New Neighbors!

Get Ready! 

I'm so excited! I have been waiting for the new neighbors to show up since we arrived in Athens this past summer and saw a sign about them on a wooded lot just down the street. For weeks afterward, then months I kept checking for them, then found their Facebook page and read articles online to learn more about the project that was bringing them here. And at long last, on April 1 (no joke!) the Chew Crew arrived! The Chew Crew is a UGA project that is enlisting the services of a group of goats to eat invasive bushes, weeds and vines in 2 natural areas on campus, Tanyard Creek and Driftmier Woods.

Welcome Party at Driftmier Woods

Eating Oak Leaves With Gusto!

Chewing...

Goat at Work

The goats were everything I had hoped for in new neighbors--friendly, helpful and fairly quiet. There was a big party when they arrived and UGA students and staff and people in the neighborhood turned out to greet them. The crew at our neighborhood site (Driftmier Woods) consists of a big white Billy Goat and 7 smaller (female?) goats. I know they all have names, but I haven't learned them yet. (I think there may even be a mama and baby, but I'm not sure--I have some detective work to do!) They will stay at Driftmier for 3 weeks, then move back to Tanyard Creek for some touch up work. When they're not eating at UGA, they clear residential property. They are very busy goats! Their first day here the goats were already working hard on improving their wooded lot. Driftmier Woods is a small old growth Piedmont Forest on the UGA campus that over the years has become overgrown with invasive plants. Underneath and behind all the invasives there are huge white oaks (probably 150 years old), beeches, sweet gums and other hardwoods and pines. It is a wonderful hilly spot with hiking trails and picnic tables and a small creek that runs along a low area. It is tucked between the engineering building and graduate housing apartments and people use it to hike, cut through to campus and even ride mountain bikes. I've seen hawks, songbirds, insects, ferns and pretty wildflowers. I've heard that owls, deer and foxes have been spotted in the evenings.

Tall White Oaks

Forest Path

Cranefly Orchid Leaves

Right now the woods remind me of those jungle movie scenes where someone with a machete chops away a clump of vines and uncovers the lost kingdom. There is a lot of work to do here to remove the tons of Chinese Wisteria, Japanese honeysuckle, English Ivy, privet, nandina, lyriope, ligustrum, and a host of other invasive species that are literally covering the forest. The proximity to campus buildings and homes makes the area a poor candidate for prescribed fire, but it is perfect for prescribed grazing. The goats can get into rough terrain and eat and clear vegetation where it might be tough to bring in machinery (though something will need to be brought in to take care of larger bushes and trees). So the goats chew the forest back to health. And volunteers pull, chop, dig and saw. After the site is rehabilitated, it has the potential to be a fabulous small nature area, providing important green space and urban habitat. The project is a collaboration between several UGA departments and involves faculty, students and interested citizens (like me!) Project organizers secured a $25,000 grant to fund the operation and many people are volunteering time to make it a success. They have done such great work with the other site, Tanyard Creek, that I'm sure this will be successful, too.

Overgrown with Invasives

Hidden Jungle Ruins

The Chinese Wisteria that Ate the Woods

The project coordinators are carefully measuring and documenting the effect that the goats are having on the natural areas. At Tanyard Creek, where the goats have been clearing since 2012, the Chew Crew has done a great job and there are not many invasive woody shrubs left. I spent a lovely morning there last month helping to identify and measure herbaceous plants within defined grids. At Driftmier Woods, in addition to clearing the invasives, the concern is that the goats will eat the oak seedlings and will have an adverse effect on the regeneration of the forest when the invasive cover is cleared, so I spent an afternoon tagging and measuring oak seedings. Now that the goats have arrived, it is pretty clear that they LOVE to eat oak seedings, so I imagine that lots of wire cages will be needed to protect them to ensure new forest growth. It is a huge project and only one section of the woods have been fenced for goat foraging so far. Much more work is yet to come. It makes me appreciate how much effort has gone into all the existing natural areas that I enjoy so much.

