Gopher tortoise

Gopher tortoise, originally uploaded by Elizabeth Smith.  This tortoise was about 12 inches long.

Last week when I visited the Naples Preserve, I sketched a gopher tortoise burrow as part of my nature journal entry about the coastal plain honeycomb head wildflower.  It’s funny how a drawing can start trains of thought and exploration.  Although I didn’t see any tortoises that day, the burrow opening itself led me to wonder about the gopher tortoise: what they eat and how they live.

Gopher tortoises are found throughout Florida, and range into Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and the southernmost tip of South Carolina.  Although once common, their numbers have dwindled because of habitat destruction. In Florida, they're the Endangered Species List as a Threatened Species.

Gopher tortoises are a keystone species.  A keystone is the wedge-shaped piece at the top of an arch that supports the other parts. If a keystone is removed, the arch collapses.  A keystone species has a disproportionately large effect on its environment relative to its quantity.

For example, it’s been estimated that gopher tortoise burrows (both active and abandoned) provide support for over 300 types of animals, birds, and insects – which use them for shelter, hiding places, or protection from the elements.  These are commensal relationships, relationships in which one organism benefits while the other is neither harmed nor helped.

Gopher tortoise burrows average 15 ft. in length and may be as deep as 6 feet. The longest estimate is up to 48 ft. in length! The burrows have one entrance/exit, and eventually open up into a larger “bedroom.” Species found using these burrows range from burrowing owls and scrub jays to Florida mice, gopher frogs, opossums, scorpions, and indigo snakes.

Some other interesting things I learned about gopher tortoises:

•They first appeared during the Pleistocene Epoch, and are one of our oldest living species.

•Gopher tortoises are land reptiles – they do not live in or near the water! In fact, they rarely drink water, getting fluids from the plants they eat.

•They live in areas with easy to dig sand, such as pine flatwoods and scrub habitats.

•The size of the burrow opening corresponds to the size of the tortoise using it.

•They are herbivore scavengers, eating grasses, legumes, mushrooms, fruits, berries, and even flowers.

•Biologists believe that they have a 40 to 60 year life span in the wild, they live much longer in captivity.

 Some websites on gopher tortoises for further exploration:

Ginny Stibolt's account of finding a gopher tortoise in her Florida backyard, with in-depth facts.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission page


Students, parents and teachers: you can click here to download a free gopher tortoise coloring page in PDF format.

Coastal plain honeycomb head

Coastal plain honeycomb head, originally uploaded by Elizabeth Smith.

I visited the Naples Preserve recently and saw these wonderful, lacy wildflowers glowing in the late afternoon sun. They were scattered along the boardwalk in different locations, and as I neared the end, I spotted an identification tag: coastal plain honeycomb head. This is the longest common name I’ve ever come across! Not only is it long, but it has a unique flavor as it rolls off the tongue. I gathered that it grows along the coastal plain, and that the flower or seed heads reminded someone of a honeycomb.

 That name (as well as its beauty) led me to take photos and do some sketching. Naples Preserve is a scrub habitat, and the ground you see in my journal entry is pure white sand. Living in soil that is dry, well-drained, nutrient-poor, and heat- and light-reflective takes some adaptation! Many plant species have deep tap roots to reach moister regions and to serve as anchor.

Coastal plain honeycomb head (Balduina angustifolia) is also known as yellow buttons, a more practical name if not quite as whimsical. This native wildflower is an annual, growing up to 3 feet high, and is commonly found in scrub and pinelands. A member of the huge Aster family, it has small linear leaves that lend the stems a feathery appearance.

 It’s found throughout Florida, and into the neighboring states of Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. The genus name of Balduina honors William Baldwin, an American physician and botanist. The species name of angustifolia comes from the Latin for “narrow leaves.”

You can see that I've been experimenting with combinations of loose watercolor washes and tighter details.  For this page I also played with a dip pen, using watercolor instead of ink to create the delicate tracery of grasses and vines.  My new favorite toy!

You can click on the top image to see it larger on my Flickr photostream, then select the Actions down-arrow in the upper left, and click on view all sizes (6th choice down from the top).

Beach sunflower

Beach sunflower, originally uploaded by Elizabeth Smith.

A few months ago, I collected some beach sunflower seedheads and scattered the seed in a flowerpot. So much time went by that I thought surely the seed wasn’t viable, so I set another pot on top of the dirt. Not long after that, I noticed seedlings with distinctive triangular shaped leaves. Finally! They’re a foot high now and growing vigorously, topped off with the bright yellow blooms typical of the sunflower family.

Beach sunflower is Helianthus debilis, a smaller relative of the large and beloved domesticated sunflower we cultivate for seed and beauty. Sunflowers are a member of the huge Aster family, with typical composite flowers – two types of flower structures, ray and disk. Think of the rays of the sun and you’ll know immediately which are which. The disks are tiny flowers that make up the center “button.”

The leaves are an attractive deltoid-to-heart shape, but the plant has rough and prickly stems. The foliage is usually a bright green, but does have a period in late summer when it tends to get weedy and needs some grooming if you are a particular gardener. Although many sources mention beach sunflower as a butterfly attractor, my experience is that it’s especially enjoyed by many types of bees and the occasional skipper.

Because beach sunflower will tolerate a wide range of light and soils, and scoffs at drought, it’s a favorite of mine. I have a partially green thumb and a full-time job, so plants in my care need to be low maintenance! Besides, I also like those cheerful daisy-like blooms and splashes of vivid yellow.

You may have guessed that this species is often found near the beach; in fact, another common name is dune sunflower. It has a high salt tolerance and can be seen growing right out of white sand – it’s roots busy stabilizing shifting dunes. Beach sunflower blooms year-round in South Florida, flowering in the warmer months along the Gulf Coast and into Texas.

I painted this directly in watercolor, first putting in a yellow background wash. After the wash dried, I added the leaves right on top, sketching the outline of the petals with my brush tip. Then I added my pen sketches of the flower and leaf to record a bit more detail. Next, a little more color and some text, and I felt I had a nice balance of science and art. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!


You can click on the image above to see it on my Flickr photostream, and you can also see an earlier journal entry on beach sunflower here.