Category: Beautiful things

Lessons for SWFL from the Fulda River, Community Garden Project

This is a recounting of the re-wilding of a portion of the Fulda River valley in the city of Fulda, Germany. We have been to Fulda in the past. See the post on Chrysanthemums. The city of Fulda is geographically, historically, culturally, and politically important. At one time it was the most important place on earth. During the height of the Cold War tens of thousands of NATO and Warsaw pact troops faced each other with troops, tanks, canons, and nuclear weaponry ready to engage in what would have been the start of WW III. That was in the valley nearby area called the Fulda gap. We have learned a lot from the experiences of Fulda and today we have a lesson of a different nature. It is a lesson of peace, beauty, and imagination. It is a lesson of water and land conservation. It is the bio-diversification and restoration of a portion of the swamps and river of the valley. It is the creation of a garden park and habitat for wildlife. It reflects cooperation rather than confrontation.

The feature image is an abandoned rail-line learning to the Fulda Gap

The Fulda River is one of the headwaters of the Weser River. It flows northwestward through central Germany for about 224 Km. (Fig 1.) The Fulda River is an important recreation area for the city of Fulda. It has  been engineered several times over the past years, however, there has been a water area with a persistent overgrowth of cyano/alginate bloom in two accidently created retention ponds. Historically this area was a meadow and an open pit mine which had a clay base suitable for making masonry bricks. The open pit mine was not remediated, it simply filled with ground water. The meadow is in a depression which was also infiltrated by ground water forming a second pond. (Fig 2, Ponds adjacent to but not fed by the Fulda River) ground water supplying the lakes is a runoff from the nearby farmland. It is rich in organics with high concentrations of potassium, nitrogen, phosphorus, and chlorophyll. The retention ponds are fed by groundwater and without flow were stagnant. A growth of algae covered the surface of the ponds thereby depleted the oxygen content of the water (Fig 5). It was toxic to the fish and other plants. In the summer months with much less precipitation, algae growth increased and oxygen percentage was very low. Fish in the ponds died. The only surviving result was an ugly mass of blue-green algae. 





Fig 1. Map of the central area of Germany with the country map as an insert and the Fulda river indicated in red in the larger portion of the image
Fig 2. Google map of the Fulda river in blue and the pond area in dark green.

The city hosted the Landesgartenschau from April through October 2023. This was an important regional horticultural show for the State of Hessen, Germany. Prior to the show the mess in this area needed to be resolved. It would seem reasonable to solve the polluted water problem by simply circulating the fresh water of the Fulda River through the two ponds and thereby improving the water supply. This well intended effort would have had terrible consequences. With testing and surveying and due consideration of alternatives, a more effective management was employed. The testing found that the water of the retention ponds had an assay of mineral and organic compounds equivalent to the neighboring farmland ground water. The surrounding farmland has been treated with animal manure and fertilizers and has the remnants of decayed vegetation. The river was very different. The Fulda River water is high in phosphates and low in other nutrients because it originates in the Rhön region mountains. Introduction of the pond water would have contaminated the downstream river.

Fig 4. Detail of pond continuous remediation areas


Fig 3. Schematic of reengineered combined ponds

The derived solution to the problem of the stagnant ponds was ingenious. It included connecting the two ponds, installing a multi-port hydraulic line (Fig 3) through the length of the resulting lake and connected to a pump to recirculate the water and placing  pond overflow gutters. These two methods direct the flow through a large stone/gravel pack over the southern banks to filter and re-oxygenation the water. (Fig 4)The surface algae is filtered and removed from the lakes and placed into a land fill area. The two water types are not comingled and soon the pond was clean, safe, and suitable for swimming (Fig 6). Separated from the pond, the undisturbed river flood plane is not toxic and native German beavers have been reintroduced into the river wilderness to facilitate the control of the vegetation.


Fig 5. Pre-remediation ponds overgrown with algae
Fig 6. Pond in September 2023 after remediation

The horticultural show was a wonderful display of crops, gardens, and my favorites which are the flowers and the wilderness. Here are some examples.

Blue = Ageratum, Red = Zinnia
Dalia pinnata
Sedum h.
Pelargonium L.
Signs of beavers at work

The lesson for Florida to be learned from the Fulda River water management is this. 

