Blooming Oaks

Two species of native oak trees are common on the New College campus - live oak (Quercus virginiana) and laurel oak (Quercus laurifolia). Instead of dropping all their leaves in the fall like northern oaks, live oaks and laurel oaks drop all their leaves in the early spring, just as their flowers emerge and just before new leaves appear. This process is beginning now in the last weeks of February and will continue over the next couple of months.

Each tree seems to be on its own time table and have its own shade of green-brown-rust colored catkins. Oak catkins are long thin pendants with multiple inconspicuous male flowers. The male flowers produce pollen which is distributed by the wind. The fine yellow dust on our cars this time of year could be either oak or pine pollen. Following the catkins, bright green new leaves appear. Walking around campus and driving around town during the spring, its easy to see oak trees at all different stages of transition: some still sporting last year's dark green leaves; some covered in rust and golden colored catkins after the old leaves have dropped; and many bursting with the bright green of new leaves.

For more information on laurel oak, including a slide show: http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/Plant.aspx?id=3901

For more informatin on live oak, including a slide show http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/Plant.aspx?id=3904

Cooper's Hawk

During the week of February 5, a Cooper's Hawk returned to the roof of Cook Hall. The hawk perched at the top of the north chimney at Cook Hall. A Cooper's Hawk was a regular visitor during the winter of 2008, using the same perch, particularly in cold or rainy weather.

Cooper's hawks are medium sized hawks with long tails, alternating bars of brown and white across its tail. It preys on medium sized birds and mammals. Whenever the Cooper's Hawk shows up, the small flock of pigeons that lives on the north tower roof of Cook Hall, vanishes.

For more information on Cooper's Hawks, see : http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Coopers_Hawk_dtl.html#habitat

Osprey rebuild nest east of Cook Hall

During the week of January 26, a pair of osprey began rebuilding a nest in a standing dead pine tree east of Cook Hall. This tree has supported an osprey nest every winter for the past 6 years, with the exception on one year when the nest was taken over by Great Horned Owls. Now three weeks later, the osprey pair are still adding spanish moss and sticks to the nest. The osprey are perched on the tree every day. Sometimes one osprey is sitting on the nest while the other is perched on a nearby branch.

This nest tree stand in a grassy parking area for Cook Hall. Several years ago the college hired an arborist to remove all branches that were likely to fall, in order to prevent damage to cars in the parking area.

Osprey incubate their eggs for 32-43 days. Once the young birds hatch, they spent 48-59 days in the nest and nest tree before they fledge. Female osprey are larger than males and have a necklace of heavier brown marking across their breast. Male breasts are uniformly white. Both parents incubate, but the female does the majority of the incubation while the male primarily provides food.

Mulberries are Blooming

The Mulberry Morus rubra tree northeast of the Four Winds Cafe is blooming.  The immature fruits look almost like fuzzy pussy willows, but will soon turn pink and then into the dark violet fruit students favor for eating and unavoidable body decoration. The best known local mulberry is found on the Ringling Museum grounds roughly Southeast of the Rose Garden.

Squawky Parrots Still Frequent Campus

A flock of fourteen Nanday Conures was seen last weekend perched on wires at the intersection of General Spaatz and Bay Shore Road. These noisy birds are a group of feral parrots that have persisted in the vicinity for years. At one time more than thirty could be seen in the flock. They are cavity nesters and feature black heads, green bodies and red thighs. The other parrots commonly seen around campus are Monk Parakeets, which have pale faces and are colonial nesters that construct large nests of materials like pine needles.

If you want to know more about Nandays, check out Birch Rambo's 1992 thesis: The Behavioral Ecology of the Nanday Conure (Nandayus nenday), an Introduced Parrot Species in Sarasota, Florida. 

Photo below from http://www.parroteducationproject.org/

The Mangos are Blooming! The Mangos are blooming!

Northeast of the Four Winds Cafe is a star-shaped planting of ten mango (Mangifera indica) trees. These trees are special, named varieties of compact mangos planted to honor and remember Kit Reilly, a well-loved, mango-loving NC student who died tragically in the summer of 2003.

A tropical fruit tree, mangos in Florida bloom during the winter, when the chance of a freeze could wipe out the fruit set. In addition, mangos are notoriously shy bearers -- thousands of blossoms on a tree many result in only a handful of fruit. This year all ten mangos are blooming. The exact varieties are shown below.

Grounds Crew Tackles Exotics on Caples Shore

The College Grounds Crew descended on the northern section of the Caples shoreline Monday to remove massive Brazilian Peppers and an exotic fig that was 'strangling' a cabbage palm. The result is a much improved view and more room for native plants such as Sea Grape, and Christmas Berry. 

Unfortunately, we don't have a before picture, but the result (seen above) is a view few campuses can match. The crew should be back on Tuesday. 

Crepuscular Owl Misses Sunset Snapshot

While setting my iPhone on a railing at Caples to take the accompanying sunset snapshot a Great Horned Owl (Bubo viginianus)  flew across the field of view from North to South. Our campus hosts both this, the largest, Florida owl as well as the smallest, the Screech Owl.

For the past two years Great Horned Owls have commandered a former Osprey nest off the southwest corner of the Pritzker Marine Science Building. This year two Great Horned Owls (a pair?) have been seen and heard calling to each other at Caples, but, according to Dr. Heidi Harley Ospreys are carrying nesting materials to the Pritzker nest. 

Although this owl was seen at dusk, Great Horned Owls are apparently atypical in that they hunt throughout the day and night-- they are not solely crepuscular.

