Wildflowers of Carlton Reserve

Literally 500 yards from my home in Venice is the real jewel of all of the many Sarasota’s parks and reserves, the Carlton Reserve.  Unfortunately for me (but not the Reserve) I would have to wade across the Myaka River to get there. So instead, this morning, I decided to drive the 5 miles to get there via the Border Road Bridge.  What makes the Reserve so attractive is not its large size, which at 25,000 acres puts it just smaller than the abutting 28,000 acre Myaka River State Park, but that it is still undiscovered. It’s located at the dead end of Border Road near some cattle and horse ranches and small homes. You have to target Carlton as a destination.

I parked in the small sandy parking lot near the interpretive kiosk and picked up a map. No other cars were present. There is no fee. I carried my normal hiking gear: binoculars, camera, water, bug spray, a snack, and my GPS/i-Phone. I have over 80 miles of trails to choose from, and if I include the connecting Myaka River State Park trails, there are hundreds of miles of trail options. Camping is allowed as well as biking and horse back riding.

 I chose as a destination the old turpentine camp, where 100 years ago, near slave labor harvested pine resin from the plentiful Longleaf Pine forests. Round trip for me would be about 6 miles. The trails are well marked with numbers at intersections and colored markers on the more popular trails. 
 
A small pavilion, toilets, a log cabin and about 20 tent camp sites mark the “Park Area” of the Reserve. Once past this relative civilized area, I headed into the wild on a narrow grassy trail, called the “red” trail. Within minutes a large black pig appeared 100 feet ahead! I wasn’t ready. By the time I got my camera out, he was off the trail into the thick underbrush. But this was not to be the last pig of the day.

Carlton Pavillion
 

Carlton Visitor Center

 It was after 9 am, so there was little action in the birding category.  So Instead of looking up, I looked closely at the ground around me. At the edge of the trail, I noticed a variety of wildflowers, some less than 1/8 inch, all struggling with the weeds and grasses to put forth their colorful faces.

Clustered Rock-Rose

It is April, when plants and flowers are reviving themselves from the relative cold of winter. I should have no trouble finding subjects to shoot. So I decided today to concentrate on these beautiful, delicate and short-lived plants, and photograph, and identify as many as possible. Photographing plants is much easier than animals. They don’t run from you, you can get as close as you want, and you can take as many shots as you want. So I slowed my pace considerably and felt my excitement growing at each turn of the trail, as I spotted and shot each new species.






 The trails I picked meandered through two distinct habitats: Relatively dry pine flatlands, and Palm and Oak lowlands. The sunny openness of the pines provided the more fertile hunting ground.

Pine Flatlands Trail

Oak Palm Lowlands

 

My method as usual is to take a lot of shots of each species I encounter. Then at home, I load them onto the pc, pick the best ones of each, and enlarge and crop if necessary. Then I attempt to ID them from the Audubon Field Guide to Florida or the internet.  

By the time I got to the Turpentine Camp, I had at least 15 different species safely in my camera. The camp itself was only a clearing in the scrub, with a few 200 year old oaks, providing shade.  Any outbuildings or artifacts had long since disappeared.

Turpentine Camp

On the return trip via the power line trail, I came across a wild boar! He was in a metal cage trap, not at all happy at the situation. Carlton contracts a licensed trapper to remove feral pigs from the reserve. They are sold to game farms or, if sick or injured, are euthanized. A few find there way to the dinner tables of local Floridians.

Caught

By the time I returned to my parked car, I had captured a total of 27 wildflower species. Identifying them however proved to be a lot harder than I expected.  So to help me, I picked up a copy of Audubon Field Guide to Wildflowers at the local book store.

All wildflowers are members of the phylum Angiosperms, which include all flowering plants and trees. But Florida alone is home to over 4000 species of wildflowers!  After considerable effort, I was able to ID the 13 listed below. 



Common Blue Hearts



Common Tickseed

 

Daisy Fleabane

 



Horrible Thistle



 

Lance-Leaved Arrowhead

 



Pickerelweed



 

Pineweed

 



White-Topped Sedge



Yellow Wood Sorel



Yellow Bachelor's Button

Common Beggar Tick

 

Poison Hemlock



Pipewort

 The use of the “macro” mode on my camera allows me to get very close to the subjects (within one inch). The resulting  bigger-than-life images reveal the detail, beauty and complexity of these wildflowers which I had previously been unappreciative of. I know I have truly only scratched the surface of Florida wildflowers. But now, whenever I'm out on a trail, I’ll have another facet of this wonderful Florida biosphere to explore.

Camoflage

The dictionary defines camouflage as "the use of materials, coloration or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see (crypsis), or by disguising them as something else (mimesis)."

