The Three Sisters Springs
Linda Curtis, volunteer botanist
Three Sisters Springs in Crystal River Florida has lost most of its hydric forest trees and understory plants due to prepping for development and later a small pine plantation.
A plan to return some of the native trees and shrubs by the Citrus County chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society has some success, considering the difficulty in planting saplings and shrubs from pots into a bored hold in the limestone. Unless the plants can grow roots into fissures in the limestone, the roots grow around and around and eventually the upper plant perishes.
Linda Curtis, volunteer, assessed plantings in 2017 & 3018 and has recommended signage with 3-4 inch font readable by the tourists on the plank walk. Another area needing signage is the trail to the east of the parking lot which takes sight-seers to the tidal restoration creeks that is now abundant in wetland plants that support invertebrates and birds. The new inlet/outlets for the two daily high and low tides have been planted with native trees including cypress, red maple, sweetgum, Carolina willow. Sedges and rushes dominate the wetland high tide zone.
Trees grown in large pots were planted in boreholes around the manatee lagoon. Some of the former large trees were removed for shoreline repair and rock stabilization. Shrubs, ferns and other herbaceous plant were placed between the plank walk and the lagoon shore. The almost unseen Carex sedges appear as small grassy tufts.
Image below shows water oak, Quercus nigra on left, fronds of young Sable palms, Sabal palmetto, the evergreen red cedar, Junipers virginiana and a yucca. The goal was a no-mow zone as a barrier to prevent snorkelers, kayakers, and swimmers from entering land side. Initiated by former U.S. F&W director Michael Lusk, he placed flags for the new plants position. Some of the trees were run over by the manatee rescue truck during a dilemma, but most of the twenty-some trees remain. In 2017 and January-May 2018, and 4 years later, the planted trees from CCNPS were tape measured at one foot above soil line, height recorded and general condition noted. The most robust was red buckeye, Aesculus pavia, nearest the end of the plank walk at the manatee entry/exit channel. A small tree with red-stemmed compound leaves and pretty red flowers, the tourists are certain to enjoy this small tree/shrub.
Image taken of the manatee lagoon near the trolley unloading area from the plank walk.
Manatee Lagoon
The rare water marigold blooms in late August and early September in Cedar Lake in Lake County, Illinois. Linda Curtis discovered it while canoeing in 1989. She published the discovery article in 1990, olymp trade forex and saw it again after the August 2020 derecho’s horrific winds de-rooted a submersed bed of aquatic plants in a large wave and deposited them on the shore. The water marigolds bloomed the following week with yellow daisy-like flowers in the debris where Linda collected them before they were scooped up for removal with the other decaying plants. Normally, a permit from the IDNR is required to collect rare plants, but not necessary as they were part of the debris. Linda collected three plants, dried and pressed them, and sent them to herbaria as vouchers, evidence the plants still are present. News-Sun reporter Sheryl Devore visited and wrote an article about the water marigold bloom, front page on 9-4-2020 with photos by her husband Steve Bailey, ornithologist.
