Post by meizzwang on Sept 26, 2013 12:04:36 GMT -5
In Santa Rosa Co, FL, there are a few pockets left of Sarracenias here and there. Most of them are fragmented properties surrounded by development, but a few are still pristine and left untouched.
The 13 acre parcel below is, unfortunately, near a residential area that is booming with development. The main road leading to this site was being expanded to accomodate the increase in population growth of the area. From an arial view, the parcel is sectored off into pieces, and is subdivided by roads, and the property is zoned for residential development. Of course, this property is curently for sale, but has been on the market for more than 2 years (The the for sale sign was up when I last visited in 2011). We had permission from a realtor to visit the site.
Surprise, surprise! The most jaw-dropping S. flava var. rugelii's I've ever seen are on this potentially doomed property. I say potentially doomed because most vacant lots out there are for sale, and there's no knowing what will happen to them if or when it changes ownership. In some cases, the landowners die before they can sell the property, and the kids end up holding onto the parcel as part of the family legacy (I learned from Mike Wilder that this is very common in the south, and there are local tax provisions that help keep properties in the family).
The site hasn't been burned for a very long time, and the grass is just ridiculously thick, which prevents new seedlings from growing. Without fire, the only hope is for a flood to plow through the grass and open up the ground, or for a hurricane or tropical storm to help clear some of the understory.
the plants looked a lot worse this year than they did in 2011, but you can tell as long as that property isn't developed, they'll keep persisting on for a good decade or so. There are huge open fields that have lasted a long time without buring, so this implies the site can sustain itself at least in the short run. However, the population has very little chance of expansion without burning, and we didn't see as many plants this time as we did 2 years ago.
The price you pay to see S. leucophylla in its prime is shown below: most of the flava traps we saw were already done for the season. However, you can still get a glimpse of the amazing shapes and diversity that exists at this site. Photos taken 9/5/13:
Where else would you find a plant that looks like this?
Shapely trap with a skinny neck:
Same clone, different view:
Standard looking plant:
Looks like a toilet bowl, haha:
Love the skinny neck with a well defined red throat:
Side view:
It was bone dry out there, and this from what just hanging out on a leaf:
And a neat moorei to end the show:
The 13 acre parcel below is, unfortunately, near a residential area that is booming with development. The main road leading to this site was being expanded to accomodate the increase in population growth of the area. From an arial view, the parcel is sectored off into pieces, and is subdivided by roads, and the property is zoned for residential development. Of course, this property is curently for sale, but has been on the market for more than 2 years (The the for sale sign was up when I last visited in 2011). We had permission from a realtor to visit the site.
Surprise, surprise! The most jaw-dropping S. flava var. rugelii's I've ever seen are on this potentially doomed property. I say potentially doomed because most vacant lots out there are for sale, and there's no knowing what will happen to them if or when it changes ownership. In some cases, the landowners die before they can sell the property, and the kids end up holding onto the parcel as part of the family legacy (I learned from Mike Wilder that this is very common in the south, and there are local tax provisions that help keep properties in the family).
The site hasn't been burned for a very long time, and the grass is just ridiculously thick, which prevents new seedlings from growing. Without fire, the only hope is for a flood to plow through the grass and open up the ground, or for a hurricane or tropical storm to help clear some of the understory.
the plants looked a lot worse this year than they did in 2011, but you can tell as long as that property isn't developed, they'll keep persisting on for a good decade or so. There are huge open fields that have lasted a long time without buring, so this implies the site can sustain itself at least in the short run. However, the population has very little chance of expansion without burning, and we didn't see as many plants this time as we did 2 years ago.
The price you pay to see S. leucophylla in its prime is shown below: most of the flava traps we saw were already done for the season. However, you can still get a glimpse of the amazing shapes and diversity that exists at this site. Photos taken 9/5/13:
Where else would you find a plant that looks like this?
Shapely trap with a skinny neck:
Same clone, different view:
Standard looking plant:
Looks like a toilet bowl, haha:
Love the skinny neck with a well defined red throat:
Side view:
It was bone dry out there, and this from what just hanging out on a leaf:
And a neat moorei to end the show: