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Prairie Blog

What's going on in the Florida prairie.

Butterworts of Kissimmee Prairie Preserve by Paul Miller

3/15/2014

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Beautiful Butterworts, by Paul Miller

Pinguicula luteaP. lutea, ©Paul Miller
What do you do if you’re a plant growing in soil that doesn’t provide enough nourishment? Well, how about eating insects? Kissimmee Prairie Preserve has several species of plants that actually eat insects: sundews, bladderworts, butterworts, and one species of pitcher plant. Here we discuss the winter/spring blooming butterworts.

Butterworts, or ‘Pings’ (an abbreviation of the scientific genus Pinguicula), are members of an insectivorous plant family called the Lentibulariaceae which includes the bladderworts. It is the most species rich family of carnivorous plants on Earth. By definition, carnivorous plants make their living digesting the protein provided by insects that they capture.

Butterwort basal rosetteClick to enlarge. Basal rosette of a Blueflower Butterwort.
The butterworts that occur in the Preserve are perennial and spend much of their life cycle as a ‘basal rosette’— a cluster of leaves that remain flat on the ground. The upper surface of the leaves have minute hairs topped with glands (best seen with a dissecting microscope) that exude a sticky substance. Small insects such as gnats become stuck to the surface of the leaves and are chemically digested providing nutrients to the plant. The basal rosettes of butterworts remain relatively inconspicuous in the prairie. They spend most of their life cycle eating bugs, quietly hidden from view by grasses and other plants that reach to the sky until it is time to flower.

The earliest species of butterwort to flower in the Preserve is the delicate Small Butterwort (Pinguicula pumila). As you might guess from its common name, of the three species of pings in the Preserve, this is the smallest. Interestingly, Small Butterwort blooms in the fall-winter in Florida but in April-May in the rest of the southeast. In November 2013 the species was observed flowering in an area where the ground orchid Fragrant Ladiestresses (Spiranthes odorata) was blooming. (More on ladies tresses in a future blog post!)

As January rolls into February, and on into March, a real treat occurs. Two species of butterwort, both listed as threatened in the state of Florida, begin to reveal themselves with very beautiful and showy flowers: Yellow-flowered Butterwort (Pinguicula lutea) and  Blueflower Butterwort (P. caerulea). In one location, ‘Butterwort Marsh’, they even occur together, making a subtle, yet stunning display.
Pinguicula pumila flower
Small Butterwort (P. pumila)
Pinguicula lutea
Yellow-flowered Butterwort (P. lutea) ©Paul Miller
Pinguicula caerulea
Blueflower Butterwort (P. caerulea)
Pinguicula caerulea(P. caerulea)
The Yellow-flowered Butterwort is much more common in the Preserve and folks on a Prairie Buggy tour should keep their eyes on the sides of the trail during these months to catch a glimpse. The Blueflower Butterwort is less common and likely has a more specific habitat requirement. Who knows why the Blueflower is so picky? Perhaps a curious mind will be inspired to investigate the habitat and figure that out.

P. Miller with Spiranthes, best selfie ever
Guest author, Paul Miller started working at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve in 2002 on the endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrow. In 2004 he became the Preserve's full time biologist. Since then, he has been casually studying the diversity of prairie plants when he isn’t sitting at his desk frantically trying to stay ahead of paperwork.


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Fire on the Prairie by Jen Benson-Hughes

8/5/2013

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Fire On The Prairie, by Jen Benson-Hughes
An insider view of fire and friendship at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve

PictureNighttime Prairie Wildfire, ©Jen Benson-Hughes
During the warm months, Kissimmee Prairie Preserve focuses on resource management. The most influential component in managing Florida’s ecosystems is fire. Historically, lightning-created fires sustained ecosystems. The plants and animals in the prairie adapted with frequent fire. Fire is essential to this landscape, and it offers fire personnel a means to be ecologically productive, get dirty, and maintain friendships.

Prescribed Fire
Prescribed Fire in Zone 14, ©Jen Benson-Hughes
Most lightning strike wildfires occur during the transition season—the time of year after the winter freeze and before the rainy season when dead vegetation is cured and the soil is dry. Most thunderstorms in Florida are generated by convection, the result of instability in the atmosphere. Our area of Florida receives 8-16 flashes per kilometer per year! Lightning strike wildfires may be extinguished by the next thunderstorm cell, but in the past when left to their own devices, wildfires could continue to burn for days or weeks (maybe months). This rarely happens today due to roads, canals, and human activity. Controlled burning (prescribed fire) is a safer, cheaper way to restore and maintain an ecosystem than allowing wildfires. Controlled burns are simply fires that are thoughtfully planned with proper preparation on the ground, and skillfully executed by trained professionals to produce the desired effects for the land. Wildfire has the potential to do extreme damage if the wrong conditions exist, such as severe drought and high winds.
Fire Crew
©Rob Rossmanith
Evan
©Jen Benson-Hughes
Two Women
©Jen Benson-Hughes
FGSP©Christina Evans
The Florida Park Service tries to mimic the timing of nature with controlled burns because the prairie responds differently to fire depending on time of year. Winter fires favor trees and shrubs because many of the grasses are dormant. Trees that encroach into the prairie push out plant species that require open spaces. But the response from plants and animals after a transition/growing season fire is remarkable: prairie grasses and forbs, bountiful butterflies, Burrowing Owls, Northern Bobwhites, and many other species that rely on the open ground of the prairie flourish and reproduce. This includes the endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (pictured), which uses patches of open ground as ‘run-ways’ to search for food and evade predators.

