Went to Fort De Soto and have no idea what this thing is. Was attached to a mussel shell and is very squishy. Didn’t respond to being poked, but still seems organic and alive.
Visual description: This appeared to be a creamy, clear, slimy, ruffled clump stuck to a shell that just washed up on the beach. There were two clumps on one shell and four clumps on the second shell, 0.5 to 2 inches wide.
Habitat: Found in the coastal sandy beach ecosystem of St. Pete beach, however, it seemed to have just washed on shore so was likely native to the seagrass bed ecosystem that can be found just offshore of the beach. Elysia Crispata is native to marine reef ecosystems from the Caribbean to south Florida.
Reference(s):
https://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/codes/marine-life-invertebrates/lettuce-sea-slug-fancy/
Kingdom: plantae
Class: rose family
Order: Rosales
Family: rosaceae
Genus: rubus
Species: R. Trivialis
The angiosperm was found on the ground by weeds at lettuce lake, conservation park. There are 5 petals that are white and appear to be a monocot. There are many reproductive parts that are arranged in the middle
In the picture there is a few flowers but in front there was a massive amount of them. Very vibrant pinkish color that was all the way to the ground and some went as high as 5 feet. This one however, was lower to the ground.
Viewed at 3:05 PM on 2024-03-03
Kingdom Plantae
Phylum Tracheophyta
Seed Plant
Visual Description: This was a large seed plant standing at about five feet tall. It had green leaves, that were approximately 3 feet long, attached to the base of the plant with green stems.
Defining Characteristics: This type of plant shoots up baby plants from the ground close to the mother plant. This can be seen in the photo as smaller plants can be seen. The large size of the plant is also characteristic of this type of plant.
Habitat: This plant was found near the edge of the springs at Rainbow Springs State Park. However, it is an invasive species in Florida. :( Rainbow Springs is in the process of attempting to remove this type of organism. It is native to tropical parts of Southern Asia and Australia.
Reference: Plants of the World http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:60444565-2
Low to the ground, mini white flowers at the top, surrounded by many types of grasses, thin stems, dicot in appearance
Bright yellow petals (9)
About an inch in length, growing in a sandhill habitat
Also shown: growing bud, still green