Osprey nesting sites are commonly near water, and their food source.
In north Florida water sports are a supreme pastime in summer. Fishing is among the most popular activity for all ages in this recreational realm.
Human anglers are not the only competitors seeking to land a trophy specimen. Ospreys, the local avian apex fisher, are literally plucking the fish from every river and body of water in the region.
Pandion haliaetus carolinensis is one of four osprey species worldwide and is native to north Florida. Geologic records in the area indicate a long residency and the possibility of extinct members of this genus who once lived in prehistoric Florida.
This aquatic predator is easily identified because of its size and nesting habits. Large specimens can have a six foot wingspan and their big nest are usually located in the tops of trees near a body of water.
The backs and wing tops of this bird are dark brown, but its underside is a snowy white. The head is white with a dark band over the eyes which gives the appearance of a mask.
Males and females are very challenging to distinguish individually as there are only small variations in their size and feather coloration. Side by side it is easier to see the difference in wing shape and body size.
As the several common names imply, the osprey’s diet is comprised of fish almost exclusively. Salt water catfish, mullet, spotted trout, shad, crappie and sunfish are some of the prey which stray into this bird’s sight when they swim too close to the water’s surface.
Osprey’s have the ability to hover in a nearly stationary position 100 feet or more above the water as they wait for their prey to move into the ideal position. When the fish is most vulnerable this bird drops almost vertically and securely clutches the fish in its talons.
Ospreys and owls are the only raptors, birds of prey, whose outer toes are reversible and which provide a highly effective gripping ability. A slippery fish is much less likely to escape when grasped by two talon-tipped toes on each side of the foot.
Their nest are large structures constructed of sticks. Ospreys commonly mate for life and will reuse nest for many years.
Utility poles, channel markers and other manmade locations with plenty of ground clearance and good visibility can be used by ospreys for nesting. Electrical power lines have proven problematic in a few cases if the birds contact the charged line and a grounding source.
Ospreys can be observed all year in Wakulla County and north Florida, especially near water bodies and shorelines. It is a safe bet they will leave with a good catch
To learn more about ospreys in north Florida contact your local UF/IFAS Extension.
The preying mantis is well equipped to thin the population of destructive insects.
The last two years have been kind to the insect population in north Florida, and 2015 appears to be continuing the trend. The weather has provided enough rain for those bugs which depend on the generous supply of foliage and the temperatures are returning to an agreeable range for population growth.
Stink bugs, leaf-footed bugs, grasshoppers, all sizes of caterpillars and many more are hatching bent on enjoying the lush and plentiful dining selections. Homeowners and gardeners may soon be plagued by the sudden appearance of hordes of hungry pest which are eyeing the menu choices at a residence’s landscape.
Fortunately, nature has a way of equalizing all situations when left to its own devices. With the increase of the plant eaters comes those insects which restrain their population explosions.
One of the most easily recognized predator insects is the praying mantis. This beneficial insect is actually a family with multiple members, some of which have been introduced to Florida.
While there are over 2400 mantis members worldwide, Florida is home to eleven natives. Two of those have been introduced from other regions, but are not considered invasive.
Mantises are thought to have evolved during the Cretaceous period about 100 million years ago, possibly from a predatory cockroach with similar front legs. Their closest surviving insect relatives are cockroaches and termites, both of which they will consume if given the opportunity.
Like many insects, the mantis is equipped with a tough, durable exoskeleton which provides a basis for successful close quarter combat and meal procurement. These hunters have three other advantages which create a severe vulnerability in their prey’s defense and potential for surviving a mantis encounter.
The mantis is an ambush predator which will lay in wait for the victim/meal to deliver itself. The mantis has the instinctive ability to identify and hide in areas with high amounts of prey traffic.
This insect is a master at stealth and camouflage. The creature’s coloration and linear shape allow it to blend into the many natural settings.
To complement this facility to conceal itself in plain sight, the mantis can hold perfectly still and patiently wait for the oblivious animal to bumble into sticking range. At that precise moment, the mantis is a blur of lethal motion.
The mantis’ forelimbs are a set of deadly spiked vices used to immobilize and secure its target. It extends these spiny levers forward in a raised position which appears as though it is in prayer, hence its name.