  1. Research and think before acting.
  2. Combining community stagnant retention pond water with river water must one done with careful thought and planning.
  3. Reducing the nutrient value of the pond water by removing the pond plants and algae is effective.
  4. Aeration of water by the natural process of tumbling-through-stone is an effective re-oxygenation method. 
  5. Use of wiers, gutters and pumps is sometimes necessary to facilitate the process.

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#Fulda #hydrology #Fulda Gap

The Queens

No, it is not the rock group. Nor is it an ABBA song. It is a butterfly species related to Monarchs called Queens. As a result of the residual effects of hurricane Ian, our community butterfly garden has no surviving milkweed plants. It does, however, have other plants that attract things that flutter by. At first it looked like they were Monarchs but on closer inspection, as you can see in these photos, this species is very similar. They are Queens and they are dancing and mating.

The feature image is a male Queen with the dorsal surface pointed toward the female and us. Additionally, there is a female Queen showing the ventral surface detail. . The two dark spots on the ventral surface medial veins of the distal wings indicate a male gender.

We have discussed Monarchs on these three occasions Monarch, previous, postings. This species will be the standard for comparison for this discussion. The Queen has several markings that make it easy to distinguish. It has a darker, more red/brown coloration. The wing veins are less pronounced. It is the smaller of the two species.The Monarch is a strict milkweed feeder. The Queens feed on many plants and are not exclusive to milkweed. Also they should not be confused with other related butterflies called Viceroys or Soldiers (not shown here).

Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus)  (male)
Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) (male)

Also not to be confused with the Gulf Fritillary which is a totally different species.

Queen butterfly (Danaus gilippus) (male)
Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae) (Male)

Watching the Queens was easy because they were very interested in pairing with one another at this time. These observations were made during the first week of October 2023 at 8:30 AM. GPS location 26.3389184, -81.8085888. There were other butterflies present including Monarchs which were very low in number as well as Polydamas swallowtails. The dozens of Queens were literally dancing around one another in what appeared to be mating preliminaries.

Queen female on flower stem waiting for the approaching male.
Queen male flying above female.
Queen male descending toward female.
Queen female wings spread open to receive male.
First contact.

I spent about an hour admiring the beauty of the butterflies and was astonished to see this “dance” exhibited by many couples. I have never seen so many Queens in one place at one time. I hope to see the eggs and caterpillars that I expect will follow during the next few weeks. I will also be on the look out for the related Soldiers and Viceroys.

References:

Butterflies Air Home

Butterflies and Moths of North America

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#Monarch #Queen #butterfly #Fritillary #mating #dance

Florida Marsh Exploration. Part I

This is a recounting of the first three exploratory walks into the perimeter of a Florida Marsh located in the Bonita Bay Slough.

Cover photo is a Saltmarsh Morning Glory (Ipomoea sagittat)

This is part of a series of Floridian environments and ecosystems including Wetlands.

Introduction:

The central wetland feature of the Bonita Bay Community property is a slough. It connects the Spring creek at the north end to the Imperial River to the south. I examined maps of this area that predate the roads, rail beds and towns since records were kept. The entire property including the marsh may have been tidal before the current community was built and made an east-west road across the center at the watershed divide. What remains is now a tidal marsh that appears to be otherwise unaltered for at least several hundreds of years and a wooded wetland in the developed community. The city of Bonita Springs and the highway now called Old 41 as well as the railroad bed were placed to avoid these marshes and swamps. In 1952, highway 41 was built and the marsh and lowland to the east of the highway were filled. The natural watershed to the BB community area was compromised. It is now fed primarily by the estuary of Spring Creek, the Imperial River and rainfall. The creek and river continue to accumulate water from the areas east of 41 but there is no obvious westward surface flow between these two streams. Included are some photographs of some of my observations. Irrigation water is pumped from wells east of highway 41 for community and golf course irrigation.

50 meters into the slough I met with an impenetrable wall of vegetation. I first thought that this would be a freshwater marsh, however, the flower on the left a Saltmarsh Morning Glory (Ipomoea sagittata) acknowledges this to be a saltwater marsh. It was the most beautiful find through all of the area explored.

Marsh exploration:

Visit 1.

Level 1 preparation for a walking trip: Action plan with driver drop-off and pick-up points and gear for a walk in the marsh included: bush pants, shirt, calf high waterproof swamp boots, hat, drinking water, cell phone, SLR camera, bug repellent, and sun block.