Tanyard Creek Plant ID

The Grid for Counting Plants

Cages to Protect Baby Oaks

As a new person to town, I have been looking for ways to get involved and find my niche. I think this is a good fit. I have only pitched in a little so far, but they will need a lot more help over the coming years, clearing, pulling, counting and measuring. Independent of the Chew a Crew project, I'm making a personal project of observing and photographing birds, plants and other wildlife in Driftmier Woods and have added it to eBird as a birding location. It would be nice if over the years I could document an increase in the diversity of species. I hope that I can become as intimately acquainted with these woods as I did with the Ditch and Morningside and La Chua Trail in Gainesville. I've already met some friendly and interesting people and it feels great to be part of a big community project. This one is perfect for me, given my interests in native wildflowers, invasive plants, wildlife and environmental education. It will be exciting to see the changes and I'm really happy to be part of it. Chew on, goats!

Chew On, Goats!

30 Days in June: Day 18, Moonshine Creek and Creek Sink Trails

That's My Motto! 

Rested, reinvigorated and rehydrated, Thursday morning had me out on the trail bright and early. I wanted to walk the Moonshine Creek and the Creek Sink trails at San Felasco Hammock State Park before it got too hot again. It had rained a little bit the night before and more rain was in the forecast later, so the air was heavy and everything was damp. When I took out my cameras I found that the lenses were fogged. They were still cool from the air conditioning in the house and car and when the hot, humid air hit them, condensation formed on everything. I wiped them with my lens cloth, but the metal on the telephoto held the cold and it kept fogging over for almost a half hour. Therefore, I missed my chance to get a picture of the Hooded Warbler and Acadian Flycatcher I saw right by the creek. But I was just happy to have found them.

Starting on the Trail

Sun Rays in the Forest

Moonshine Creek

Moonshine Creek at San Felasco is one of the first trails my family and I hiked when we first moved to Gainesville. It has changed a lot over the years but is still a great place to hike. I like to come for butterflies in the fall and Jack in the Pulpit and Trillium in the Spring. The hurricanes of 2004 took out lots of big trees and then the drought a few years later dried up ponds and swamps. But everything changes. A wet prairie will be flooded one year and dried up the next. A big tree falls and opens up a big patch of sunshine into dark woods and new plants grow there that never could before. Things change. Pine beetles, coral ardesia, and hard winters, dry summers. You can't be sure that the things you saw one year will be there the next. It makes life precious and interesting. It's important to appreciate what you have while you have it, but it is just as important to be able to improvise and adapt when you don't. Change is good for you because it forces you to think in new ways. I'm thinking of our move this way--lots of new places to experience, things to learn and people to meet.

Sadly, this trail has a real problem with Coral Ardesia. Please don't plant this at home. The berries are attractive to the birds and they take over.

Huge Grape Vine

Muscle Wood (American Hornbeam) with Poison Ivy

The trail through the woods was much cooler than I had expected and I started thinking that this was the best way to be active in the hot summer--go to the dark woods! But as I walked lower into the sink area, closer to the creek and the pond, it got wetter and muggier, and soon I had sweat through all my clothes and was having a hard time moving the dials on my cameras because my hands were so wet with sweat. When I stopped to look at something, the breeze I was creating with my motion stopped and sweat would pour down my face. It was intense. But at least there were no bugs! I don't know why, but the mosquitoes were mercifully absent, and somehow I didn't get any ticks.

Tall Trees

Cool, Dark Path

It was lusciously dark and green. And noisy. The tree frogs were barking and the buzz of the cicadas was so loud that my ears were almost numb. When I walked up and out of the woods and I couldn't hear them anymore I felt like I'd been at a concert or had cotton in my ears. It was hard to use sounds sounds to locate birds because they were drowned out by the cicadas. But I'm not complaining. It made the whole experience richer to be buried in the deep, dark woods. I saw a deer from a distance and so many squirrels. I'm sure there were lots more birds than what I saw, but the path was uneven and I had to watch my step in addition to watching the trees. I was on the lookout for snakes, too, but didn't see any. I saw Woodpeckers and Cardinals, Carolina Wrens and Parulas and a big Titmouse family.

Moss Covered Tree Trunk

Watch Your Step

This is Where the Bird Action Is!

What I did see were spider webs, everywhere. I wasn't able to get a photo that showed the perfection of the orb weaver webs in the misty rays of sunshine, but they were stunning. Some of them were 2-3 feet across. I also saw a slug and some snails eating tree fungus.

