VOLUNTEERS MAKE IT HAPPEN
WORK DAY AT THE WILDFLOWER PRESERVE

Work at Wildflower Preserve was a great success. Nine folks showed up ready to work hard and they did so. Lucia, Paul, Jane, Blake, Muriel, Percy, Stu, Bev and Barb plus myself accomplished a lot in three hot hours.

We completed a connector trail between the north side of Fiddler's Green Two and the parking lot area.

We also trimmed the trails so that Blake Yusk and his fabulous mower could mow a large proportion of the new trails that allow us to make an additional shorter loop from the parking lot south and then west to the north prong of Lemon Creek. We also began work on a second longer connector trail.

The photos provide partial views of the hard work involved and the great results.

Jane Wallace with her sharp eyes spotted a large number of caterpillars (see photo) which turned out to be oleander moth caterpillars feeding on dwarf oleander. This abundance of caterpillars is quite interesting and shows how the lack of spraying leads to some considerable natural control of this beautiful but exotic shrub.

WIDER TRAILS GET MOWED

We had some wonderful volunteers out helping mow the wider trails in Wildflower today plus clearing pepper out of narrow trails with a chainsaw and loppers.

Rachel Nellis brought her tractor with a bush hog and front bucket from Punta Gorda. She continues to work on a brochure dealing with the restoration at Wildflower preserve.

Clarke Keller, also from Punta Gorda, furnished a trailer and truck to haul the tractor, and used a chainsaw to cut peppers for 4+ hours.

Neighbors Ken & Carolyn Marlow helped me carry out cut pepper trunks and branches and lop off branches to open a trail from the parking lot southwards across the preserve. They were biking by and noticed us working and stopped to help out.

Thanks to everyone!!! They were great and it would have been impossible to get the trails ready for our walk on Thursday without their generous sweat labor and use of their equipment.

I always enjoy the beauties of nature that are so often evident at Wildflower and today was no exception. As we finished about 2 PM, two bald eagles sailed overhead (an adult and an immature) playing togerther and calling in an awesome display (see photo of adult).

-Bill Dunson