I began my walk at the south end at the center of the marsh. This was at the beginning of the artificially created east/west roadbed at the watershed divide.(See map) The vegetation was thick and dense, dominated by grasses, low shrubs and herbaceous plants. After two steps the depth of the water rapidly increased. While I was standing in eight inches of water, I probed the spot for my next step with my walking stick. It easily slipped to full 1 ½ meter length through an increasingly viscus mix of water, vegetation, and decayed plant material. I could not find any real hard bottom. I assume that the bottom is peat.

Foliage over my head as I stood in 10 inches of water.
I reported this unknown weed as a possible invasive.

Carefully using my walking stick to test for footing I treaded into the marsh. There were a few areas where the floating vegetation did support my weight. There were some spots where there was soil sufficiently high for secure standing. Avoiding the possibility of sinking into the water and muck to my chest, I cautiously advanced further in a very irregular line about 70 meters into the marsh. It all appeared to be a heterogeneous tangle of a great variety of grasses, ferns, bushes, and vines.

Visit 1.

I expected this area to be filled with wildlife and a variety of plants different from other environments in Florida. I have looked at the slough many times from a raised viewing platform and was always surprised by the sparsity of birds. I expected to see more diverse animals, however, when wading in the marsh I was again disappointed. For ninety minutes of observation, I saw only a pair of red winged blackbirds. There may be extenuating circumstances for this condition. Salt marshes are not known for bird nesting. Birds are concentrated at the Rookery Islands on the southern end of the slough, there may be predators in this northern end which the birds recognize and this results in their avoidance. The density of the dead vegetation or the deadly effects of hurricane Ian storm surge may have caused a die-off of the predated food supply. 

The height of the vegetation was above my field of vision and there was no sign of an animal path or previous human activity. At one spot where the vegetation thinned, I could see the tree line which was approximately a quarter mile to my east. No other landmarks were visible. The abundant plant variety was very diverse; the animal live was not. I was surprised to find very few flying or crawling insects, no vertebrates except for a few birds. At 9:00 AM it was very quiet, no wind, no odor and very hot (38 C, 100 F) with 100% humidity. After 1 ½ hours, aided by my cell phone and dead reconning, I retreated approximately 70 meters back to my start point. I reviewed my findings overnight. The plants which I observed were more typical of a salt marsh. This deserved further investigation.

Saw grass in a salt marsh
Swamp Fern in salt marsh

Previous views during the past years from the observation deck suggested a rich variety of the marsh vegetation. Again, I was disappointed. The slough is filled with dead plant remains secondary to the saltwater infusion of hurricane Ian’s storm surge. Brush and tall grasses are grey-brown and toppled over horizontally to the water line. Some are continuing to sprout and flower but the overall color of the area is greyish brown. 

Visit 2. 

If the heron were not so bright I would have missed it among the grey-brown weedy background.
This great white heron carefully stalked through the grasses in the marshes. The utility of the length of its neck and legs was clearly evident. It picked up some animal wrapped in green vegetation and swallowed the sandwich without hesitation.

The following day I returned for a second look with the same prep, and made additional photos and notes. The weather was unchanged. The second trip provided additional findings. I saw more feeding birds but none nesting and very few insects. It was especially interesting to watch a great white heron hunting in the depth of the marsh. Previously I saw them only on the shores of more open spaces. In the deep marsh I could see it using all its skills of crouching, deep water wading and stealth. It did indeed catch something, however, the identity was obscured by some green vegetation surrounding the small prey. After I returned home, I ordered a handheld refractometer to check the marsh salinity.

Visit 3.

Same prep was used plus 6 specimen bottles for water sampling The weather was unchanged. The sample times were between 8:45 and 9:30 AM. Water samples were taken at three surface points at five locations using a dip cup. See map in Fig 20. The samples were brought home and their temperatures were stabilized at 72F (23C). Using the handheld refractometer I gauged the salinity of my samples. The findings are reported in table 1.

I also sampled other wetland areas in the community properties to test the salinity at various  locations. See the five locations on the map (Fig. 2). 

Findings:

Table 1.

The lowest salinity at 3 PPT is water exiting from the south slough into the Imperial River. There is an apparent progression of lower salinity of the system water from northeast to southwest. The salinity of the Estero Bay east littoral area is 30 PPT higher than the upper Spring Creek.

SWS its the expected average salt water salinity of local sea water in the littoral zone.

