Tropical Storm Eta: November 11 - 12, 2020
I took this photograph of a Wood Stork looking contemplative just before Tropical Storm Eta. A foreboding?
As Eta arrived, my daughter introduced me to a new app called Wind Guru that you might be interested in having. This is a screengrab from it just as Eta approached.
Eta was wild but not crazy. Neighbor Bob said, "If that was just a tropical storm, I wonder how a hurricane will be." Our neighborhood fared well. Good tree and palm trimming probably helped. Here are a few photographs.
A couple photos during the storm.
The entrance to Pineneedle Village after the storm.
Geoff from Wildewood Springs clearing debris from the pond grates to help ease flooding.
PS Eta dispersed these potato-looking bulbs from the trees!
If you come upon one of these bulbs, dispose of it.
These are bulbs from the Air Potato, an invasive vine from Asia, the South Pacific, Sahara Africa, and Australia that is invasive in Florida. The vine grows fast, climbing trees and covering plantings, and has become an established nuisance in Wildewood Springs.
Invasive plants are given that status according to how they out-compete native species in certain habitats. So, what is invasive in central Florida might not be invasive in other areas.
A few years ago, I heard a neighbor admit to dispursing Air Potato in the neighborhood because of its lush growth. (That heart-shaped leaf is a beauty from one perspective.) Because Wildewood residents come from all over the nation and world, this is a good time to remind each other that there are reasons that we have rules and regulations and must request permission from our HOA before planting (or disbursing seeds) in the Common Areas. The Grounds Committee guidance helps.