Jen and Fire Crew
Smiles After a Job Well Done, ©Natalie Carlson
Fire is inherently dangerous. As Florida park rangers and land managers, it is our duty to ensure that controlled burns and wildfires are managed in a safe and responsible manner. Living and working in the most frequently burned ecosystem in Florida, we have to be well-versed in the techniques, preparations, safety protocols, laws, and equipment needed to conduct a controlled burn or contain a wildfire. All of this knowledge is not gained overnight. It requires years of training, on-the-job experience, support from the public, and cooperation among many agencies. The camaraderie among the fire crews is encouraging and supportive. Burn one time with a fire fighter and you’re friends for life! Birthday parties are more fun with fire fighters!

In the prairie, fire equals life! It is a beautiful relationship that inspires many of us to capture the prairie’s beauty with our cameras, and we keep it in our hearts and minds. One of the greatest joys in this profession is watching the prairie and all its inhabitants thrive after a growing season fire. Oh, and autumn—you have to see the prairie wildflowers in September/October—gorgeous!

Picture© C. Evans
Guest blog author, Jen Benson-Hughes, is Burn Boss and Park Service Specialist at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve. Jen's favorite part of her job is prescribed fire.

NOTE: A complete version of this article, with more images, will be published in an upcoming Kissimmee Prairie Star newsletter.

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Hiking the Prairie Loop Trail by Donna Bollenbach

5/22/2013

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Hiking the Prairie Loop Trail, #1 of a series
Article and photos by Donna Bollenbach


If you really want to experience Kissimmee Prairie Preserve, take a hike.

PictureEastern Meadowlark serenading
Kissimmee Prairie Preserve is the largest remaining tract of Florida dry prairie, a habitat of sweeping grasses and saw palmetto where plants and animals are as diverse as they are plentiful. While hiking in the preserve you will experience a very unique and pristine habitat that is unlike any other in the state or country.

There are over 100 miles of multi-use trails in the park that can be travelled by foot, bike or horseback. The most popular hike is the Prairie Loop Trail. Approximately 4.6 miles, it traverses a variety of natural habitats including the dry prairie, moist wetlands, and shady hardwood hammocks. 

The trailhead is adjacent to the last campsite in the equestrian campground. Here you find the first of many metal poles with blue blazes that mark the trail.  As you head out on the first leg, watch for wild turkeys, which are often seen emerging from the brush.


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In fall, the prairie is washed in yellows.
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An 8-point buck spotted along the trail.
About 1/8 mile into the trail you will come to a small stream. After crossing, take a moment to scan the prairie on the left. Depending on time of year, the landscape may be painted with bushy yellow golden rod, tall stalks of purple blazing star, nodding pink meadow beauties or the silvery leaves and creamy white flowers of the pawpaw plant.

As you walk along the stream, look for deer. While deer may be seen throughout the park, I have seen an eight-point buck and several herds of does from this spot. In spring, you may even be rewarded with the sight of a doe with a spotted fawn.

As  you head west, listen for birds in the oaks. Among the birds I have seen are White-eyed Vireos, Palm Warblers, Loggerhead Shrikes, Red-bellied Woodpeckers and a pair of Great-crested Flycatchers with an active nest in the cavity of a snag. 

After awhile, the trail will divert slightly southwest. As you approach the first hammock you may startle a grazing deer grazing under the live oaks. This is a good place to stop and enjoy the shade before continuing your hike in open prairie where you will hike about 3/4 of a mile to the next hammock.

Look to the skies over the prairie for Red-shouldered Hawks, American Kestrels, Crested Caracaras, Swallow-tailed Kites, and Vultures. These predatory birds may be spotted soaring over the landscape or perched atop snags. A rare White-tailed Kite may also be spotted from the trail. 

Turn your eyes closer to the ground to see the multitude of wildflowers in the prairie. From delicate Lady's tresses orchids, to blue-eyed and yellow-eyed grasses, to a colorful pallet of sunflowers and asters, many flowers can be seen from the trail. You may also see many butterflies, including a variety of swallowtails, skippers and hairstreaks. 