The intended kill technique is to impale and restrain the victim with a single stroke of the forelimbs while holding the victim securely to the mantis’ body. On occasion the attempt fails and the mantis has to apply a more direct approach.
This insect’s beak is designed for slicing and tearing its victims flesh. The jaws provide the power to effectively employ this means to its meal’s head.
Depending on its stage of life, the mantis will eat a wide variety of creatures. Early stage mantises will eat little flies and other tiny insect (including its siblings), but at maturity they will take on small reptiles and amphibians along with a variety of destructive insects.
Despite its vicious nature, the praying mantis is the soon-to-emerge answer to many gardeners’ prayers.
Resurrection ferns are found in many mature hardwood trees in north Florida. This fern is an air plant which prospers on skimpy amounts of water and plant nutrients.
One of the wonderful features of spring is the return of green to the branches of many trees in north Florida. Cypress, poplar, cherry and many others have been defoliated by the cool season which is now retreating.
Buds are breaking everywhere deciduous trees reside and changing the complexion of the landscape. Every day the browns and grays are giving way to intensifying shades of green.
Aside from the pines, magnolias and live oaks, there has been green in the branches of some hardwood trees which went through the winter. Resurrection ferns have remained green in their sheltered perches as the seasons change.
Pleopeltis polypodioides, the scientific name for this native fern, has easily flourished through the recent winter with sufficient moisture. This creeping, coarse textured fern is commonly found in the southeastern United State, but also in some African locations.
It has been commonly identified as a resurrection fern because it has the capacity to survive long periods of drought. During dry times the leaves brown and wither, but the roots and leaves survive by stingily conserving water.
When rains return this fern quickly regenerates by promptly circulating water to the leaves through the plants highly efficient vascular system. To the casual observer, it appears to return from the dead in about a day.
The resurrection fern is an air plant, or epiphyte, which attaches itself to other plants. It receives the necessary plant nutrients for growth from several sources.
Bacterial activity on the outer surface of its plant host’s bark is a major contributor. The outer bark layer of many plants and trees is in the process of being shed and is an ideal location for this fern to grow.
Other tiny particles of nutrients are delivered through rain water and on the breezes. Though meager in life sustaining supplies, the resurrection fern flourishes in this harsh environment where most plants would quickly die.
Though usually located on tree branches, resurrection ferns are sometime seen growing on rocks, bricks or deadfall logs. It is not rare to see this fern growing with another native epiphytic plant, Spanish moss.
This plant’s root system are tiny and shallow, as could be expected of a fern which grows on the outer layer of bark. It uses an intricate mesh of rhizomes which meander just beneath the bark’s surface.
These rhizomes are part of the ferns ability spread along the branches and colonizes new sites on the tree or plant. Periodically the roots will emerge on the bark’s surface and sprout leaves.
The other method of propagation and species preservation is through spores which are produced on the underside of the leaves. Most leaf tips have a mechanism to generate a high volume of tiny wind delivered spores.
During summer and early autumn, the spores ripen and are scattered on the prevailing breezes. While only a tiny fraction make it to a hospitable site, the ones which do quickly establish themselves.
So if 2015 produces a dry or wet summer, resurrection ferns will be here. If only other plants were as easy to tend.
Golden bamboo quickly establishes in an areas and pushes out all other plants.
Bamboo, the tallest grass in north Florida, can be an attractive landscape specimen or an invasive nightmare. There are more than 700 species of bamboo worldwide, ranging in height from 12 inches to 100 feet or more in ideal growing conditions.
In the U.S., only two species occur naturally (Arundinaria gigantea and A. tecta). Neither of these two plants are used for human food, but other bamboos are a dietary staple or flavoring condiments in Asia and Africa.
Bamboo holds two impressive records in the plant kingdom. It is the largest perennial grass on the planet and it can be the fasted growing plant under the perfect environment.
It has been deliberately propagated and used as an ornamental plant for many years in Florida. The wide variety of colors and textures combined with the exotic shaped and delicate leaves add to the landscaping appeal.
Generally speaking, the two native bamboos are not extremely weedy and are relatively easy to manage. However, there are scores of imported bamboos which are highly invasive and exceedingly difficult to contain in a limited area.
