Field Trippin'

We have now been on two field trips collecting lichen. Anybody else would call it bush whacking or breaking trail. But we call it collecting lichen. First, an explanation of the landscape is important. There are several predominant type of vegetation. There is the famous "River of Grass", which is the 40 mile wide, shallow river that flows south from lake Okechobee to Florida Bay. Then there are the pine lands which are contiguous limestone reefs on the Atlantic side, made from sea shells and coral, where pine trees grow, and lastly there are hammocks which are slightly higher islands within the sawgrass which can support hardwood forests. Most lichens are found in the hardwood hammocks.

Trip 1

We ( Rick, Jean, and we 3 new volunteers) began from the research center and walked toward an area which is undergoing severe remediation to remove an invasive species(Brazilian pepperwood). Around us was heavy equipment joking called a brontosaurus, chomping up this invasive species and scraping it into huge piles. I won't go into this more right now, but it costs $20,000 per acre and is paid for by companies who need to buy credits for wetlands they are destroying.

After passing through this area we entered the pine lands on a fire road. After a mile or so we left the road to the Pinelands proper, which pose a significant hazard. The limestone surface is very susceptible to breakdown by acids to form solution holes. Acids can come via acid rain or decay of pine needles, etc. so as one walks along, hidden under the vegetation are holes. They come in all sizes, so we move slowly and probe the ground ahead with walking sticks and alerting those following. After going through the Pinelands we arrived at Junk hammock, named after a person, not what we might expect to find there. The outer edges of the hammock are exposed to sun and therefore have thick vegetation, a thicket, you might say. The interior of the hammock is more shaded, so less dense. After forcing our way through the thicket, we wandered around the interior of the hammock, Rick looking for a specific lichen while the rest of us tried to identify the trees we were seeing. Although Rick did not find what he was looking for, nonetheless he took several samples, which were put into sample bags with notes on which tree it was growing on, hence our need to learn the tree species. The ground in the hammock was incredibly spongy, due to decayed leaves-almost like bouncing on a bed in places. We saw and avoided the solution holes. Once we found a clearing with some logs for sitting, we broke for lunch and conversation. We had seen some wild orchids and various ferns and wild flowers and tried to recognize the difference between lichen and fungus on the trees. More tramping about after lunch and then walked back to the research center. About 5 hours.

Trip 2

Trip 2 was quite different. This was supposed to be easier, so we were told the poles weren't necessary. Lucinda was not along as she had fallen and injured her wrist elsewhere, but Keek, a second year volunteer was along. We all piled in Rick's four wheel drive and headed off on a dirt road until it became impassable, then walked for about 2 miles on a diminishing road, muddy at times. We then went into the sawgrass, wet underfoot, toward Bequard hammock. We got through the thicket, but for reasons unknown to me, there were also many solution holes there (usually in pinelands). The procedure was the same as before, except it was wetter and the solution holes were treacherous. Imagine a pit 6 to 30 inches deep upon which branches have fallen and then years of vegetation such as dead leaves have covered. All but Keek fell into one of these pits. I was walking behind Tom when all of a sudden his left leg went down into a pit up to his hip. Shortly afterward I stepped into a shallower pit and lost my balance and fell forward onto the rough pock-marked rock. I came to rest on my knee and the heel of my hand. The knee bled, but the hand was ok. It was particularly hard getting out of this hammock-thick vegetation-and then retracing our steps. We were a sore and muddy bunch by the time we got back. For these trips we wear long pants and shirts, and sneakers which can be hosed off. Actually Tom and I hose each other off outside and the clothes go straight to the washer. Next time we vowed to bring our poles, no matter what we are told. Time was 6 hours.

Do I enjoy these trips? Hmmm... Not sure yet. They are good exercise and we see interesting plants, but if we have another trip like second one above, or if the weather gets hotter or it gets buggier, I may reconsider.