Also found were numerous plants that were thriving despite the damage caused by the hurricane of 2023. These can be seen in the next posting. Florida Marsh Exploration. Part II

Discussion:

This is a saltmarsh without a north/south flow. The north and south arms of the slough have been blocked by the Bonita Bay boulevard. The two arms were continuous prior to the property development. The obstruction of the continuity has resulted in the formation of two very different environments. The north end of the slough is wide open to the Spring creek which is estuarial. The south end is connected to water retention ponds in the community with an exit to the Imperial River. The retention ponds collect the water which has filtered through the community swamps and wooded wetland. There is a narrow one-way gate that allows a very limited inflow from the river at the south end of the slough. This does not prevent an inflow from a salt water storm surge two feet above the high tide water line. From table 1 you can see a progression of salinity changes. I also learned that trial explorations are important in determining the level of preparation for venturing deep into unknown areas.

Level 2 preparation. for exploration of the marsh

Similar to level 1 preparation but use a kayak as a vehicle and/or working platform.

Level 3 preparation. for exploration of the marsh using a Full Immersion Preparation.

Have a companion. Make an action plan with driver drop-off and pick-up points. Gear should include: Two lengths of 50ft, ½in, 4 ply, hemp rope, carabiners, gloves, drinking water, folding knife, 3-meter foldable measuring stick, containers for wet samples, waterproof cell phone or a camera with over and underwater capability. Enter wearing a full 1mm diving wetsuit, with hood, boots, and sneakers. Prepare to change to dry clothing for an after-extraction at pick-up point.

The rope and carabiners are for emergency extraction. The wet suit is for buoyancy and skin protection. Hemp rope rather than climbing rope because it is less expensive. It is impossible to remove the salt and dirt and it may be discarded after a few uses.

I learned from this experience. The next trip preparation will be different.

Map with illustrated points of interest

Conclusions:

These observations are made during a very small timeline in the marsh and may not be representative of the yearlong parade of conditions. To better understand the marsh, multiple return visits are certainly forth coming. Test other entry points with level one preparation. Test other seasons with drier or wetter conditions. If a Kayak cannot penetrate the vegetation, plan for a level 3,  immersive exploration.

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#marsh #salt water #heron #saw grass #Bonita Bay #slough #Morning glory #salt marsh #salinity #wetlands #Florida

Reference:

Freshwater Systems of Florida, Main M., University of Florida, Gainsville, FL, 2015, http://www.masternaturalist.org

Earth’s Axial Tilt Determines Forest Winners

The ancient giants are here and they rule their worlds. They are big and conquer their territory with power. They use so much that they choke out almost anything else. They make offspring that spread to make more giants. They become hundreds or even thousands of years old and can survive almost any natural calamities. They are of course, old growth trees. 

When visiting old growth forests most people look up to see and admire the majestic canopy that shades the floor. The umbrella could be either gymnosperm (pine) or angiosperm (leaf) or some mixture of these trees. Today’s post is a comparison of two climax forests that have developed in marshy wetland areas. The Corkscrew Swamp is in SW Florida (SWFL) and Maybury State Park is in SE Michigan (SEMI). I have resided in and explored both types of forested wetlands and we can see the similarities and differences in juxtaposition. 

At first look, some things were evident. The Michigan canopy is a result of the leafy foliage of angiosperm trees. There were pine trees in this forest but because of plant succession, the forest now is heavily populated with hard wood trees of hickory, four types of oak, iron wood, two types of maple, beech, birch  and a scattering of others. Among the 1000 acres of parkland there were only a handful of pine trees which were obviously intentionally planted as ornaments for the holiday season. 

The Floridian Corkscrew Preserve canopy is the result of needle foliage of gymnosperm trees of two types of Cyprus, slash pines mixed with some hardwood trees Red Maples, Live Oaks and Cabbage Palms and a few Royal Palms.

Another remarkable difference was the water flow. Corkscrew Preserve is 18 feet above MSL Maybury Park is 300 feet above MGLL. This is of minimal significance. Michigan is experiencing a drought. In this park area with the three creeks, some ponds and two lakes all are nearly devoid of water. What were swamps are now meadows. The soil was cool and dry. There has been little or no water inflow from creeks, springs, and no rain in two months. Weather forecast for Michigan shown no predictable relief from the drought conditions. The Florida swamp is seasonally relatively dry but it was still moist or boggy with a slow sheet water flow of the Everglades. The rainy season is just beginning. 

