Tupelo Morning

Our favorite tree in the Back Woods, the swamp tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica biflora) captured on a beautiful morning a few weeks ago when the wetlands were really full from the rains. Our intrepid volunteer George, who has since headed back to NC for the summer (you will be missed!), helped me carve out a little trail off the main path to this vista.

Lined with cut willow, the path even features a little log staircase leading up a spoil mound to a fabulous view of this gorgeous tupelo with it’s distinctive moss covered bottle shaped base. If you stop by for a visit, please do keep an eye out for poison ivy. We try to keep it off the immediate trails but, visitors do need to be aware they may come in contact with it if they stray from the trail. Do you remember the old warning…leaves of three, leave me be? Keep an eye out for our next post, it will be on how to identify poison ivy.

In the short period of time since this photo was taken, the tupelos have bloomed and are starting to push out new leaves. Soon we should be treated to a crop of green that turn to blue/black oblong drupes which are very popular with the wildlife crowd. More on our favorite tree in an upcoming post!

Barred Owls and Boardwalks

Construction of the new boardwalk got underway this week just in time for all the stormy weather. Posts from the previous boardwalk had to be removed before construction of the new walk could begin. The crew from Golf Construction seem to be having plenty of fun slogging about in the thick of it to get the job done.

Rumbling through the Back Woods on the GATOR utility vehicle is not always the best way to catch sight of wildlife. Unless you are satisfied with glimpse of their rear ends dashing away from the awful rattle the gator makes. I startled this beautiful Barred Owl out of a tree as I rumbled under its perch along the trail. Fortunately for me, after swooping right over my head, this owl took a moment to catch a glimpse of me before silently flying off to some other spot in the canopy. What a cutie!! The Barred Owl should be right at home in our little forest, preferring a mature canopy and tolerant of urban areas. The habitat improvements we are making, including opening up the understory, should improve the habitat even more for the  Barred Owls.

Oh boy, this Saturday December 19th is going to be some down and dirty fun. About a dozen intrepid volunteers have signed up to help us pull up the old plastic Geoblock underlayment from the nature trail. Fortunately for us, it looks like the rain will let up just in time for the work to start tomorrow morning. The chilly temperatures expected might just be perfect for the heavy load of the day, pulling up nearly a 1/3 mile of plastic panels all screwed together and full of  rock.   I am excited to see the trail with out the Geoblock which has been exposed and damaged for a number of years. The short experimental stretch that volunteer Shayna and I pulled up yesterday looks really good. If you are free we could always use a couple of extra hands. Volunteers are meeting in the far southeast parking lot of the museum at 7:45 am, see ya there!! :-)

Happening where its Wet in the Back Woods

Design and permitting of the new boardwalk is moving right along. Once complete, the boardwalk will be part of a new main entrance to the Back Woods trails. It is planned to be 6ft wide with rails and a nice 10x16 observation deck about in the center where visitors can take a moment to view the plants and critters that make our wetlands home.  We anticipate the boardwalk will be completed by the end of December and of course we’ll keep you updated as the project progresses. In the meantime, there is much work to be done clearing invasive vines and overgrown hardwoods around the new proposed main entry and boardwalk entrance. Contact me directly if you are interested in volunteering to help us in the clearing!

Couldn’t resist dropping in this shot of my favorite tree in the Back Woods. This plump bottle  bottom shaped tupelo (Nyssa sylvatica biflora) with its mossy base is such a stand out. This shot was from last week during our brief dry down otherwise this spot is definite waders or galoshes territory! One of our challenges is making some of these very interesting but frequently wet areas accessible without damage to the wetland and without muddying up the visitors. Not worried about getting your feet wet? Let me know and I’ll clue you in on the cool things to check out where it is wet in the Back Woods!

Welcome Rain

I had been watching tensely as the dry days kept coming following our recent pine planting. I was cringing as the candles on the longleaf seedlings wilted in the heat. I was afraid we were going to lose significant numbers of trees. Fortunately, the recent rains have provided some much needed moisture and relief from the heat. Most of the pines are perky and happily soaking up every last drop the sky lets loose on them.

The wetlands are filled to capacity again and water is still overflowing Buttonbush pond to the sinkhole complex (pictured above). The frogs are in heaven. The cacophony of courting following the first really significant deluge was nearly deafening. I heard way too many non native Cuban tree frogs (Osteopilus septentrionalis) and a few greenhouse frogs (Eleutherodactylus planirostris) in the mix but, was pleased to hear competing choruses from southern toads (Bufo terrestris) and a few green tree frogs (Hyla cinerea). I really need to buff up on my frog calls to better determine the diversity our anuran residents. Check out the Frog Listening Network to beef up your own skills and take part in citizen science network of collecting data.

Find out more about Florida frogs and toads at this UF Wildlife Extension page