Giant Webs

Spider Web in the Woods (The photo doesn't do it justice)

Snails Eating Fungus

Carolina Mantle Slug Eating Fungus

When I walk by myself I do a lot of thinking. Sometimes I am composing the blog that I am writing about my hike. Sometimes I'm going through lists of things that I have to do. (I'm making a lot of lists these days). Sometimes I go over conversations that I have had or that I want to have. Sometimes I just look and enjoy. And sometimes I get a stupid ear worm stuck in my brain, a dumb song that goes on and on and I can't shake it. I don't know what brings them on, maybe it's the rhythm of my walking pace, or maybe it's a phrase that pops into my mind and starts it. But in the middle of San Felasco, I had the refrain from "Uptown Funk" playing over and over and over.

I'm too hot (hot damn)
Called police and fireman
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Make a dragon wanna retire man
I'm too hot (hot damn),
ETC, ETC, ETC, ETC AAAGH!

It was driving me crazy. It's a fun song, but only once or twice, and not running on repeat in my brain, and definitely not in the woods while I'm trying to listen for Yellow Throated Vireos over the drone of the cicadas. But I was too hot, and the sweat dripping down my face kept reminding me. But I concentrated and eventually I was able to push "Too Hot" out of my brain and I got back to my tranquility.

Web of Tree Roots Extending Across the Forest Floor

Back at the parking lot I saw what I first thought was a gigantic (6 inch long) slug on the ground. But it turned out to be a banana that had been in the sun a while. Hah! But then I almost jumped when I saw the Broad Headed Skink with its head buried in the banana, munching away. Who knew that skinks ate bananas? This one was quite content. And so was I. It was a great morning!

Nom Nom Nom

This Skink Has Been Busy!

 Total: 92 (95) June Challenge Birds and 22 Natural Areas

Don't Plant These at Home!

In my last post I identified some of the common weeds and plants that I keep my eye on come spring each year. But I didn't mention the vast array of invasive exotic species that I also watch for. I try very hard to keep them out of our yard, but it takes constant vigilance. Because they are so successful and are without natural pests, they pop up all the time. Unchecked, they can quickly take hold in any landscape. National Invasive Species Awareness Week began yesterday, and in the spirit of environmental education, I dug out an article I wrote for our neighborhood newsletter last summer. The seasons may have changed, but the issues remain the same.

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This July is shaping up to be one of the wettest on record, and we can all see the results of abundant rain in our green and lush yards. What a relief it is to have plenty of water after all these years! I know the plants in our yard are enjoying the rain, but I’ll let you in on a little secret. The drought we’ve had for the past few years has not been much of a problem for us because we have a Florida Friendly Yard. This means that we are using landscape plants that are mostly native to North Central Florida, and that don’t require a lot of water or fertilizer, and provide habitat for animals. I’d like to take this chance to speak up in favor of using native plants in your landscape.

Florida Friendly Yard

Unlike the generic landscape plants usually found at gardening centers, native plants are adapted to local water, nutrient and temperature requirements. Native plants don’t need extra watering after they are established. They don’t need to be protected in cold weather. And they don’t need extra fertilizing. In addition, native plants are important sources of food for native animals and insects that have evolved along with the plants. Imagine a yard that not only accents your house with beautiful flowers, grasses, trees and shrubs, but also provides habitat for native butterflies, bees, mammals and birds and helps the environment. You can see why I’m sold on native plant gardening.

Great Habitat for Butterflies, Bees and other Wildlife

Of course, there are many gorgeous plants that are not native, and being able to grow them is one of the fun advantages to gardening in Florida. It’s perfectly fine to grow non-native plants in your yard. Azaleas, Camellias and Japanese Magnolias are some good examples of great, non-native plants. I’m also very fond of Red Pentas, Gingers and African Irises in a butterfly garden. The trick is to choose plants that are good players within the local environment, and to put the right plant in the right place! Plants that need a lot of water should be planted around a wet area. If your yard is dry, wetland plants may not be right for you. Many parts of Gainesville have sandy, dry soil. Use drought tolerant plants in those kinds of yards. And pay close attention to sun and shade requirements. As water becomes a bigger issue in Florida, it is important to use garden plants that can survive and thrive in our climate. Irrigation doesn’t make much sense because it’s so wasteful. Water quality is also important for our future, so we must be careful how we use fertilizers so that they do not get into the waterways and pollute our streams, lakes and springs. Here in the Duckpond Neighborhood, for example, the water from the Sweetwater branch eventually drains into Paynes Prairie. We all want to protect the natural environment of the Prairie.