Maybery Park understory with very little light and a leafy canopy
Corkscrew understory with substantial understory growth and a canopy of soft Cyprus needles
What was a pond with fish in Maybery Park is now a swamp with white tail deer.
Pond in Corkscrew with alligator
Cat tails in the dried lake bed of Maybury Park. No ferns were found.
Two of several varieties off ferns at Corkscrew park.
Understory of Maybury Park. Very low minimal plant growth mostly nettles, poison ivy, balsam and wood sanicle
Understory of Corkscrew Preserve. Highly varigated height and diverse varieties. Many Ferns.

I searched for several plant and animal species. The ferns in the Corkscrew were abundant. There were no ferns in the Maybury Park. This was a real surprise because they were present 5 years ago. They are probably still present in the deep swamp in areas. Flowering plants in the Corkscrew Preserve were abundant and colorful and deserve another posting. The featured image is a wild hibiscus from Corkscrew Preserve, Florida. Flowers in the Maybury Park were herbaceous, minimal, and small. The most common were fleabane, thistle, and dandelion.

These two old growth forested areas are remarkably different. The differences arise from geographic position in latitude which alters the range of temperatures, the length of the day’s sun exposure, the period of below freezing temperatures. Corkscrew is a mature cyprus forest in the tropics at the 18th parallel while Maybury is mature hardwood forest at the 44th parallel. It is only 22 degrees south of the artic polar circle. Longitudinally they nearly identical. The rotation of the earth on its axis results in two very different climates. Because of the axis of rotation of the Earth, SEMI can experience wide ranges of temperature varying in a high to low range of 125o F with months of sub-freezing temperatures. The range of high to low temperatures in SWFL is closer to 50o F with no freezing temperatures. These climatic changes result in vastly different biologizes. The summer temperatures are nearly identical with hot sultry weather. For two weeks around the 4th of July, the daily high temperature in SEMI can be higher than Florida with over 100O F . 

The solar rotation of the earth and the 23.5 degree off axis tilt of the rotation of the earth results in these two very different climates. Michigan daylight hours at the summer solstice are two hours longer than Florida and at the winter solstice two hours shorter than Florida. At the 44th parallel summer solstice days are 6 hours longer than the winter days six months later. The prolific mid-summer biologic activity of the Michigan forests must compensate for the 5 months of cold weather where there is very limited or no metabolic activity. The broad leaves of the angiosperm tree leaves must manufacture all the products of growth, reproduction, and metabolism. The Floridian forest metabolism simply continues all year long. 

Fig 1. Location of the two sites, Maybury and Corkscrew, on the summer solstice graphic. See how close Maybury is to the line of the Midnight sun. It is halfway to the North Pole. Only 22 degrees from the Arctic circle. Corkscrew Preserve is 18 degrees from the Equator. The dotted blue line is the axis of rotation.

The giant trees are the winners because they grow taller than all others, collect more energy by photosynthesis from the sun, store energy when the light is not available and produce more seeds for reproduction. There are alternatives to big tree success. These are the dwellers in the dark. A more extensive discussion regarding fern spore production in Corkscrew Preserve will follow. 

The Floridian ecosystem has the potential for more diverse life forms. It favors plants and animals that prefer a more stability in weather and climate. Michigan ecosystems favor a tougher collection of plants and animals which can be prolific in summer climate and store reserves for surviving deep winter climate.  It is very understandable to see the survival value in animal migration. Many of the animals follow the cyclical greening of America from Michigan to Florida in the winter and the reverse in the summer.

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#solstice #tilt of earth #wetland #Corkscrew #Maybury #photosynthesis #trees #angiosperm #gymnosperm #water #light

Costal Wetlands Ecosystems of SWFL. Part 3, Shore Birds

In a two-hour walk along the southern coast of Fort Myers Beach hundreds of birds were readily observed. The photos show just a few of the birds present and this posting doesn’t really capture a full catalogue of all of the possible birds in this group. These observations were made from 8:15 to 9:30 AM. The area is not restored after the Hurricane Ian floods. The shore was relatively flat with the sea and as I was leaving the waters were rising with the tide. Except for the Osprey, the birds in this posting belong to the Aequornitornathes as discussed in our post on Calling Birds by Clades. Shore birds seem to be a frequently undervalued group. This is somewhat understandable because they are relatively small, fast flying, limited in chroma, difficult to access and seasonal.

26.405637, -81.896622
The GPS location for these observations.

