What happens near and on a Hibiscus

WHAT HAPPENS NEAR AND ON A HIBISCUS

by Alexis Heinz

Former Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Woody Plants, Graduate Student Instructor

Conservation ecology and landscape architecture graduate

Southwest Florida, June 2020 observations

This week in Southwest Florida, the number of coronavirus cases per day increased to about 9000. The previous month, the numbers were closer to 1000 per day.

INTRODUCTION

In the dappled shade of a 30’ Live Oak tree, grow three Hibiscus plants. Two are Shrubs, with multiple stems branching to create a 3’-tall form with a 4’-wide spread. The one in the middle is a ‘Tree’ because the shrub species was grafted onto a ‘leader’, producing a single trunk. Another ‘Tree’ with succulent foliage, because the individual was pruned to the similar form of a single trunk, grows close to the three Hibiscus plants.

One of the Hibiscus shrubs grows vigorously. The leaves glow a healthy green and blossoms are prolific. The other Hibiscus Shrub and the Hibiscus ‘Tree’ were overplanted, a common unknown error due to the fact that plant suppliers sometimes unintentionally bury the surface roots and planters then are unaware that they have to consequently find the root flare to know the proper planting depth.

So, I unearthed the two overplanted individuals. The ‘Tree’ roots were significantly inhibited from years of circling and not branching into wider areas to find soil resources.*** The shrub roots were in healthy condition, so I simply added more supportive soil to raise the height of the root-shoot interface. The ‘Tree’ required three total replanting iterations because of the hindered roots, necessary attention, patience, and care, and strong winds in hurricane territory.

***Because many people are seemingly averse to the messiness of shrubs, and shrubs are important to wildlife such as birds and small amphibians, reptiles, and mammals, depending on the audience, I sometimes refer to them instead as multi-stemmed small trees to improve communication.

Not going into detail about the other plants, birds abound. Toxostoma rufum, Brown Thrasher hops amid the senesced foliage layer. Cyanocitta cristata, Blue Jays give warning overhead. Mimus polyglottos, Mockingbirds holler. Melanerpes carolinus, Red-bellied Woodpeckers investigate the tree bark. On the porch’s screen, Class Reptilia, 7-8” Lizards find sunny spots to both warm up and feel the breeze. Oryctolagus cuniculus, Rabbits browse the ground flora and rest in the hideaways that short shrubs keep secret.

One other character to mix things up…

THE LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE IMPALES A LIZARD

The Hibiscus ‘Tree’ showed significant dieback of aboveground foliage. One day the Lanius ludovicianus Loggerhead Shrike stood perched in the crown of the 3’ ‘Tree’. At first, the bird appeared to be building a nest or performing some similar activity. Upon closer study, the Lanius ludovicianus Loggerhead Shrike had impaled a small Class Reptilia Lizard on the sharp broken end of a dead branch. After eating a portion to start, the Shrike then seemed to save some of the meal for later – or perhaps to make an offering!

SEASONAL SHIFT

The weather in the dry season has infrequent rains and daytime highs in the low 80s. Then transitioning to the wet season, temperatures increase to daytime highs in the upper 80s and low 90s, with increased humidity and more frequent rain events, including thunderstorms and even hurricanes.

Almost daily storms occur for hours. Darkened clouds in the distance blow in quickly on occasionally cool winds. Lighting causes lights to flicker and thunder makes nervous systems ping. The air after a storm is cleaner, clearer, invigorating.

THE UNIDENTIFIED SPIDER

With the warmer weather, the Hibiscus ‘Tree’ looked thirsty. Some of the minimal leaves withered and browned. Others fell to add to the nutrients in the soil.

I noticed a Spider web in the branches. Without a sketchbook on hand, I carefully approached the plant and observed. In the axil between branch and trunk, I saw a gathering of silken fibers.

On the higher branches, huddled between two leaves and hidden under a silk blanket, I saw the unidentified Spider. Agitating slightly with a stick, the Spider finally emerged, and I stared directly at it. I closely noted the lines of the form, interesting patterns, locations of contrast, and size. Without my identification books here and having forgotten the most intelligent technique of making a field sketch, I went inside to consult resources on the internet. I then realized I needed more information to properly identify. Returning outside, I agitated the silk covering once more. Looking again at online information, the first images and website pointed to… a Brown Widow!

No. The spider is not a Brown Widow.

I quickly thought that the internet would likely overpublicize a poisonous species such as Latrodectus geometricus Brown Widow, so I continued to search.

Maybe Loxosceles reclusa Brown Recluse? No.

Possibly Loxosceles rufescens Mediterranean Recluse? No.

Or Neoscona nautica Brown Sailor Spider? Hmmm… No.

Then I saw a picture of a Sac Spider of the genus Cheiracanthium. I read about the behavior on the Penn State Extension website. Here are my some of the notes for Cheiracanthium inclusum.

“Egg sac gold, beneath a silk covering in a branch axil. Timid spider in silk covering between two leaves. 30% of the time, the female eats the male after mating.”

I further read that they only mate once with the female often surrounding herself and the egg sac together in the silk two weeks after mating.

The Spider between the two leaves seemed scared when I agitated the silk blanket.

“Cheiracanthium mildei Long-legged Sac Spider is found occasionally in homes behind paintings or in ceiling corners or crevices, while Cheiracanthium inclusum is often outside in shrubs and trees.”

Not many of the pictures looked quite accurate until I found one that stated their body color changes depending on the most recent meal. And the one I observed had a darker abdomen.

IDENTIFIED SPIDER SPECIES =

Cheiracanthium inclusum Agrarian Sac Spider, I think…

And the story continues!

ECOLOGICAL ROLE

Cheiracanthium inclusum Agrarian Sac Spider are significant predators of agricultural pests, resulting in “higher crop yield and greater financial gain,” according to the Animal Diversity website. They also sometimes bite humans.

I let the Cheiracanthium inclusum Agrarian Sac Spider know what I had learned, that supposedly some of their species bite humans and that if they were found in the house that would be a problem.

With the warmer temperature, I have since watered the ‘Tree’ before rains to improve infiltration, mulched, and observed a stable level of health.

Hopefully, the tiny spiders inside the egg sac will emerge from the silk covering.

And devour any pests!

Sounds like steady ecological functioning. Multiple characters – trees, shrubs, lizards, birds, spiders, and unseen mammals – interacting as a community.

CHALLENGE

This was a story from brief observations in a constructed environment, i.e. low diversity, to illustrate ways to observe and think about ecological interactions. From knowledge of ecological processes and trophic systems, I would like you to think of a natural ecosystem in which you like to observe or spend time.

In the natural community of which you thought, who or what is acting as the…

Quercus virginiana Live Oak

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

Hibiscus ‘Tree’

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Hibiscus ‘Shrub’

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GROUND FLORA

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

Toxostoma rufum Brown Thrasher

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

Cyanocitta cristata Blue Jay

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

Mimus polyglottos Mockingbird

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

Lanius ludovicianus Loggerhead Shrike

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

Melanerpes carolinus Red-bellied Woodpecker

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

Oryctolagus cuniculus Rabbit

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

Class Reptilia, 3” Lizard that the Loggerhead Shrike impaled

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

Class Reptilia, 8” Lizard on the porch screen

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

Cheiracanthium inclusum Agrarian Sac Spider

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

Additional community members

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

Listen…observe…smell…feel…think…ponder…hypothesize…dream…live…