Perfect Plantings for Fall

Next Hendry-Glades Audubon Program: Everyone Welcome

 

November 8, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. Dallas Townsend Agricultural Extension located at 1085 Pratt Blvd., LaBelle

Program:  Gene McAvoy, Hendry/Glades IFAS Agriculture  Extension “Landscaping For Birds and Wildlife Using Native Plants”

 

 

Fall Native Plant Sale
Sat. Oct. 23rd   9:00 am – 2:00 pm
Manatee Park – Fort Myers

What the plant sale offers:

• Ground covers, vines, small plants, shrubs, and trees
• Plant varieties to attract bees, birds, butterflies, and hummingbirds
• Knowledgeable society members to answer questions
• FL Native plant reference books
• FL Yards & Neighborhoods (FYN) information and class schedule
• Native plant seeds to try out your green thumb
• Vermaculture (aka worm castings) to feed your new plants organically!

Cash and local checks only

The Yellow Sea

There is still debate about the name of the beautiful flowers that creates the “The Yellow Sea” in Lakeport, a poetic description by resident Lorriane Parrish. Last year I mistakenly called them Black-Eyed Susans, then I was sent a reference from Gary Ritter that they are likely the Bur-Marigold, according to the  University of Florida’s plant dictionary at IFAS .  Here the marigold is a listed as a member of the Bidae (scientific name) family. In the comments I received today, botanist Fred Hubbard of Montura suggested they may be Coreopsos. When you Google that species it indicates that Coreopsis is also a member of the Bidae genus. However, I also had been given information by another plant biologist last year that these plants are a wild Florida sunflower!  Is this confusing you? Not me. I am no plant biolgist for sure. Whatever the name is not as important to me as how they make me feel gazing upon them and seeing goodness in the world instead of darkness. Take a moment and be grateful for the glorious manifestations of  our world’s  Supreme Architect.

(P.S. I mistakenly said last year’s articles about the bloom were in November 2009 archives. They are in October 2009 - at the bottom.

The Beautiful Blooms of Glades County Are Coming..

 In this past week the bloom of the golden flowers along Highway 78 have just begun to spread. They only last one month and they are miracle to see. This photo is last year in full bloom. It is an enchanting welcome to our snowbirds and   tourists passing through Lakeport in Glades County. I have returned as well after several month travelling this summer to visit family. This is the first post on my blog for quite a while. Last year I tired out after an agitating ”battle” with some of our local politicians. But, I return with  a peaceful heart. Today I want to contemplate the beauty of nature, be more positive and approach problems differently. We talked a bit last year about how fun it would be to have a wildflower festival, we debated the true name of these flowers and I am resarching this topic once again. I will post it soon. (Read the stories again if you like in my November archives- 2009) I am also thinking about sponsoring a Wildflower Photo Contest this year.  It could be fun. I will let you know.

Nice to be back!

Canoe Fisheating Creek In The Moonlight

Patty Register invites y’all to join the Fisheating Creek Outpost staff for their first Big Moon Paddle, Saturday, June 26th.

She sent this message today and asked us to pass it on. “Meet up at the campstore by 8:15 pm. Enjoy an easy paddle down to the Memorial Tree for talk on wildlife and old creek stories around the fire with Allen and  “lifetime creek dweller” John. Experience our corner of the glade’s incredible “night life” along the primordial creek–just as the natives did hundreds of years before—well almost!
Cost is $19.95 per person. Includes fireside snacks and 1/2 canoe rental. Bring a friend or will give you a canoe buddy.  Bring flashlight, beverage of choice and comfortable clothes and shoes–you most likely will get your feet wet– Group size is limited so reserve your spot today. 863-675-5999.”

Tell her Susan sent ya!

Fisheating Creek Magnificence Captured In A Lens

This is the most poetic photography of Fisheating Creek I have seen thus far. Recently the members of the Fisheating Creek Sub-Chapter of the Florida Trail Association paddled 7 miles from Burnt Bridge to the campground and everyone talked about being awestruck by the beauty!  (Alas, I could not go…) This Miami photographer is not part of our FTA group and was not among our troops, but his work is something that would make a Glades County resident feel proud.  Talk about glori0usly natural!!!! Just look here:

 Fisheating Creek.

See Swallowtail Kites At Fisheating Creek

Here’s your chance to get up close to nature and live in another world for a few short hours. You are invited to join us.

What:    Kayak or Canoe Trip at Fisheating Creek in Glades County

 

When:   Starts promptly at 8 a.m. on Sunday, June 6

 

Where:  Meet at the Fisheating Creek Campground in front of camp store.

 

Who:     Fisheating Creek Sub-Chapter of the Florida Trail Association is hosting a 7-mile paddling excursion on Fisheating Creek from Burnt Bridge to the Fisheating Creek Campground. The wonders of this creek are legendary. You can bring you own canoe or kayak or rent one from the Fisheating Creek Outpost. Call for reservations at 863-675-5999.

 

Costs:    This paddling trip is limited to the first 20 people who sign up. The fee is $15 to have your personal canoe (and each additional person $50)  transported by the livery truck to the starting place at Burnt Bridge which is located on private property. To rent a canoe and be transported it is $50.