Elephant Ear (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) is an invasive exotic plant that thrives in our Semi-Tropical climate, as you can see from this photo of the Sweetwater Branch Creek in Downtown Gainesville. Follow this creek downstream into Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park and you will find canals clogged with Elephant Ear.

Another point to consider with non-native plants is if they are Invasive Exotic species. Exotic plants are just plants that are not native to your particular region. Invasive Exotic plants are the non-native ones that do so well in any particular climate that they outcompete the native species, to the detriment of the local ecosystems. They have no local natural pests or diseases that control them and they crowd out the native plants. Then the animals that depend on those native plants lose important food and shelter resources. Well known examples of Invasive Exotic species are Kudzu, Melaleuca (mainly in South Florida), Water Hyacinth and Air Potatoes.

Air Potato Vines (Diascoria bulbifera). These vines spread by little bulbuls (the "potatoes"). There are no native pests to control this plant, although an Asian insect, the Air Potato Leaf Beetle has been released in Florida as a control with some success. 

Invasive Exotic plants can be very attractive, which is one reason that they are brought to Florida in the first place. But just like the Burmese Python, these species in the wrong place can cause real harm to the environment. Environmental agencies are doing their best to eradicate harmful invasive exotic species, but it is a huge problem and they need help from citizens like you.

Peruvian Water Primrose (Ludwigia peruviana). Pretty, yes. But wrong plant, wrong place. They are now established in streams and creeks all over Florida.

Chinese Tallow Tree Leaves (Triadica sebifera). Also known as "Popcorn Trees", the abundant fluffy seeds from this tree help them spread through the stream systems where they end up in areas such as Paynes Prairie. They grow and crowd out native species. They were planted originally as ornamentals because of the pretty leaves and seeds but are now banned for purchase in Florida nurseries because they are considered to be noxious weeds.

So take a look around your yard and see if you have Invasive Exotic plants that should be removed. You can see examples all around our neighborhood and along the ditches of the Sweetwater Branch, crowding out the beautiful native plantings. Elephant Ear, Air Potato and Mexican Petunia nearly cover the banks in some places. By fall, trees and bushes will be enveloped in the invasive Air Potato vines and covered with the hanging “potatoes”. Colorful Lantana and Coral Ardesia may seem pretty in your home landscape, but they’re insidious. You might think it is ok to grow these plants in your own yard and keep them under control. But here’s the problem--just a tiny piece of Mexican Petunia will grow a whole new plant, and the berries from Lantana and Ardesia are carried off and deposited by birds and squirrels. Plant fragments, seeds and berries wash down into the storm drains where they gather in the ditches (like the one just below the Thelma Bolton Center), just a heavy rain away from being washed down to the Prairie. These plants are spreading along Florida’s waterways and through the woods like wildfire.

Mexican Petunia (Ruellia simplex). You can find these all through the Loblolly Woods.

Coral Ardesia (Ardesia crenata)

Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina domestica). The pretty red berries on Nandina and Coral Ardesia are irresistible to birds and wildlife which helps them spread through natural areas. Both plants are classified as Category 1 invasive exotic plants because of their harmful environmental effects. Plant native berries such as Yaupon Holly or Simpson's Stopper instead.

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Consider planting a Florida Friendly landscape in your yard. You’ll appreciate the diversity of wildlife and you’ll be doing your part to help protect our environment. One great source for Florida native plants is the Native Plant Sale at Morningside Nature Center that takes place in the Fall and Spring each year. Many knowledgeable vendors and experts will help you pick the right plants for your yard. So Happy Summer and Happy Gardening!

You can get more information at these web sites:

Florida Friendly Landscapes: http://www.floridayards.org

Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants: http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu

Florida Exotic Pest Council: http://www.fleppc.org

Florida Native Plant Society: http://www.fnps.org

Wildflowers and Weeds

When we moved to our house over 7 years ago, it had a traditional landscape with big lawns in the front and back yards, and traditional shrubs and plants. Maintaining all that grass was labor and water intensive and I soon grew weary of it. I decided to jazz it up with a small flower patch. Over the summer, I dug up grass, little bit by little bit, to accommodate new flowers for the patch. Soon it was a bigger flower patch. Then I got the idea that I could extend the patch all around the perimeter of the yard and shrink the grass.