Some of the birds found in this area are at risk and some are endangered. This is a State and the Audubon Society designated sanctuary. Others birds are routinely found throughout the shore area. This is nesting, mating and hatching time for these birds and large areas are marked off-limits to all to prevent damage to the nests, eggs and mating behaviors of the birds. The photos were all made from outside of these restricted areas.

The title photo is a flock of Black Skimmers roosting on the 10 to 12 inch high dune about 200 meters from the shore line using the 400 mm lens. This is fairly representative of the terrain and accessibility for observation. All of the birds were very busy in their mating and nesting behaviors. Nearby there are numerous empty multistory condominium buildings ruined by the storm. Additionally there is considerable construction work on those damaged sites.

Nesting Black Skimmer
Black Skimmer Rynchops niger, scavenging along the shore
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres along the shore
Ruddy Turnstone in the dune area
Least Tern Sternula antillarum
Rock Sandpiper Calidris ptilocnemis
American Oystercatcher at work along the shore
Black-Bellied Plover
American Oystercatcher Haematopus palliatus
Sand Piper along the shore.
Snowy Plover (immature)
Snowy plover almost invisable
Osprey, carrying fish captured from the Gulf of Mexico, flying to its nest on a perch on Fort Meyers Beach tree line.

Summary:

Nine bird species were identified. Here are a few important lessons to be learned from this first trip. The area is a State protected site and you cannot approach the birds closer than 100 meters. Available birds are seasonal and their activity is somewhat predictable. The birds listed here usually flock in species. The food resource comes from the sea. They mate, nest, lay eggs and hatch on the beach during spring season. For better images some combination of extra effort should be applied. This includes: patience and better understanding of the bird behaviors, more stealth and closer approach if allowed by the Audubon Bird Naturalist who is on site daily. Use a lens with focal length greater than 400 mm and a tripod.

These small shore birds are generally at risk for flock survival. Some are endangered, some are threatened. As you would expect the usual culprits are warming, environmental squeeze*, loss of habitat, and a relatively new threat. The recent increased threat is an avian viral infection N1H1 which has globally decimated the poultry and wild bird population. This variant of H1N1 is highly contagious and the domesticated populations together with the wild populations have cross contaminated one another. This cross contamination makes the control of the disease extremely difficult because the wild group is an untreatable reservoir. The hope is that, in the wild population, the disease will burn itself out by killing the susceptible animals while the resistant survivors repopulate the species. With small populations such as the snowy plover, this may result in their extinction. The domesticated population must be kept highly quarantined and a vaccination needs to be developed and deployed. Bird flu may jump species to other farm animals and to humans.

* Environmental squeeze is the loss of beach habitat from human encroachment and rising water.

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#Osprey #Plover #Sand Piper #Tern #Turnstone #Skimmer #Oystercatcher #environmental squeeze #avian flu #H1N1

Flowering Trees of SW Florida

We need a break form hurricane damage remediation. Some of these images and more were shown on previous postings. They are repeated here because many of these trees and flowers were damaged or lost during the hurricane Ian storm of 2022 and therefore are no longer available. We need a reminder of the past and promise of the future.

The freely available image is featured as the opener is copied from a Cindy Shuder-Sandine Facebook posting and attributed to a military reconnaissance photo. It shows hurricane Ian as it landfalls on Fort Myers beach 20 miles from where I live. It speaks a thousand words.

The flowers of the Bauhinia tree are stunningly beautiful with lavender petals and veiny traces of red made to attract the eyes of the beholder. The flower has male anthers full of pollen. In fact, in an ecstatic burst it releases its stamens full of thousands of pollen grains. The sensuous perfume attracts hummingbirds and bees. These hungry messengers dip into the sweet deep recesses of the flower and pick up the pollen and can carry it into the receptive flower of a female tree. In fact, it has its own female calix organelle within the same flower. It should be able to self-pollinate. But wait! The flowers bear no ova. It cannot reproduce sexually. It is baren. There will be no fertilized seeds. All that blossom is for enjoyment only. Most people who casually look at the gorgeous orchid like flower are unaware of the frustration of the tree which must propagate from cuttings at the whim of gardeners and lovers of the flowers. 

Hong Kong orchid tree (Bauhinia blakenia)

The flowering trees have many secrets from most people. Flowers of some trees may never be seen by seasonal residents. They may bloom during the hot and humid seasons. An example of this is the Flamboyant Royal Poinciana tree. It blooms in the summer when our population is much smaller than that of the tourist season. Of all flowering trees, it has the most breathtaking beauty of riotous red and orange blossom. 

