Conference Field Trip Follow-up: Camp Lonesome Conservation Area



Camp Lonesome Field Trip Follow up 
Submitted by Jenny Welch, Sparkleberry Chapter

If you were swayed to go on the Camp Lonesome Field Trip by Jenny's pre-conference blog, then you were one of the lucky ones. Here Jenny provides a follow up on the plants and animals observed at this very special place: 

On our way to Camp Lonesome there were two crested caracaras beside the road, and we saw turkeys with cute babies. Beautiful bright yellow meadowlarks were singing melodiously, as if to welcome us as we drove up to the gate.  A loggerhead shrike was catching breakfast in the field as we gathered to begin our hike, and blue gray gnatcatchers, northern parulas, and cardinals were calling from the trees as we started to walk.


We could tell Camp Lonesome was very dry from the ongoing drought because the gallberry had dropped their leaves and the normally wet areas were completely dry. Even drought resilient ferns were brown. But, despite the drought we could smell the aromatically sweet fragrance of the blooms of the blue and green saw palmetto.  A few ripe blackberries were still clinging to the prickly bushes waiting to be eaten by hungry birds.

We came upon a beautiful resident of Camp Lonesome; a black racer snake that everyone enjoyed looking at.

In the canopies of the cabbage palm hammock and oak tree hammock there was still some green to be found: wild coffee, Psychotria nervosa; myrsine, Ardisia escallonioides; mulberry, Morus rubra; tillandsia spp. in bloom; shoestring fern, Vittaria lineata; golden polypody fern, Phlebodium aureum; Simpson stopper, Myrcianthes fragrans, and more.  We found rare and endangered plants which are now listed on the FNAI database.

We also saw what has to be a champion citrus tree,  considering its size. An overturned tree, with a massive root structure, had a mulberry growing from the dead tree root. An impressive sight.

We were joyous when we found the first orchid, and although not in bloom, there were buds!  As we continued our hike we were happy to realize this one orchid was not alone. We also enjoyed seeing several species of fungi, including a black fuzzy one, and one that spread its spores when touched.

Towards the end of the hike we finally saw the flash of the pileated woodpecker we had been hearing all morning as it flew swiftly by.


Camp Lonesome is a jewel set in the middle of sod farms, cattle ranches, and agriculture.  There was something new, special, and exciting to see around every turn, bend, curve. Too few people realize this jewel is here to explore.





Pre-Conference Blog:
submitted by Jenny Welch,  Sparkleberry Chapter
Field Trip to be led by Scott Davis, Sandy Webb and Jenny Welch


Camp Lonesome Conservation Area is a rare hidden jewel and is 2443 acres.  It is included in the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area. It is also the location of one of our Conference Field Trips on Sunday May 21, 2017. Fieldtrip X. 

 Purchased by the Osceola County Environmental Lands Conservation Program in 2007. The property supports several uncommon ecological communities. This field trip will take you through a variety of habitats including beautiful Old Florida landscapes characterized by pine flatwoods, palmetto prairies, live oak hammocks, mixed wetland hardwoods, cypress, freshwater marshes, wet prairies, and a rare inland cabbage palm hammock.  This will allow us to see a wide variety of native plants, birds, and animals.

Native plants we may see include native orchids, Tarflower, Bejaria racemosa, Fetterbush,  Lyonia lucida, Shoestring Fern, Vittaria lineata, Redbud, Cercis Canadensis, Cabbage Palm,  Sabal Palmetto, Saw Palmetto, Serenoa repens, and so many more!

 Birds and wildlife we may see are barred owl, bald eagle, red shouldered hawk, crested caracara, Eastern meadowlarks, bluebird, tufted titmouse, wrens, warblers, sandhill cranes, white tail deer, turkey, gopher tortoise, cardinals, swallow tailed kites, and others.

 Fort Lonesome Conservation area is located in Osceola County, at 4257 Canoe Creek Road, Kenansville, FL 34739. There are approximately 5.5 miles of well-maintained trails.There is also portable bathroom at the site and picnic tables under live oak trees for a picnic lunch after the hike if you bring your lunch.

 It is an absolutely beautiful special place that few ever get to see or experience. If you have not yet chose your Sunday field trip, please consider signing up for Fieldtrip X at the conference. 

 Jenny is a member of the Sparkleberry Chapter of FNPS, a Master Naturalist and a member of the Audubon Society. She will be leading the field trip to Fort Lonesome along with Sandy Webb and Scott Davis. 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Florida Native Azaleas

Image
Piedmont Azalea, Rhododendron canescens. Photo by Lilly Anderson-Messec By Lilly Anderson-Messec While growing up in North Florida, I began to recognize the arrival of spring by the boisterous show of white, pink, and fuchsia blooms of azalea shrubs. The house I grew up in had large, mature azalea hedges with a variety of different colors and forms. Every spring, my mom would bring in vases full of them and my dad loved to point out the showy shrubs as we drove through town. I suppose I assumed these plants were native, but most likely I never gave it a thought. I didn’t differentiate a native plant from a non-native one because I didn’t yet know the importance of native plants as the basis of our functioning ecosystems. I was so surprised when I learned the azaleas I was so familiar with (Rhododendron indicum) are actually transplants from Asia! They are favored by the horticultural industry for their fast, vigorous, and dense growth of evergreen leaves and large, showy blooms. Curio...
Read more

Wednesday's Wildflower:Spanish Needle

Image
Spanish Needle, Bidens Alba Submitted by Donna Bollenbach, Suncoast Chapter Biden's alba , all photos by Donna Bollenbach Nothing attracts more butterflies and bees than a simple white flower called Bidens alba . Also called Romerillo, Beggar’s Tick, Spanish Needle or Monkey’s Lice, this Florida native wildflower is the third most reliable source of nectar for pollinators in our state. There would be many starving bees and butterflies if not for the Bidens family of flowers. More so, Bidens alba and its sister plant, Bidens pilosa , are both edible and have medicinal value. Yet, many gardeners have a love/hate relationship the plant, and some even consider it a pesky weed. Why?
Read more

Paradise Tree: Beautiful and Useful

Image
"The native Paradise tree is more useful than Google, and easy to grow." And how could any blogger resist leading off with this intriguing quote from the Key West Garden Club? I am a Master Gardener and a Master Naturalist, but I only know so much; so I always check out  statistics from experts before posting information about plants. I have a beautiful Paradise tree in my yard, it came from the raffle table at my chapter's program night about six years ago.   Paradise tree                Simarouba glauca For the first six years the little tree had a perfect, closed, cone shape; but just this summer I was astounded one morning to walk out and notice that my tree had changed. The canopy had begun to open up, there were open spaces between the layers of branches. It seemed to happen overnight. Proving again that a garden is constantly in motion, which is one of the fascinating things about o...
Read more