Linear view vs. Masonry View

Little Bitty

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!

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Berlin Where?

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.

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Boating the Bay

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.
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What the Florida?!

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!

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Bend Or Break?

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…

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Bad Seed

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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Wander-ful Day

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!

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No Bad Days…

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!
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