White Ibises

Four adult and six juvenile white ibises on the Lower Suwannee NWR

We spotted this group of white ibises (Eudocimus albus) feeding in a shallow freshwater wetland on the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge. This group is unusual in our experience because the darker-plumed juveniles outnumber the adults. White ibises are relatively long-lived, and in the groups we usually see adults are more abundant than juveniles.

Another New Small Tree

Gum Bumelia (Sideroxylon lanuginosum)

Closeup of leaves & twigs (click to magnify)

Here is another small tree from the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge. This one is also from Shell Mound, not far from the mystery tree that turned out to be Soapberry (see my post from October 19). After tracking it down I think the new one is Gum Bumelia (aka Gum Bully). 

Like its neighbor Soapberry, Gum Bumelia does not seem to have been put to many uses by humans. However, it is tolerant of severe sites (like Shell Mound) and nurseries are said to have propagated it for use in revegetating denuded landscapes.

More Wetland Plants

Here is a saltwater false willow aka narrow-leaved groundsel bush (Baccharis angustifolia) growing on the edge of the marsh. What appear to be blossoms are white hairs on the nutlets.

This southern redcedar (Juniperus silicicola) is uncommonly loaded with berries, where else but on Cedar Key? It grows close to the salt marsh, but appears not to tolerate inundation.



More berries, these on yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria), another shrub that thrives on the margins of salt marshes.

Brazilian Pepper

Brazilian pepper with

and without drupes ("berries")

Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius) is an invasive exotic plant. A native of South America introduced as a landscape plant, it has become a widespread pest on the southern Florida peninsula. It is common on Cedar Key and although we haven't seen it on either, we strongly suspect it has become established on the Cedar Keys and Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuges. Visitors to the refuges should be on the lookout for it and report its presence to refuge staff.

You Can Leave, But You Can't Get Away

Postcard View of the Star Lake Inn in its Heyday

It is obvious from our books that we haven't gotten away from the Adirondacks. And just last week we were reminded again that we probably couldn't get away, even if we wanted to. 

 We were giving a presentation based on The Summer of a Thousand Cheeses at The Village community in Gainesville, Florida. As a way of introducing ourselves to the 40 or so in attendance, we showed the covers of our earlier books in one of our slides. It was a lively group, and we fielded many questions.

As people were filing out a man came up. He had noticed Star Lake in the title of one of the books, and wondered what the connection was. Hearing that I grew up there, he asked if the Star Lake Inn was still in existence. He explained that in the summer of 1943 as a 16-year old he worked as a bellhop in the Inn, then a large and popular resort hotel. The Inn has been gone for four decades, but old connections never seem to disappear completely. The huge and expanding world became  a bit smaller when we discovered that two of us, at least, have a mutual acquaintance.

Cheese, Junk Food, and Health

An article in the November 6, 2010 edition of The New York Times purporting to be about cheese describes an apparent conflict within the U.S. Department of Agriculture. While one part of USDA is encouraging Americans to choose healthier diets, another is working with industry to promote increased consumption of dairy products, particularly cheese. The implication is that eating cheese is inherently unhealthy. Of course this is wrong and therefore unfortunate, because the real messages of the article are important and worth knowing.

1) In a roundabout attempt to improve the plight of dairy farmers, the Federal Government is subsidizing big businesses like Domino's and other corporate fast food producers. This kind of government spending generates few complaints from politicians, even self-proclaimed deficit hawks.

2) By encouraging the inclusion of more cheese in processed foods, the USDA is abetting a trend that many people blame for homogenizing and degrading our cuisine. The industrialization of mainstream American cheese has led to plentiful, but mostly unremarkable products best used in processed foods. High in cheap calories and fat, the products (mostly pizzas) described in the article are a far cry from the real foods, including distinctive cheeses, that Americans increasingly demand. 

As we pointed out in The Summer of a Thousand Cheeses, good artisanal cheeses are eminently healthful when consumed as part of a sensible diet.

This New York Times article is not about cheese; it is about junk food. 

Newton Falls Challenged Again

After the optimistic and hopeful posts provided last week, I was shocked and concerned to see the news conveyed by this article in the Watertown Daily Times. Let's hope markets will improve, the niche market for Newton Falls Fine Paper products will improve, and the fine efforts of so many good people will bear abundant fruit.