Back! Plant of the week July 25: Swamp lily

The swamp lily aka string lily (Crinum americanum) is a native tropical perennial found throughout Florida and much of the southeastern United States.  It is an obligate wetland species. This means under natural conditions you will almost always see them growing in wetlands. This includes: wet prairies, depression marshes, ditches, hydric hammocks, floodplains, riverine marshes, and wet pastures (to name a few). The lily is a bulb, and it is extremely difficult to extract these guys from the ground. The large flowers are very fragrant and showy. And its fruiting body is a large capsule that is 4-6 cm wide and can have 1 to many large fleshy seeds inside.

People sometimes confuse these flowers with members of the spiderlily (Hymenocallis) genus. However, the swamp lily has a very distinctive feature to look for: bright red, purple, or pink stamen filaments (which you can see in the photos).

Temporary Hiatus!

Hey all! I am taking a two week hiatus during my final push to complete thesis data collection. Look for continuing posts in early July!

Critter of the Week June 6: Nothern Bobwhite Quail

The Northern bobwhite is considered a game species, and at one time they were found throughout the state in appropriate habitat. However, with the human population expanding, their habitat has dwindled or become degraded. Now more abundant numbers as only found in areas where the land is heavily managed to mimic what once was. Panther Island is home to 2-3 small coveys of this species, and we are working to improve the habitat in the hopes that we can someday support more.
For more information...click here.

Critter of the Week May 30: Corn Snake (Elaphe guttata guttata) aka Red Rat Snake

This beautiful snake is a relatively common snake; however their wild numbers are possibly being negatively impacted by illegal collection for the pet trade (BOO! on this illegal activity!). If you are looking to buy a snake as a pet and choose this species, please ask the pet store or distributor you purchase the snake from where the animal came from!

Corn snakes can be found throughout Florida and range to the Mississippi River and then nrothward to southern New Jersey. They can be found in a variety of habitats including pinelands, swamps, agricultural areas, residential areas, and hardwood hammocks. Frogs, rodents, lizards, and birds and bird eggs are their primary prey. From April to June, they breed and females will 3-40 eggs during the summer months. From July to September these eggs hatch and the young cornsnakes try to repeat the cycle of life.

Apologies!

I am having trouble getting the pictures up! Sorry...hopefully this gets corrected soon.

Just some pics for fun...critter of the week coming tomorrow!

Critter of the Week May 2: Florida Softshell Turtle

 One of my favorite turtles is the Florida softshell. Not only do I see them out on Panther Island, but they are frequently seen in my neighborhood. While I writing, I came across a great write-up by a researcher who works with softshells. So click the link for more info!  Florida Softshell