The most common invasive bamboo (Phyllostachys aurea) is commonly known as fishing pole or golden bamboo. It was imported into this country in the 1880’s as an ornamental, being popular as a cold-hearty and quick growing privacy screen.
Because of its weight and relative strength it became an inexpensive and popular source of fishing poles. Curiously, expensive bamboo fly fishing rods are usually made from a less common, but stronger bamboo species native to China.
This and other invasive bamboo varieties have large and complex underground root systems called rhizomes. These shallow roots maintain the plant’s viability by storing and distributing large volumes of nutrients.
Once an invasive bamboo is established the root system supports rapid growth and expansion. Other plants are quickly overwhelms and pushed out.
To control these invasive varieties, the entire rhizome network must be killed. This makes control of bamboo expensive, intensive, time consuming and difficult.
Being a grass bamboo easily tolerates occasional pruning, but regular and intensive mowing is much more effective for destroying this plant. The mowing frequency is similar to a home lawn if success is to be achieved.
The removal of the plant’s above-ground portion is required to deplete the rhizomes and exhaust it. One to two seasons of rigorous mowing is needed before control is achieved.
To learn more about invasive bamboo, contact your local UF/IFAS Extension Office or read IFAS Publication WG 209: Integrated Management of Nonnative Plants in Natural Areas of Florida at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/wg209.
“Imitation is the sincerest of flattery,” wrote Charles Caleb Colton. Colton was a sometimes cleric, essayist, wine merchant and gambler who bounced around Europe and North America during the early nineteenth century. It is likely many of his financial lenders hoped the public would not imitate his borrowing practices.
Aside from his few literary works and the catchy phrase above, he was most noted for running up debts then leaving for parts unknown.
Eye spots on a Luna Moths wings are meant to deceive potential predators into believing they are seeing another predator. Photo by Les Harrison.
Imitations are not looked upon kindly when lazy students, or journalists for that matter, complete an assignment by borrowing blocks of text. Plagiarism is a flunking and firing offense with career-ending potential.
The concepts of imitation and mimicry date back to the earliest written records of ancient Greece. The philosopher Plato used mimicry to define beauty and truth, and as a contrast to the negative aspects of life.
For the denizens of north Florida’s untamed regions, mimicry is a form of imitation which assures the survival of some. Survival always beats the alternative.
Insects are particularly effective at using several forms of mimicry to survive and reproduce in a very hostile environment where big hungry creatures always are on the prowl for their next meal. Eyes and disguise are the top tactics for continuation of the species. Multiple eyes on the bug’s face are common in the insect world. Large, eye-like spots on the rear of the bug are an effective form of defensive mimicry used by several local caterpillars species.
The saddleback caterpillar is a good example of how this deception is carried. There are two color-coordinated eye-like spots on the rump of this caterpillar. These spots are exponentially larger than the saddleback’s real eyes, which are barely visible without the aid of magnification. An approaching predator will quickly notice the blankly staring spots and likely recall the last encounter with this appropriately named creature.
Mature larvae of the saddleback caterpillar, Acharia stimulea (Clemens). Photo by Lyle J. Buss, University of Florida.
It is worth noting the saddleback caterpillar has more defensive weapons systems than an Ageis missile cruiser. The novice predator that attempts to dine on this colorful, plump morsel will always remember the experience.
In addition to insects and caterpillars, some spiders have eye-spots on their thorax. Depending on the circumstances, the hunter can easily become the hunted.
Juvenile water moccasins or cottonmouths are brightly patterned with a yellow tail tip that they wiggle mimic insects attracting small prey such as lizards, toads, and frogs. Photo courtesy of J. D. Wilson and the University of Georgia.
Another mimicry tactic is camouflage, the ability to blend into the background and avoid detection. Millions, if not billions, of dollars of hunting clothing is sold annually to provide deer and turkey hunters that perceived advantage over their potential trophy animal. Moths are quite adept at using this technique to hide in plain sight. In the wild they almost always rest or lay eggs on surfaces which closely resemble their color scheme.
The last form of mimicry occasionally seen is the lure. This method attracts the prey to its demise. A prime example is employed by young water moccasins which have a sulfur-yellow tipped tail. The tail is shaken to resemble a wounded insect as the snake hides in the leaf litter. The unwitting victim is surprised, no doubt, to discover its status as a menu item.
