Sappy Holidays - The Brazilian Pepper

As a child growing up in South Florida I had the good fortune of living on a 10-acre rural sanctuary for primates operated by my parents. The property was covered with native Slash Pines (Pinus elliotti), Cabbage Palms (Sabal palmetto) and Live Oaks (Quercus virginiana) but was persistently threatened by the noxious weed of a tree known as Brazilian Pepper (Schinus terebinthifolis). As a human primate I had far more freedoms than the other inhabitants and like a modern day Jungle Boy I would often take to the trees and explore. There were times when the property had become so overgrown with what some call “Florida Holly” that I could ascend into the canopy of the pepper trees and climb from tree to tree for several hundred feet.

The problem for a kid is you end up with ripped up jeans and sticky sap all over you, as well as the possibility of a poison ivy-like rash. The problem for the ecosystem is that the highly invasive tree has spread throughout South Florida, establishing dense monocultures where little else grows.

Brazilian Pepper was introduced to Florida sometime in the mid-1800s as an ornamental. It grows natively in Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. In Florida it flowers from September through November and by December has fire engine red berries that express a festive spirit around the holiday season, when Florida’s native hollies had already lost there rosy red fruit. Certainly the intent upon introduction was not malicious, but 160 years later the tree is so pervasive that we could easily deck the halls with boughs of pepper if only it were legal to transport it.

Fortunately the tree is not cold tolerant. Unfortunately it produces an abundance of berries that are perfect holiday snacks for birds and mammals that digest them and poop them elsewhere with homemade fertilizer.

Every year at this time, the sight of the bright evergreen leaves and candy cane red pepper berries brings me back to my days on the sanctuary, either climbing in the trees or hacking them down with machete or chainsaw.

I learned long ago that wherever I am for the holidays, I am perfectly content to celebrate it by enjoying it with native style and tradition. This year I’ll be enjoying the sun, the sand and berryless hollies. Happy Holidays.  

Ghosts of Australia - The Australian Pine

That which we call a pine by any other name might not be a pine.

Growing along the coast of South Florida is an invasive tree known locally as an Australian Pine (Casuarina equisetifolia). It is in fact found in Australia as well as other locations in that region. It is in fact not a pine. Despite the peaceful sound the wind makes as it passes through the tree’s pine needle-like branchlets, it is a tree we need to do without here in Florida. Eradication programs exist but it is a resilient tree and has numerous fans.

My wife and I went for a short walk to take photos of a living Australian Pine. It was a blistering, hot March day and when we reached the shade of the 50-foot tall tree she said with sincerity, “Excellent. Shade.” It’s no wonder it has been hard to convince people that these “pines” have to go.

The evergreen was introduced to the sunshine state as a shade tree and a wind break. Its tolerance to high salinity gives it an advantage in old beach communities as well as newly formed beaches. It grows fast and as it does, drops needle-like branchlets that cover the ground. It renders the soil toxic to dune grasses, sea grapes and just about every other native species.

The other big issue is beach erosion. C.equisetifolia is the tallest of three invasive Australian Pines and can grow up to one hundred feet. Surprisingly is has a very shallow root system. The tree is easily toppled during storms and the massive trunks create unnatural breakers on the beach, leading to severe beach erosion.

Management of the three species is difficult. Cutting the main trunk can lead to root suckers – new trunks that grow from the roots. Herbicides are used with caution and fire can be used with care in fire tolerant plant communities. While the beauty of this tree can be appreciated, the destruction it causes must be recognized as well.

In the photo, a lifeless Australian Pine skeleton has succumbed to the sea – a ghost of Australia on the Florida coast.

Python Kills Toddler

A 2-year old was strangled to death by a pet Burmese Python yesterday in Orlando, FL (story). The 12 foot exotic snake from SE Asia escaped from an aquarium and was found with the lifeless child. The boyfriend of the child's mother owned the snake and did not have the proper permit to posses a "Reptile of Concern", nor did he have the good sense to secure an obviously dangerous animal.

The Burmese Python is one of top 5 largest snakes in the world and can reach lengths greater than 18 feet in the wild. In captivity they can grow quickly and this young, former pet python that we have on display is well over 19 feet and weighs over 350 pounds. It was offered to us after the owner could no longer take care of it.

While Pythons are considered relatively docile, large snakes become difficult to handle and maintain. Many have been released into the wild in Florida by owners who were incapable of

caring for them. The US Geologic Survey released a range map in 2008 that shows where Pythons have been found to date.

Biologists estimate there are over 30,000 Burmese Pythons living in Florida. Pythons are constrictors, feeding on appropriate sized mammals including the endangered Everglades Mink and Mangrove Fox Squirrel. Females lay up to 90 eggs per clutch and are quite protective of their young - making predation by raccoons, opossums and other nest raiders tough.

In over 600 tours I have led, I have only seen 2 dead Burmese on the Tamiami Trail in the Miccosukee Reservation. Both sightings happened to be the same day but more and more Pythons are seen each year.

