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Posts tagged ‘trees’

Apr 2

41 Comments

Tree Tuesday: Flatwoods to Swamp

Often on hikes through the South Florida pine flatwoods, you’ll stumble across other ecosytems. The flatwood environment itself is layered, with high canopies of pines, a lower shrubby layer, and an herbaceous layer — but it’s dotted with cypress domes (a cypress swamp in the shape of a dome), prairies, marshes, and other habitats. Truly a fascinating ecosystem.

Unfortunately, developers continue to find flatwoods attractive for development: the vast expanses of flat land are too tempting, as is the ease in cutting and clearing its enormous swaths. But it’s critical to remember all the life this land supports — as well as the various other habitats that are intricately woven together here.

Pine Flatwoods of Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Florida

Pine flatwoods vista

Slash Pine of the Atlantic Ridge Preserve State Park, Florida

Slash Pine: Ready for my close-up

Flatwoods to Swamp Along the Florida Trail, Florida

Heading from the flatwoods into the swamp, along the Florida Trail

Cypress Trees in the Swamp, Florida Everglades

Ever-lovely cypress of the swamp

A New Trail, Seabranch Preserve State Park, Florida

From flatwood, to prairie, to….

And an extra for Tree Tuesday — I can’t get enough of this cartoon….

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Mar 12

27 Comments

Tree Tuesday: The Palm, in Retro

Palm and coconut trees have surrounded me throughout my life — first in Florida, then overseas in the South Pacific, and then again in Florida. As children, my brother and I took hammers and screwdrivers to coconuts we’d salvage from the trees on the island, in a valiant effort to break them open. It’s a wonder that more serious injuries weren’t committed. My poor mother.

So in honor of the ever-flexible and almighty palm, bending amid hurricane-force winds and not just surviving, but thriving…. Here are a few retro images. I blew one up for my mother, another military (Navy) brat who spent time at Punahou School on Oahu as a child.

Retro Palm Tree, Florida

Retro Palm Tree, Florida

Retro Palm Tree, Florida

Retro Palm Tree, Florida

Mar 5

35 Comments

Tree Tuesday: Cypress of the Marsh

A snapshot of cypress trees lining a beautiful marsh along the Owahee Trail of Grassy Waters Preserve.

Now protected by various federal and state agencies, these amazing trees were completely logged out in the 1930s and ’40s in Florida — only a scant few original trees survived the logging operations of this time. Most seen today are 7th- or 8th-generation cypress. But if untouched, they could live to 500 years.

Cypress Trees Along the Owahee Trail in Grassy Waters Preserve, FL

The Gentlemen

Feb 5

30 Comments

Tree Tuesday: Fairy’s Staircase

Walking the Malachite Trail in the SWA portion of the most wonderfully pristine Everglades watershed of the Grassy Waters Preserve, an old tree displayed new life with a whimsical fungi arrangement — a fairy staircase!

fairy tree

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Jan 31

61 Comments

Weekly Photo Challenge: Love

It doesn’t take much to find love on an excursion into the natural world — which is why I escape to its beauty as much as humanly possible.

Heart Tree at Fern Forest Nature Center

Heart Tree at Fern Forest Nature Center

Great Blue Heron Mating Pair at their Nest in the Florida Wetlands

Great Blue Heron Mating Pair at their Nest in the Florida Wetlands

Mating Viceroy Butterflies (Limenitis archippus), Fern Forest Nature Center

Mating Viceroy Butterflies (Limenitis archippus), Fern Forest Nature Center

We’re approaching breeding season for our gators (these were scenes of last year’s cuddles — a very recent mom and dad). Interestingly, recent studies have shown that up to 70 percent of alligator females remained with their partner — often for many years.

Breeding begins in the spring (mid-April through May), and you can hear their loud bellows throughout the swamps — calls used to attract mates and to warn off other males. While (like all wildlife) gators don’t want to bother humans, the mating season isn’t the time to push your luck — aggression is at a higher level, and they may become more territorial. It’s always wise to be aware of the season. Alligator courtship is complex — vocalizations, head-slapping on the water’s surface, body posturing, snout and back rubbing, bubble blowing, and pheromone (scent) signals all play into the process.

Alligator Pair in the Florida Wetlands

Alligator Love in the Florida Wetlands

Alligator Pair in the Florida Wetlands

Alligator Pair

Alligator Pair in the Florida Wetlands

Cuddles

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