Category: Nature

Thoughts on nature with links to my photoblog at SmugMug

Eco-Burns and the Power of Renewal

Eco burns can be deeply disturbing.  For most of us the idea of starting a fire to purposefully destroy the beauty of nature is troubling.  But nature often depends on fire to renew. Long before there was man on the Myakka prairies there was lightening and through thousands of years the cycle of burning-renewal-burning constructed the unique landscape that is Myakka.

In her book, Myakka, Park Biologist Paula Benshoff has an excellent chapter called “Fire, Most Naturally.” She states that “the most intriguing and fascinating facet of my job is …involvement with fire ecology.”

Oak tree that was felled by the burn. In the foreground is an old tree trunk that had served as a bench for many years.

Last March a prescribed burn was conducted between Fox’s High and Low Roads, one of my favorite hiking areas.  It was a shock to emerge from the canopy of trees that leads from the parking area to the prairies.  The burn was about two weeks old and everything was still very black and sooty.  The old oak that had stood as a sentinel for many years  was a victim of the burn.  Its rotted mid-section could not hold.  It came down hard.  Another victim was the large tree trunk that had been there for many years and served as a useful bench.

Fox’s High Rd. area was equally shocking. One reason I like this area so much is the easy access to different eco-systems.  Fox’s High Rd. has sandy areas that make me think of our beautiful local beaches and there are pine trees dotting the landscape and framing several small meadow areas. I was worried that the pines would be gone.  But they survived, a little singed, but still strong.

Fox’s High Road after prescribed burn.

As I poked through the charred landscape my worry and despair quickly gave way to wonder as I came across strong signs of new life.

Fresh growth two weeks after prescribed growth.
The marsh off Fox’s Low Rd. looking back towards the road. This area is normally thick with vegetation and swampy but the drought had taken hold before the burn so there was plenty of dry vegetation for the fire..

It is now autumn in Florida.  There are some who will swear that Florida has no autumn.  Accustomed to the dramatic colors of tall trees, newly arrived Florida residents have a hard time seeing our Florida Fall.   But the season has been spectacular this year, especially in the burn areas.  The grasses have roared back.  They are tall, vigorous and bursting with different colors and shapes.  Similarly the wildflowers seem more abundant and there seem to be more varieties.

The old oak that stood for so many years on Fox’s Low Road is being given a beautiful salute.  In this age where we celebrate life rather mourn the dead, the oak’s pyre of  wildflowers and grasses seem gentle, supportive and most appropriate.

And along Fox’s High and Low Roads the views are wonderful.  Check out the gallery pictures below for “before-and-after” shots.  But most of all, Get Out There!  Winter will be here all too soon and this glorious season of autumn in Florida will be gone. ❧

(For best results with gallery pictures, double-click on first image and then scroll through.)

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Bubba the Bouncer

That’s Bubba the Burro …  although he should really be called Bubba the Bouncer.  We normally think of burros as docile, hard-working beasts of burden.  Or as stubborn, ornery creatures who are just a trifle on the dim side. But Bubba doesn’t fit any of those descriptions.  He heads up security at the King Farm in Bradenton, Florida.

King Farm is a beautiful tract of 103 acres, situated east of Interstate 75 at the State Road 70 exit.  As you whiz by the normal assortment of fast food restaurants, gas stations, and box stores you wonder how a working farm could be anywhere near the urban sprawl of Southwest Florida.

But King Farm is easy enough to find, a simple right turn off SR 70 onto Caruso Rd. and soon enough you’ll see the sign.  I traveled there a week ago to photograph cows.  Recently I decided I need more cow pictures and the gods obliged that thought when I met Ben and Shelby King at a mutual friend’s party. After learning what they do I quickly invited myself to their property for a photo session.  They graciously agreed.

Gracious is a word that fits nicely with King Farm.  For several months out of the year they have a farmer’s market where they sell organically grown produce.  They serve the community in numerous ways, including farm tours for school kids and opening their property to art students so they can sketch and paint some of the beautiful landscapes as well as iconic images of barns and tractors.

The Kings don’t actually raise cattle (they rent out the grazing land) but they do raise goats and sheep.  They never expected to own a burro but after coyotes began attacking their goat and sheep herds they needed to take some action.  Someone suggested a burro and since acquiring Bubba they haven’t lost a single critter.  Bubba the Bouncer is a pro.

Looking at the size of Bubba’s ears I can believe there is nothing on earth that could sneak up on him.  That included Shelby and I.  Bubba came trotting across the field as soon as he spotted Shelby.  Bubba has a crush on Shelby, that was clear.  He kept nudging (and sometimes nipping) everyone else (including me) as he positioned himself between Shelby and the rest of us.  Just doing his job! ❧

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This picture is a couple of years old now but still handsome.  In nine days we will mark the 43rd anniversary of the first moon landing.  I miss that sense of wonder that we had then.

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Maybe it’s the heat, maybe it’s summer wanderlust but I awoke thinking of Scotland.  Here’s a picture from my last trip to that charming land.  This is the seashore near Dornoch.

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With the Myakka River running at flood stage alligators in Myakka River State Park are like kids let out for summer vacation.  Throughout the late winter and spring months, alligators were forced into smaller and smaller areas in the Park.  It was easy to spot them from the Park Drive bridge. One day last May I counted more than a dozen ‘gators visible from the bridge.  They were all pushed into a small remnant of the River.  But now!  The school doors have opened and the alligators are everywhere!  The Park is nothing but water and as you drive along the Park Drive you hear the ‘gators “talking” to each other — a strange snorting noise that those unfamiliar with alligators attribute to bullfrogs.  But make no mistake, the ‘gators have courted and the rising waters have been as welcome as Levittown was to the returning soldiers of World War II.  Nests are being made, eggs are being laid, and soon the Park will have many new ‘gators to amuse the tourists.

This handsome young gator was no more than three feet off the main drive in the Park.
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Myakka River is at flood stage and it is remarkably easy to launch the kayak.  Drive to park, drive along Park Drive, stop and launch.  The water is up to the road or over it.  You can kayak through the trees and find some new surprises, like this frog from today.

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