Plant of the Week: April 25: Bandanna-of-the-Everglades (aka Golden Canna) (Canna flaccida)

 

The beautiful Bandanna-of-the-Everglades (Canna flaccida) is a herbaceous perennial tropical-looking plant that can be found in wet ditches, marshes, and swamp margins. It ranges throughout the US Coastal Plain from South Carolina to Florida and Texas. This is a rhizomatous plant which means it grows from underground stems (rhizomes) that are constantly giving rise to additional shoots.

Plant of the Week April 18: Pickerel weed (Pontederia cordata)

Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata) is a common plant of ponds, streams, marshes, and wet ditches of the southeast. This plants blooms from March into November in Florida. This prolific grower can cover large areas (as seen in the bottom of the two pictures above). usually it grows to be about 2-3 feet tall. The leaves are generally large with them being usually twice as long as wide and following a lance-shape. However, there can be alot of variability! Considering how long the blooming season is, it is often easiest to identify this plant by its violet-blue spike of flowers (although sometimes they are so pale as to appear white).

I often see birds hunkering down or flitting between patches of pickerelweed as well as numerous insects (bees, butterflies, etc) visiting for nectar.

Sorry for the absence!!

Hello all. I have been sick and absent the last week or so. I will be up and running again next Monday! Until then...enjoy this pretty shot of a barred owl little one!

Plant of the Week March 21: Southern Blue Flag Iris (Iris virginica)

As spring approaches, I eagerly anticipate seeing one of my favorite flowers blooming. Southern blue flag iris brings a brilliant flash of color to the landscape. this lovely native is a perennial that grows from rhizomes (rhizomes are a horizontal, underground, modified stem).

 

This plant is typically found growing in wet areas like wet prairies, marshes, swamps, stream and lake edges and even wet ditches. It is found throughout the southeastern states. Its' fruit is a capsule that can get up to 2.25 inches long!

Delayed....

Sorry for the delay folks. Trying to get some shot of some plants to do some plants!!!

Critter of the week: Peninsula ribbon snake (Thamnophis sauritus sackenii)

I know it is hard to think of a reptile as cute, but I would have to classify this particular species as "cute"! This relatively common snake is found throughout the state of Florida. This is a semiaquatic critter and can be found in a variety of habitats including pine flatwoods, hardwood hammocks, cypress stands, marshes, etc. This is one of the more frequently seen snakes around residential areas as well as along canals and ditches. But these cuties are NON-VENOMOUS!!!
They forage on frogs, salamanders, small fishes, and even earthworms. During the late spring (April -June), they breed. This species is live-bearing so they give birth to about 20 newborns from July into September.

The person holding this snake has experience in snake identification and handling! Do NOT attempt to pick up snakes on your own! It should be done only by someone with training!!!

Prescribed fire video

One of the management tools we use is prescribed fire. Here is some footage from a recent burn. Please, do not attempt these on your own or at home. We receive training and have appropriate gear to do these!!!