The next hammock is filled primarily with tall palms. The ground, which receives little light, is mostly bare except for the litter of dead palm fronds. Look straight up into the palms to admire their height and stature.
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Inside the Palm Hammock
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Military Trail
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Picture
L to R: St. John's Wort, Fetterbush. Pickerelweed, Sabatia, Bachelor's Buttons, Yellow-star Grass, Pipewort, Whitetop Aster, Lyreleaf Sage, Black Swallowtail/Goldenrod, Ladies' Tresses

At the trail's mid-point is a primitive campground with a few picnic tables and a covered pavilion. This is a great place to stop and eat a snack or lunch. From there, you will head north. For the next 3/4 of a mile the prairie will be on your right and a strand of trees along a natural slough will be on your left. This is another place to look for deer.

When you reach Military Trail you are 2/3s through your hike. You will head east, back toward the campground. This part is over shell road, and can be very hot, so make sure you ration water to have enough. Military Trail is a good place to spot snakes sunning in the road. Most snakes in Florida are harmless, but the prairie is also home to Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnakes, so be cautious. 

The real beauty of this part of the trail is the landscape: Note the contrasting colors and textures of the landscape: The points of the fan-shaped Palmetto leaves, the sweep of the wiregrasses, the silvery soft leaves of the pawpaw and the shiny green dwarf oaks. As the park literature suggests: Enjoy the prairie by looking into it, not at it.
Your hike ends at the Equestrian Campground, but your experience will last forever.
Picture
NOTE: The best time to hike in Florida is the fall, winter and spring, usually October through April. But even in the winter temperatures on the open Prairie can be very hot, so always carry plenty of water, sunscreen and bug spray. Start your hike in the early morning, just as the sun starts to rise if possible. Not only are the temperatures cooler, but you are more likely to see wildlife. The Prairie Loop Trail is well marked, but in case of emergencies you should carry a cell phone and a GPS. Cell service in the prairie is spotty, but possible on some sections of the trail.

Donna Bollenbach, a nature photographer for over 10 years, spends her leisure time hiking, camping and photographing nature in parks and preserves throughout Florida. She first discovered Kissimmee Prairie Preserve in 2005 and has since hiked over 50 miles in the park. In addition to being a published photographer, Donna is the author of an e-book, The Art of Nature Photography, available on Amazon.


NOTE: A longer, complete version of this article, with more images, will be published in an upcoming Kissimmee Prairie Star newsletter.


1 Comment

Fall Color in the Florida Prairie, by Tim Kozusko

10/8/2012

6 Comments

 

Fall Color in the Florida Prairie, by Tim Kozusko
Kissimmee Prairie wildflowers give autumn leaves a run for the money.

Picture
Kissimmee Prairie in the Fall
The changing seasons in Florida are subtle at first, but once you know what to look for they are easy to notice. As late summer turns to autumn on the Kissimmee Prairie you will not see many leaves change color, for there are few deciduous trees in this part of Florida. There are few trees of any kind; it is a prairie after all! What you will see is the blush of color from the autumn-blooming asters and grasses. 

Fueled by a nutrient flush from early growing season fire, and quenched by summer rains, the Prairie comes alive in color, adding the yellows of goldenrod and goldentops to the blues and purples of the gayfeather and paintbrush.


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Red-banded Hairstreak on Yellowtop
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Catesby's Lily with treefrog
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Bushy Bluestem
Where fire has triggered flowering, wiregrass and lopsided Indiangrass will “tower” over the palmettos and impart a look reminiscent of wheat fields. As autumn progresses you will see the fluffy seeds of the groundsel bush and the broomsedge grasses mature and take to the air on the breeze as the first cold fronts move through.

But there is much more to this display. Many of these plants are annuals that grow through the summer, flower, and die, leaving seeds behind to brush next year’s pastels over the landscape. The plants have captured sunlight and stored it in tissues, pollen, and fruits that either feed migratory songbirds or the insects that the birds eat to replace energy spent flying south.
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Lopsided Indiangrass ©Tim Kozusko
Picture
Eastern Meadowlark in the Gayfeather
Have you visited the Kissimmee Prairie lately? Now is the perfect time to see its beautiful fall colors.
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Where the Rare is Commonplace... (part two)

5/22/2012

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Where the Rare is Commonplace... or not.

Picture
Florida Grasshopper Sparrow
As mentioned in February's post, here,  there are many uncommonly seen species that can be found with relative ease at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve. But the Preserve also protects and harbors some species that are not commonly found anywhere in Florida — or even in the world.

The most notable of these is the federally endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum floridanus), a subspecies of grasshopper sparrow endemic to Florida's fire-dependent dry prairie habitat.  Loss of habitat and other stressors (such as exotic, invasive fire ants) have reduced the population of this secretive little bird to where only a few hundred are believed to remain. Kissimmee Prairie Preserve is among the very few places where it is making its last stand.