In military operations, camouflage is one of the most highly developed and effective forms of defense. Camouflage design for uniforms and equipment has become a very serious area of warfare. The new stealth technology makes the F22 Raptor aircraft virtually invisible to enemy radar. This is also a form of camouflage.

In nature, camouflage is also one of the most highly evolved and effective defense mechanisms available. Most insects, small reptiles, birds and baby mammals are on some predator’s dinner menu. The ability to blend into their natural surroundings (crypsis) makes it much more likely they will survive and pass on their genes to future generations. Juvenile camouflage is effective in many species, but may morph into beautiful mating plumage and markings in adults.  Some insects have evolved large eye patterns on their wings or backs to make them appear threatening to their predators. (mimesis)

But not only prey use camouflage. Many predators hide themselves in order to surprise their wary or faster victims.

The American alligator is a great example of the use of prey and predator camouflage. Baby alligators, less than 10 inches long, have yellow spots on brown bodies that allow them to blend into the detritus around the marsh’s edges. As adults, gators are primarily dark grey or black. They can hide among fallen trees and branches in the blackwater lagoons, motionless and capture the much more agile fish and birds.

Perhaps the masters of all camo techniques, are the anoles and chameleons. They can actually change their skin color depending on the color of their surroundings.  They have evolved special cells called chromatophores which can change pigment strength based on hormone signals from the brain.

Now we’re gong to have a little fun. Study the following eleven pictures, which are of various animals using camouflage to hide. Try to identify the following:

A Baby Gator

An Adult Gator

A Green Tree Frog

A  Walking Stick

A White Peacock Moth

A Green Lynx Spider

A Grasshopper

A Night Heron

A Brown Anole (lizzard)

A Picture without any animals (just to make it harder)

Picture 1

Picture 2

Picture 3

Picture 4

Picture 5

Picture 6

Picture 7

Picture 8

Picture 9

Picture 10

Here are the answers:

Pic 1-Green Tree Frog (Easy)



Pic 2 -Grasshopper (harder)

 

Pic 3- Baby Alligator (easy)

 

 

Pic 4- Night Heron

  

 Pic 5- Beautiful Myakka River

 

Pic 6- Brown Anole (the master of camo)

 

 Pic 7- Walking Stick

 

Pic 8- Moth

  

Pic 9- Adult Alligator

 

Pic 10- Green Lynx Spider

As we can see, evolution has provided these animals with the ability to blend in with their habitat and survive.

But what about this Lubber Grasshopper? This bright yellow and red large grasshopper is both flightless and slow moving. He almost begs to be eaten by birds and small mammals.

 

Obviously camouflage was not needed for this species to thrive. So how is it that he has survived?

The Lubber Grasshopper emits a foul smelling secretion when he is disturbed. It’s likely this stink inhibits predators from considering him for dinner. He is the skunk of the insect world.

So odor can be an effective defense mechanism as well as camoflage. More on this later.

Mockingbirds

By far, the most intriguing of all animal classes are birds. Their colors cover the complete rainbow. Their calls and songs are more varied and beautiful than perhaps all other animals’. They mate for life. Most are fiercely territorial and will protect their young with unbridled courage.

And….they can fly! Geese have been seen at 30,000 feet where the air is so rare, that humans would pass out from oxygen deprivation. Yet they can fly for hours and even days without stopping. Birds are and have been a source of awe and inspiration for humans for thousands of years. It’s no wonder that bird watching is the most popular outdoor pastime in America.

In southwest peninsular Florida, the Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottosis) is the prevalent species of bird. It is also awarded the noble distinction of State Bird. But not all appreciate the birds’ special characteristics. Messy, noisy, pesky and infesting are occasional descriptions. But love them or dislike them, they are a native species and probably here to stay.

Northern Mockingbird



I have discovered a small mocking bird nest in a shrub bordering my garage. It is made of dried twigs and about the size of a softball. This was on April 24. Two days later, two blue speckled eggs appeared. By April 27, there were three eggs. I noticed the small female leaving the nest every time I opened the garage or walked by. I thought, “What a dumb place to make a home”. But then I thought, “What an opportunity for me to follow and photograph a young mother mocking bird raising a family”! So here I begin. I hope to chronicle over the next month or so the stages of mocking bird birth and growth and maternal nurturing.

Well Hidden Nest
 




Mockingbird Eggs

April 28: A total of 4 eggs now occupy the nest. The mother is spending a lot of time incubating them, with only brief excursions for food. The gestation period is 12 to 13 days, so if all goes well, I can expect hatchlings between May 6 and the May 11.  I worry that my daily excursions will frighten her into abandoning the nest. But I think she is getting use to me being around. Every time I walk by, she flutters away and returns minutes later when the coast is clear.