 

To learn more you can call FTA Activity Leader Bonnie Mc Laughlin at 239-233-9892, or Co-Leader Carol Grigsby at 863-465-2632 (eves.) 

 

For more information about paddling Fisheating Creek go to the Fisheating Creek Outpost website at

http://www.fisheatingcreekoutpost.com.

  

Hardy FTA members, Carol GrigsBy and Bonnnie Mc Laughlin, dutifully checked out the route on Fisheating Creek from Burnt Bridge to Fisheating Creek Campground last Saturday in preparation for leading the trek this coming Sunday. I was concerned that the heat would be a problem but Bonnie told me it was pleasant on the water and a soft rain in the afternoon was refreshing. “It was seven miles of beauty,” Bonnie told me today. “We saw swallow tail kites, swallow tail butterflies, a turkey with a little one, and a deer. It was like kayaking through an emerald, it was so green that day” said Bonnie with enthusiasm.  ”It was excellent.”

Suspending Blog

I will be unable to post for awhile. Working for the Census Bureau full time.

When something spectacular comes up, will be in contact.

Glades County’s Lakeport Locks on Lake Okeechobee closed for summer …or longer

 PRESS RELEASE from South Florida Water Management District  

“Three Navigation Locks on Lake Okeechobee to Close for Repairs

  Eight-month overhaul planned for Henry Creek, J&S Fish Camp and Lakeport locks

   

 

Okeechobee, FL   

 — The G-36, S-135 and S-131 navigation locks on Lake Okeechobee at Henry Creek, J&S Fish Camp and Lakeport are being taken out of service for major overhauls that could take up to eight months. The South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) is completely refurbishing the locks, including repairs to the hydraulic lift mechanisms on the navigation lock gates.

The S-131 navigation lock at Lakeport was taken out of service earlier this week. Work on the G-36 lock at Henry Creek and the S-135 lock at J&S Fish Camp will begin at later dates. Refurbishment of all three locks is scheduled to be completed by late December 2010. The South Florida Water Management District appreciates the public’s patience during these activities. For more information about the lock closures or general information about the District, please contact the Okeechobee Service Center at (863) 462-5260.”   

 About the South Florida Water Management District   

 

The South Florida Water Management District is a regional, governmental agency that oversees the water resources in the southern half of the state – 16 counties from Orlando to the Keys. It is the oldest and largest of the state’s five water management districts. The agency mission is to manage and protect water resources of the region by balancing and improving water quality, flood control, natural systems and water supply. A key initiative is cleanup and restoration of the Everglades.”     

 

   

     

    

    

CONTACT:Missie Barletto Okeechobee Service Center           South Florida Water Management District      Office: (863) 462-5260, ext. 3006 or Cellular: (863) 634-0774

www.sfwmd.gov/news

Hiking Florida Wilderness Good for Health and Happiness

There were twelve of us undaunted souls who met up at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 10^th to hike the trails at Platt Branch Mitigation Park in Venus, Florida. I say undaunted because there’s a certain amount of determination and strength of character that we possess to hike six miles into Florida forests, willing to push ourselves out of a comfortable bed and spend a day moving our limbs. The trails at Platt’s Branch were primarily deep sand and reminded some of us of walking on the Florida beaches. The sand I welcomed knowing it was good for sculpting leg and abdomen muscles, important exercise, as I get older to fight off arthritis or osteoporosis, high blood pressure and obesity. I wish I could describe all the various beautiful and extraordinary plants and trees at Platt’s Branch but it’s not my forte, as I can never remember the names. We were fortunate to have a professor of biology on the trek that identified various species. I am lifted in my spirits when I am surrounded by nature so the hikes are essential for me to combat my cyclical loneliness and depression. Only when I am out in the forests do I forget the hardships of my life. Also, the joy of being with articulate and thoughtful people who enjoy discovering all the beauty God has bestowed upon this world offers me hope that friendships can form with like-minded nature lovers. Most of us hiking are members of the newly established Fisheating Creek Sub Chapter of the Florida Trail Association and we hail from Labelle, Clewiston, Lake Placid, Venus and Lakeport. Some others came from as far away as Miami, West Palm Beach and Punta Gorda, looking for a new adventure in the wilds.

David Denham points out a gopher tortoise hole to FTA hikers

I feel so fortunate to be apart of these amazing experiences, not to be alone in my walking in the woods, but to enjoy meeting very interesting men and women. I hope you, too, dear reader, will join us some day. It is a healthy and happy way to escape!

Dogs tortured in Glades County

If you love dogs this is a must read…

“I hope I have located an agency that can help me help defenseless animals near my home. I have contacted Glades County Animal Control several times about my neighbor. His dogs (hunting) were removed once for 3 days until he built a structure to house them. These animals are living in a pen with a concrete floor and a make shift roof. They are also chained up inside this structure with towing chains.  Approximately 3 weeks ago, one of the animals died after a brutal beating…”

to read more go to Newzap.com.