Freeze in the Fakahatchee

[flhiker]

I was able to make it to the Strand today and found most of the trees without a lot of there leaves due to the latest freeze.With the canopy gone I wonder how they will fair against the sun. Also many of the epipthy's with freeze damage. Mostly the Nocturnum and Ridged Epidendrum but did see some Epidendrum amphistomum and Campylocentrum pachyrrhizum with damage as well. The good news is I saw many more that were not. We also found a real reminder to be careful. At the entrance of the preserve it looked to us that they are doing prescribed burns before the spring growth.

[Jkelee]

OMG!! WHAT ABOUT THAT MONSTER SNAKE??!!

[flhiker]

The snake is a 4 to 5ft. Eastern Diamondback Rattler. He could ruin your day if your not careful.

[prem]

yikes...definitely looks like they took a bit of a hit from the cold. It may take a few years for some of those pictured plants to recover to their former selves (let's hope that we don't have a repeat of this next year or any more later this year), although it looks like the plant bases/pseudobulbs escaped most of the damage. Any damaged ghosts?

That is a beaut of a diamondback!

The Epi. magnoliae (conopseum) in the tree in my yard just opened a number of buds that had been sitting in a state of suspended animation over the freezing days...I guess this species must have some sort of natural antifreeze in its cellular makeup. Many of the tropical plants in my yard (large Schefflera) took a pretty bad hit from the mid-20's temps that we had here.

This global warming is sure a pain!

---Prem

[musicloveranthony]

I really enjoy post-burn photos. That's a pretty snake, also!

[greenbean]

Nice rattler! Only seen one bigger than that, most of my sightings have been of babies.

Although I live in a much colder climate than you at the moment I truly feel your pain, especially looking at the damage to those orchids and thinking of the effects on the native fauna and flora.

[camille1585]

I didn't imagine that the damage would be that bad! Hopefully the plants aren't too affected and there won't be many losses. Do you know if the ghost orchids came through ok?

[trdyl]

It wil recover. It is deffinately notthe first time this happened. Nice "little" snake too!

[flhiker]

It's funny, we decided to search a new area and didn't find any ghost. We where going to see some but was to tired to go back in. The water levels are up. It really seemed that the plants high up in the trees where the most affected. I think the real problem now is most of the orchids are exposed to the sun since the big trees lost most of there leaves. crossing my fingers for the ghost.
This may have happened before and will happen again but like Prem said it will take years to recover. Also the truly endangered plants are at risk of being wiped out. Like the Lepanthopsis melanthopsis

[DJR]

I Just hope that we don't get another freeze this year as the canopy being open there is no further protection. That will definatetly put a hurt on things.

That burn looks like a future patch of Colopogons and Spiranthes to me. Can you see them Dave? Scatttered as far as the eye can see?

I checked several areas out here in my neck woods and some areas really got hit hard 3"-6" above ground level deep in the hammocks and swamps. Everything is brown Then some areas barely got touched. The Enc. tampensis along the coast made it through the freezes however flowers and green seed pods were mush. The Epi. magnoliae all survived! As Prem says they must have super juice in their cells.

Don