To learn more about the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow visit the FWC website.

One of those more "commonplace" birds that is often seen in the summer flying gracefully over the Preserve is the beautiful and elegant Swallow-tailed Kite.  And while they always provide a thrill, there is another kite seldom seen in Florida—the White-tailed Kite—a spectacular raptor known to nest in the Preserve. A very lucky summer visitor might spot one hovering while hunting above prairie, or even perched on a snag.  

Picture
White-tailed Kite in its nest tree.
The Preserve's unique habitat harbors more than rare birds. It is also a place where one might find a threatened or endangered plant species, including the rarest of the grass pink orchids, the Manyflowered Grasspink (Calopogon multiflorus), which appears in the prairie shortly after a fire, or the aptly- named Bog Torch, AKA Snowy Orchid, (Habenaria nivea).
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Snowy Orchid or Bog Torch (Habenaria nivea)
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Manyflowered Grasspink (Calopogon multiflorus)
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Florida Brown Snake
Not to forget reptiles and amphibians — the Preserve is habitat for the extremely rare South Florida Mole Kingsnake, for instance (no photo of that!). Florida Panther tracks have been seen there as well. Rarely seen butterflies and other arthropods also have been recorded in the Preserve (some of which may be covered in a future post from Linda Cooper).

Stay tuned for the next post —I have another guest blogger in mind to talk about crucial role of fire at the Preserve. (with some great photos).
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Linda Cooper on Kissimmee Prairie Preserve's Butterflies, #1

3/19/2012

6 Comments

 

Zebra Swallowtails and Palmetto Skippers by Linda Cooper

Way back when Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park was a brand new addition to our state park system, manager Parks Small saw large numbers of Zebra Swallowtails and wondered what other species this new park harbored. He contacted us because we were doing the North American Butterfly Survey’s Fourth of July Butterfly Counts at the property next door — Audubon’s Kissimmee Prairie Sanctuary. What began as a simple butterfly survey in 2001 expanded to two years of surveys and after a brief hiatus, another year was done beginning in May 2005. My name is Linda Cooper and along with husband Buck and a cadre of enthusiastic volunteers, we put this park ‘on the map’ for butterflies especially skippers.

I will be doing a guest blog post here occasionally and am excited to tell you about KPPSP’s butterflies, a few at a time. Let’s start with the most obvious butterfly --Zebra Swallowtail.
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Zebra Swallowtail nectaring on Frog Fruit (Lippia nodiflora)—Photo by Linda Cooper
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Netted Pawpaw (Asimina reticulata), a host plant for Zebra Swallowtail
Zebra Swallowtail is the most numerous swallowtail at the prairie and is a true harbinger of Spring. Though it begins to fly in January in small numbers, by March there is a large flight when Spring pops out prairie flowers such as thistle. This large white and black swallowtail is unmistakeable and easy to see as it flies across the prairie. Its host plants are paw-paws Asimina species. Flight time is January through October. 
Picture

Other swallowtails seen regularly here are Black and Palamedes (shown at left on thistle flower) mostly in the open prairies. Giant Swallowtail is mostly restricted to hammocks with citrus trees. Spicebush Swallowtail can be found in open prairie and hammocks. Tiger Swallowtail is the least common of the six swallowtails regularly seen at KPPSP. Polydamas and Pipevine Swallowtails are very rare and are never expected in a visit to the prairie.


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Palmetto Skipper is the iconic prairie skipper. Photos by Linda Cooper

This time I will cover only one skipper - Palmetto Skipper. We consider this skipper the iconic prairie skipper. Its presence signals prime undisturbed habitat. Habitat that harbors Florida Grasshopper Sparrow is perfect for Palmetto Skipper too. This medium-large bright orange skipper with its bright orange head literally shouts “You thought skippers were all small and brown. Well, you were wrong. Come look at me!” It is named Palmetto Skipper because females use Saw Palmetto Serenoa repens as host plants. Just because you have palmettos though it doesn’t mean you will have Palmetto Skippers. They are absent from much of Florida but can be abundant at the prairie in good years. Flight time is February through October with the largest numbers seen in summer and fall. If you type ‘Palmetto Skipper‘ into your search engine there are numerous photos listed that were taken at KPPSP.

Though the yearly butterfly surveys are finished, we are still at KPPSP each year for the NABA Fourth of July Butterfly Count. In 2012 the count is on Saturday, July 14. We welcome anyone interested in butterflies. It is a long, hot day but we usually end up with one of the top counts in the state. If you are interested in participating or have any questions about butterflies you can email me at LCooper298@aol.com.

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    Friends of Kissimmee Prairie Preserve

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