Pileated Woodpeckers Near Physical Plant Offices

Chuck Horan and Michael Williams forwarded snapshots taken near the Physical Plant offices of a Pileated Woodpecker Drycopus pileatus. 

If you agree that there are no longer any Ivory-Billed Woodpeckers in Florida (and not everyone does) the Pileated is our largest woodpecker, an impressive crow-sized bird that flies with alternating flapping and gliding. 

Post a comment if you see them nesting (in cavities they excavate) on campus.

Ringling Bombax Another Sign of Spring

The giant Bombax tree on the triangle of land just south of the entrance to the Ringling Museum is blooming again. If Flame Vine defines orange, and Yellow Trumpet Trees define yellow (see earlier blogs), the petals of the Bombax define red. 

This is probably the tallest tree in the college neighborhood and is used for technical tree climbing. Since the tree blooms while leafless, the visual effect of the red blossoms is heightened. 

The species is most probably Bombax ceiba, variously known as Red Silk Cotton Tree, Bombax, and Kapok, although commercial kapok does not come from this species. Kapok was used extensively for stuffing and the term "bombastic", used for overstuffed language derives from this use. 

Translucent Geckos Rule at Night

Introduced geckos of the genus Hemidactylus are common at the Caples Carriage House where they wait near lights to snag insects. These are not the Cuban or Carolina anoles (AKA inaccurately as 'chameleons') we see during the day but pale, slightly translucent geckos with black pupils that have no trouble running across ceilings. There are several species of Hemidactylus in Florida and there may actually be several species on campus.  

One species, H. garnotii, has the advantage of reproducing parthenogetically - one female is all it takes to establish a new population.

If any herp people can determine precisely which species are at the Carriage House, please leave a comment.

low tide, brown pelicans

The tide is very low this morning, with mud flats exposed. Four brown pelicans are feeding, with great success, between the seawall and the exposed mud flat west of Cook Hall. Two laughing gulls are following the pelicans, waiting to snatch anything the pelicans miss.

Osprey Monitors Situation While Eagles Check Out Caples Pines

One mature and one immature Bald Eagle (Haliaeeteus leucocephalus) perched in a live Slash Pine south of Caples Hall while an Osprey (possibly one associated with the nest about 200 feet to the north?) soared overhead calling. When the immature Eagle took off to the north the Osprey tried a diving attack. It takes five years for Bald Eagles to attain the classic patriotic adult plumage with white head and tail. Until then they are darker looking with patchy light-colored streaks, more like a Golden Eagle, a species rarely seen in Florida.

Ospreys usually nest in dead trees while Bald Eagles usually nest in live trees. Ospreys routinely nest on campus and while Eagle sightings are common on campus during winter months they are not known to have nested on campus in recent times. 

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 44 Eagle nests were found last year within 15 miles of our 34243 zip code.

Osprey Pair Reclaims Caples Nest Site

A pair of Ospreys Pandion haliaetus have returned to the nest site near the Caples Bayfront. The nest formerly east of Cook Hall is missing and the large nest southwest of Pritzker that was built by ospreys has been used by Great Horned Owls the past two years. The owls have been seen and heard recently at Caples. 

The two blurry white spots on the nest are the pair of Ospreys as seen by an iPhone. Although the image is very poor, it reflects a commitment to use photographs taken on campus rather than retreating to readily available stock images from other websites.

Please comment if you have seen other recent Osprey, Great Horned Owl or Bald Eagle activity on campus.

Golden Trumpet Tree Brightens Former Zinn's Triangle

The former Zinn's Triangle west of the Shell station has been landscaped primarily with native plants. One exception is the Golden Trumpet Tree, Tabebuia chrysotricha, from Brazil, which is blooming now. This is the second year these trees have bloomed here and their intense paint-box yellow blossoms may be seen by anyone driving North of General Spaatz. The display does not last long, so enjoy it now. 

N.B. Golden Trumpet Tree is a close relative of (but not the same as) the Gold Tree, the official tree of the City of Sarasota,  Tabebuia argentea, which is also an early spring bloomer and is distinguished by soft, corky, light grey bark, a fact that may recollect its specific name, which means silver.  A large Gold Tree (AKA Silver Trumpet Tree) may be seen on the north side of the former entrance to the Ringling Museum. Gold Trees also line the median on the approach to St. Armands Key, and perhaps the most beautiful one locally is the one growing at the former Burger King just north of the Hospital on 41. Gold Trees bloom slightly later than Golden Trumpet trees. 

Flame Vine on 41 Overpass is Blooming

The Flame Vine Pyrostegia venusta is blooming on the pedestrian overpass over US 41. This orange flowered vine is one of the first ornamentals that marks Spring in Sarasota. Of course, we have many flowers that can be blooming almost any time of year -- plants like oleander, ixora, bougainvilleas can sport flowers throughout the year. The plants that better mark the passage of time bloom only once. It starts with Florida Privet, but that has inconspicuous flowers (that nectar-starved bees seem to love). Privet is followed by plants like Black Haw, Flame Vine, and Golden Trumpet Tree. 

The original concept was to have the walkway covered in dense, shade-producing vines, but a lack of irrigation made it challenging for plants to grow up there. Now that Grounds Coordinator Michael Williams upgraded the soil, the flame vine is doing better. It looks pretty good from 41. We still need a way to get some water up there. 

New for 2009! New College Natural History Notes

I'm starting this blog for all members of the New College community to record and learn about the campus environment. If you see something noteworthy, let's get it on the blog for people to share. This will be the place to record wildlife sightings, plant phenology, and any changes in the campus landscape. 

Once this gets rolling, we'll move to having multiple authors.