Big lawn with flower patch and border

It looked great, but the grassy area was still large and required a lot of water and maintenance, and the weeds were creeping in. So, I took a big breath and decided to take the plunge into a grassless yard, planted with only native and Florida Friendly plants. It was a lot of work. I pulled up all the grass by hand (it probably would have been easier to get someone to do it for me, but it was great exercise and got me outside every day). My neighbors thought it was very interesting and I had countless nice conversations with them as they cheered me on, and with strangers who stopped by and ask what on earth I was doing every day. Eventually, the grass was all gone and replaced with pine bark mulch. Then I started adding the plants. At first, it looked sparse. But each year the plants grew and self seeded, and I added more every chance I could get. I chose plants that would do well in our slightly dry and sandy, sunny space. I was also interested in attracting wildlife, so I planted flowers and grasses attractive to birds, bees and butterflies. Most of the plants were native to Florida, but some were not. Many non-native plants are Florida Friendly—that is, they are not invasive, and do not require extra water, fertilizer, or cold weather treatment. We put up bird feeders. The end result (as if there is an end—I am always re-arranging the garden!) is that we have a yard full of flowers, butterflies and bees, caterpillars and spiders, birds, lizards and even the occasional snake, in downtown Gainesville.

No lawn, native plants thriving

My understanding of the importance and beauty of native plants and species has grown over my years in Florida. I have come to understand the interconnectedness of plants and animals in their habitats and ecosystems. Native plants are the ones originally found in that particular area and are adapted to that ecosystem. Florida native plants are well equipped to live and thrive in the heat and humidity, dry or wet, shade or sun, coast, uplands or wetlands of our state. Native fungus, disease, insects and animals control the spread of the plants. The organisms in turn, depend on the plants for food and shelter. They need each other. Our ecosystems are in a delicate balance and once you throw people into the mix, with our constant movement and development, the ecosystems are in danger of disruption. We destroy habitat to build our cities and homes in the country. We bring plants from all over the world to make our homes look pretty. But those plants are not adapted to Florida and need special treatment, whether it be extra water or fertilizer. And when those non-native plants escape into the wild, some of them can become invasive (think kudzu!). They do not have the natural pest and disease controls, and native organisms have not adapted to depend on them. They grow unchecked and soon out-compete the native plants. The ultimate result is loss of diversity as the native species are crowed out and the invasive plant dominates the landscape.

Invasive Exotic Air Potatoes crowding out native landscape (photo from Lee County IFAS, Univ. of Fla)

It may come as a surprise, but water is critically important in Florida, as it is all over the world. We may have a reputation for swamps and lush rainforest-like landscapes, but that is an illusion. We do not have water to spare. 50-70% of our drinkable water is poured onto landscapes and turf farms every day. As water becomes more precious, it is more important than ever to conserve it. Native landscapes can help. Once they are established, native plants can grow on just the rainfall. Other than to get the plants started, I do not water our yard. Pesticides and fertilizers run off of landscapes, into the drains and into the aquifer, further endangering our water resources. Native plants do not need to be fertilized and have fewer pest problems. I do not use fertilizer or pesticides in our yard. I use mulch from pine tree bark, and let tree leaves compost in place on the ground. Both will add nutrients to the soil. If we have nuisance insects, I can pick them off the plant or treat with a soapy water spray. I encourage caterpillars! And when the weather turns cold, I am not outside covering the plants. I am inside, toasty and warm, knowing that the plants in our yard will be fine. My style of garden may not be for everyone. I happen to like a crazy meadow. But you can use native plants in just the same way you use any landscape plant. To people used to a manicured lawn, some of my plants may look like weeds. But weeds are just plants growing where you don't want them. In my yard, they are not weeds--they are wildflowers.

Our lawn-less yard this spring

Consider turning your yard into a "(name of your state here) Friendly Yard". The issues that we face in Florida are faced everywhere. Make your yard part of the solution, not the problem. You can help conserve water, reduce groundwater pollution, create wildlife habitat, and have a beautiful yard. You can start by planting Native Plants. The Fall Native Plant Sale takes place at Morningside Nature Center this weekend.

One of the many attractive native plants available at the plant sale (Lopsided Indiangrass, Sorgastrum secundum)