LIDICKER 1990 Mark 6 09:10 - 11:10 Went to Ellenton Bay with Jerry & Sally Landau, as the Sally could identify the common plants in our study area for us. Saw 6 Bluebirds along garden lake. The most common grass is Panicum hemitomon which extends from the sand ridge banks of the Bay well into the open water. Mixed with the Panicum is the conspicuous Eupatorium purpureum capillifolium which is tallest near the current H2O edge. Another grass is Andropogon virginicus (tall beach grass, reddish tan color) occurs in scattered bunches like the Panicum grow & then in a nearly continuous band a little above the current H2O level. A second species of Andropogon was found near the dumpy fence in the N sector. In scattered clumps is a very tall grass Eriochorus, in the open water are scattered clumps of Juncus +, clumps of Typha. The lily pad is Nymphaea aquatica & this is the plant with the large rhizomes that the pigs have been feeding on. There is also a Polygonum of along the water's edge. Moving away from the water in the East sector, the Panicum becomes mixed with Rhoeo maculosa (mother livery) that has very small seeds. Rubus sp. leaves increasingly mixed in. At what appears to be the level of maximum water, there is a stand of button bush shrubs ( Cephalanthus occidentalis ) which is in the Rubiacae & has thorny branching, bell-shaped fruit.