4 Eggs Now

May 1: The female continues to incubate the eggs with short trips away to feed. The male is also always nearby. Neither wanders more than couple of hundred of feet from the nest. Their favorite tree is a small oak very close to the shrub. It was initially hard to tell the mother from the father. (Other than only the mother sits the nest.) But I can now spot their differences. The mother is grey with a white belly and only a slight splash of white on her wings. She is a little plump. The male is no bigger, has the same general coloring, but appears to be more aerodynamic, with a sharper beak. A more obvious splash of white is on his wings.

Female



Male

May 4: The mother is still sitting on the 4 eggs, seeming to know what will soon happen. A third mockingbird appeared in my side yard today. He (or she) was not welcome. Both the male and the female dove at the intruder, squawking, and continue to pester him until he moved to the top of a neighbor’s house. A few days ago, my resident male literally attacked a grey squirrel that had climbed onto the roof and apparently invaded their territory. The squirrel left. I am amazed at the bravery these small creatures are showing to protect their unborn young. So far, I have not been attacked. But things might change when the eggs hatch. If that happens, I will have to use a different exit and entrance to the house.

May 8: Day 12 for the first eggs in the nest. I expect them to hatch at any minute.

 One of the amazing talents of the mockingbirds is their abilty to mimic (mock) other birds. They have a variety of calls, shrieks and whistles. I have even heard them mimic frogs and crikets!

May 10: Two chicks hatched early this morning right on schedule, 13 days! They are about the size of a marble. Mother and babies are doing fine. They are moving and she is making many trips to and from the nest, only leaving for a couple of minutes. She’ll be very busy when two more chicks arrive in a day or so.

Two Chicks, Hours Old



May 11: Now there are four very hungry hatchlings. Mother and father are both very busy bringing small insects, worms and pieces of fruit back to the nest. The next several weeks are critical in their chicks’ survival. They are quite defenseless. At this stage, fortunately, the babies are silent. This may help them avoid being noticed by predators.

One Day Old Chicks Sleeping

"Feed Me" 

May 12: Mother and father are very active, flying back and forth, "bringing home the bacon."

 Why did the mother pick this spot to build her nest? Most mockingbirds will build five or six trial nests and then pick one in which to lay her eggs. So she obviously preferred this location, right next to my garage. Mockingbirds are very intelligent. In a study, they were shown to recognize humans who had been around and were non-threatening.  So, perhaps she considered me and my house as her protector, like a feudal lord and his castle. The larger predators (hawks, owls, raccoons, etc) don’t normally venture close to people. So, for now, the chicks are safe.

May 15: At five days, the four chicks appear to be healthy and growing. Their eyes are closed, and they are covered with blue-grey fuzz which will be replaced by feathers soon. They are still silent.

A critical time will occur just before they leave the nest, when they still can’t fly. An intruder (like me) or sudden scare could cause them to fall from the nest and be susceptible to a variety of misfortunes. I’ve noticed the mother always leaves the nest when I get within about 10 feet. The chicks will likely try to follow at some point. So I intend to abandon my close up shots of the nest when they get close to flying.  If one should fall out and be unable to fly, I will consider putting in back in, even though this might scare the others into jumping the ship.

 

5 Days Old

May 17: This morning I heard the first little cries from the nest. Small muffled peeps are coming from one or more of the chicks.

May 19:  At 9 days old, the 4 chicks are vey active. Their eyes are open and they are growing feathers. Mother and father are working very hard.

9 Days Old

 

May 21: Sadly, this will be my last update to this post. The nest was empty this morning. I looked all over the yard and under the nearby bushes for any sign of the chicks, but to no avail.

Day 11-Empty Nest

Yesterday afternoon and into the evening we had severe thundershowers, over two inches of rain and wind gusts to 50 mph. I suspect the chicks and possibly the mother became unnerved by this new and strange disturbance. They must have either fled or fallen from the nest. But at 11 days, the chicks were not yet ready to fly. Any number of air borne or ground predators could then easily have found and eaten them.

Later in the morning, I saw the mother and father in the side yard flitting about. She swooped to the ground and appeared to be picking up a small insect. But no, she was picking up a dry twig! She flew to a small oak tree in my neighbor’s yard. This amazing creature was building another nest! No time for remorse…just the pure survival instinct powering her to start over and try again. With a life span of 8 years in wild, this mockingbird will definitely have many more opportunities to successfully raise a brood or two.

With what I have learned from this chronicle, I must now rank Mockingbirds high on my list of respected and admired birds. Correction, I must now rank Mockingbirds high on my list of respected and admired species.