Not only are invasive snakes a threat to the ecosystem they now inhabit - wild Pythons could soon become a threat to nature lovers enjoying the same habitat. Various places around the Internet lit up today with comments of people terrified to visit the Everglades. While it's acceptable to be concerned about the wildlife in the place you may visit, I would suggest terror might be an over exaggerated emotion in this situation. We live among Alligators with little conflict. We can do so with Burmese Pythons if we must.

A small, light-colored 12-foot Boa Constrictor rests on top of a 19-foot Burmese Python

The difficulty will be controlling their populations. Currently there is no effective way to control let alone eliminate the giant snakes. Secluded nest sites and large clutch sizes result in high survival rates. We can assume the population will grow as long as the climate remains the same.

What is utterly unacceptable is the irresponsibility of pet owners. Large snakes such as Anacondas, Burmese Pythons and Reticulated Pythons require permits to possess such snakes but there are no doubt many who shirk this legality (including the man in this incident). These snakes should always be kept secure and under no circumstance should a child ever be left where such a snake could harm them. Sadly it has happened before and it will probably happen again. People are stupid.

Sea World may want to update their "Fun Facts".

Turn Over a New Bush

First Lady Laura Bush visited the Everglades today during part of an effort to help kids "turn over a new leaf" regarding the environment. Presumably she thinks kids are to blame and need to change their wasteful, destructive ways.

Dozens of local school children aged 9-12 were gathered with the First Lady at the Everglades National Park for the announcement of the 2008 Junior Ranger Program and to learn about native and exotic plants in the area.

"Children will be asked to submit an essay that asks them individually on how they can improve our environment."

One submission suggested to wait 6-9 years, time travel back to 2000 and vote for Al Gore.

Another was to preemptively bulldoze places where exotic plants may be in the future.

One precocious 11 year old laid out a comprehensive 20 year plan to systematically remove all man-made water control devices, eliminate all exotic plant and wildlife species and cut back significantly on agriculture uses on Everglades lands - all of which would be supported by a state/federal budget. But ironically, just hours before, the President had submitted a federal budget that underfunded a similar plan by hundreds of millions rendering the plan essentially useless.

This may be why Laura was out mobilizing the coalition of the pre-pubescent. If biologists, civil engineers, botanists, environmentalists, politicians and land managers can't solve the problem, burden the children.

The winner of the essay contest gets a trip to the Everglades - which they were already gathered in. And more importantly a shopping spree. Most likely at one of the Wal-Marts, Targets, or K-marts that have been built in the Everglades.


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Ants in Your Pants

The Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta) was accidentally introduced to the United States in either Mobile, Alabama or Pensacola, FL between 1933-1945. They inadvertently hitchhiked along with imported goods from Brazil and have since spread across many of the southern states, including Florida. They often create large nest mounds of soil, inhabited by thousands of the insects. When disrupted, the first ant to encounter a threat to their home emits a pheromone, alarming the rest of the colony which then defend the nest by all stinging the intruder with vengeance.

Before MaLe's return to Ecuador, we visited the Florida Keys, driving the length of the Overseas Highway from Key Largo down to Key West where we enjoyed the Southernmost point in the Continental US (marked by this black/yellow/red thing),

the 57 "Hemingway Cats" occupying the late writer's historic if not tragically dumpy home

the over hyped Mallory Square and a fantastic sunset over Florida Bay.


But no sendoff sunset is complete without sitting on a mound of fire ants. With only a glowing segment of sun remaining as it submerged into the sea, a frantic MaLe began hoping around, swatting at her back and cursing in Spanish (several words that I am familiar with). I helped brush as many off as I could and pleaded with her to move, but regretfully she was only listening in Spanish at this point and continued to stand in the mound of ants while peeling off clothing. Eventually she understood and moved, but not before being bitten literally from head to toe but the rotten little ormegas.

Fire ant bites are nasty and leave a zit-like swelling for a few days. It's not pleasant. She was calmed by sundown and you'd never know by this picture what she had just endured.

This afternoon it was back to work for me with a trip into the sweltering 98 degree Everglades. As always, I joined my adventurers on the airboat and as we cruised along the well-populated alligator lake, I realized I was being peppered with tiny insects. I looked towards the bow and realized a raft of fire ants had made their way on board and were now being blown on me! I signaled to the airboat captain to stop the boat, which he misinterpreted as go faster, and more and more ants began to fleck my khaki shirt. ANTS! I yelled, but my full-on-freakout fell on deaf ears as the Cadillac engine continued to power the airboats airplane propeller and create just enough noise to drown out what I assumed would soon turn to my panicked sobs.

Fire Ants have the amazing ability to create a mass of ants, or a raft to protect them during floods. Water comes up, they gather in a ball and are magically transported to a new home. In this case - the airboat and eventually on to me. I survived with amazingly only one bite. Maybe the speed in which we traveled carried away the pheromone message to attack. Either way, MaLe and I both survived our ant encounters. Now that the rainy season is here, you gotta watch out for the ants who are constantly shifting their homes to drier ground.
(because it was requested...the MaLe Meez)