Flamboyant Royal Poinciana, AKA Flame Tree
Flamboyant Royal Poincieana, yellow

Contrarily, some residents are unaware of the lack of some blooms during their absence. An example of this is the Golden Trumpet tree which shows its fertility in yellow colors for three weeks during spring break. The benefit of our climate is that it is tropical. The weather provides an opportunity to have a continuous parade of seasonal flowers in Florida. There is never a time when something is not blooming. 

Golden Trumpet (Tabebuia chryaotricha)
Pink Trumpet, (Yrebebuia heterophylia)

Through the years, resident and community efforts have enhanced our neighborhoods with many plants. The trees are the most outstanding because of their height and spread of their branches. They also hold that secret prize. In certain seasons they burst out with colors and shapes that are beyond wordy description. The images that were captured in these photographs are beautiful and pictures are indeed worth a thousand words. Beyond the visual impact they give us a breath of perfume and an earful of rustling music as their leaves clatter against one another. These images are just a sample of the dozens of flowering trees in our neighborhood of SWFL

Manolia

The flowering trees are appealing not only to us but also to a menagerie of animals from insects, reptiles, and birds. Most of all the flowers of the male plants are attractive to the female plants. The resulting reproductive products of fruits, nuts and seeds can be delicious as well as nutritious to a wide range of creatures.

Mexican Wild Olive (Cordia boissieri)

The colors of the flowers seem to be the most fascinating aspect of their appearance. The approximation of contrasting or complimentary hues and chromas is at times so obvious and sometimes so surprising. Sometimes it is shocking and other times it is soothing. There never seems to be an unpleasant combination. They seem to be more alive and sensuous than their cousins with less showy highlights like the oaks or even more so than the conifers.

Purple Glory AKA Princess flower,

It is such a treat to explore the streets, lanes, gardens, and wilderness to find something new or to see a variation of something familiar. Walking or bicycling provides an excellent opportunity to see and stop to appreciate the details and odors. It is a chance to see which other plants and animals are associated with the flowering trees. These cohabitations can be as intriguing as the flower. It can lead to an exploration of the details of environmental impact and an appreciation of ecological systems. I hope that you are inspired to go out and look for the trees and inspect them and perhaps appreciate their mysteries, of colors, shapes, timing, and scents.

Pink Shower (Cassia)
Dwarf Powderpuff (Calliandra haematocephala) attracting bees.

The flowering trees shown here originate from all over the world including Africa, South and Central America, China, and India and more. Untold secrets of these trees are yet to be discovered. What species of butterflies and moths are attracted to the various trees. Do the non-native trees interact or communicate with the native plant population? Are the plant defenses and pheromones compatible with the local insect population and microbial biota? There is still so much to discover. 

Pride of India (Lagerstroemia speciosa)
Coral Bean
Pink Shower (Cassia)
Plumeria, hot pink
Rose of Venezuela (Brown macrophyllia)
White Silk Floss (Celia speciosa)
Red Silk Floss (Ceiba speciosa)
African Tulip (Spathodea campanulate)
Cassia
Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimisifolia)
Malibar Chestnut AKA (Pachira aquatica) (Money Tree),
Scrambled Egg Tree (Glaucous Cassia)

The full list of the Flowering Trees of SW FL in found on Pages section of this site. It shows names, colors, sun exposure etc. They also can be geolocated on the Everglades Ark Epicollect data base site, There have been several other postings on this site showering the flowering trees during the special seasons .

#Scrambled Egg Tree #Glaucous Cassia #Malibar Chestnut #Pachira aquatica #Jacaranda #Jacaranda mimisifolia #Cassia #African Tulip #Spathodea campanulate #Red Silk Floss #Ceiba speciosa #White Silk Floss #Rose of Venezuela #Brown macrophyllia #Plumeria, hot pink #Pink Shower #Cassia #Coral Bean #Pride of India #Dwarf Powderpuff #Calliandra haematocephala #Pink Shower #Purple Glory AKA Princess flower #Lagerstroemia speciosa #Pink Shower #Golden Trumpet #Tabebuia chryaotricha #Magnolia #Golden Trumpet #Tabebuia chryaotricha #Flamboyant Royal Poincieana, yellow #Flamboyant Royal Poinciana # Flame Tree #Bauhinia blakenia #Hong Kong orchid tree

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