January 22, 2011 Chinsegut Nature Center





Got to go to my favorite nature center in Florida today. Chinsegut Nature Center is one of the last pristine places in Central Florida. It is home to many kinds of birds, and of course; reptiles and amphibians. It is a very diverse reserve. There are Cypress swamps, Longleaf Pines, Sandhill, and Oak forests.



Cypress Trees
 Copyright: Jordan Schmitt

 

Longleaf Pine
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  I was really hoping to find some cool herps today. As I was walking down a path on the side of a Longleaf Pine openings, I found something I never thought I'd find today. Im pretty use to seeing this particular creature in the summer, but no, not today. On the side of a tree was a male Southern Fence Lizard (Sceloporus undulatus undulatus).



Copyright: Jordan Schmitt



Seeing the Southern Fence Lizard was a good find for me. The temperature was about 60 degrees out today, so I wasn't even thinking I'd see a lizard today. My main goal for today was to find May's Prairie. After walking for a very long time I finally reached May's Prairie. The last time I was here was in 2005, but there was something different about it today. Although it was a beautiful place, it was dried out. I believe the only way it can return to the water levels it once had if we get some more hurricanes here.



Copyright: Jordan Schmitt



When I got there, I heard the calls of Sandhill Cranes. The Sandhill Crane is a large wading bird that is a common sight to see around here in Florida. Sandhill Cranes can be easily identified by the light brown coloring and the red topped head.


Copyright: Jordan Schmitt



The head of a Sandhill Crane.
Copyright: Jordan Schmitt



As I was walking in a mixed forest, I could hear a woodpecker pecking at a tree and calling. I looked around for awile until I saw something moving up a tree. It was a small species of woodpecker also known as the Downy Woodpecker. There a little less common the Red- Coacked Woodpecker, so it was a honor to observe one of these woodpeckers in the wild.

Copyright: Jordan Schmitt

One of my last things I did at the reserve today was I found a huge dead pine tree. I found three cool animals underneath the bark. I found a pair of Wood Roaches, which are armor plated. I found a Florida Bark Scorpion, which has a painful sting, but unlike its Arizona cousin, its venom is weaker than the Arizona Bark Scorpion. The last was a Bombadier Beetle, which literally shoots a stream of acidic spray out of its abodomen.

Wood Roaches
Copyright: Jordan Schmitt

Bombadier Beetle
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Florida Bark Scorpion
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I hope to return to Chinsegut when it gets warm again. It is the best place to find a lot of species of reptiles and amphibians. Its always a place where memories are made.