Wall outside St. Petersburg’s old passenger train station. When I ran across this snippet of odd information I realized I had to see it to believe it, so I set out on an adventure.
I was expecting a somber memorial to man’s inhumanity to man so I was a bit surprised to find the large slabs of concrete surrounded by shrubbery in a parking lot, marked only by one tiny, clay plaque.
The marker makes sense considering that the historic depot is now home to the Morean Center for Clay. And the location does too, since the sections of wall were purchased in 2007 by the city’s Outdoor Arts Foundation.
According to this Tampa Bay Times article, the foundation purchased 350 sections of 8’x3′ wall, salvaged from the Checkpoint Charlie area. At the time, it was purported to be the largest collection of the Wall in the world.
The intention was to create something beautiful out of something ugly. I’m not sure whatever became of the plans for the 100 different art installations but, having visited the Checkpoint Charlie museum I’m glad this reminder remains.
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!
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