Drake Chinese Elm Tree Removal Jacksonville Florida

Are you familiar with the Drake Chinese Elm tree? It wasn't until I bought my house in June 2011 and went through the first season of that tree in my front yard that I formed my personal opinion on this tree. I do not recommend planting this tree in your front yard.

On Friday, January 16, 2015, Camden and Son Tree Service removed my Drake Chinese Elm tree from my front yard. I am awaiting the grinding of the stump which should be scheduled within the week. I first need to call Sunshine 811 to coordinate the "call 811 before you dig" process. On Saturday, January 17th, AT&T came out and moved my line away from the base of the tree.

Drake Chinese Elm Tree Removal by Camden and Son Tree Service
Photo Taken : January 16, 2015

It is a "messy" tree!

Seeds, Seeds, Seeds!!! The past four years I have spent countless hours in the front yard picking up leaf and seed pod clumps from my front yard. This tree is a squirrel magnet - they will come from near and far to feed on the seed pods.

Drake Chinese Elm Tree Removal by Camden and Son Tree Service
Photo Taken : January 16, 2015

So what? Well, I have never seen so many seed pods from a tree! The individual seed is encased in a light brown or tan wafer that is about the size of a fingernail. You can often see them coming down like little snowflakes that will blow here and there and accumulate in your mulch, stone, dirt and grass. Then, they will begin to sprout little seedlings. Ever look at a container of sprouts at the store? Well, imagine that density of seedlings forming a blanket over everything in your front yard.

Drake Chinese Elm Tree Seeds and Seedlings
"The Bane of My Existence" ~ JaguarJulie Ann Brady !!

The wind will carry those little seed wafers over your roof and into your side and back yards. And, they will blow into your neighbors' yards to sprout the little seedlings everywhere.

Drake Chinese Elm Tree Removal by Camden and Son Tree Service
Photo Taken : January 16, 2015

I pull the seedlings, emerging from the ground, by hand. I actually wait for them to get about 3 inches high and will pull a clump of them at a time. As of this writing, I have spent three separate occasions dedicated to pulling seedlings from my front yard. That's over 28 hours already; I still have a lot more seedlings to pull!

Roots, Roots, Roots!!! I don't know how old this tree WAS, but the roots had finally become an issue. The roots formed a root ball around the tree that was a good twelve inches above the ground. I was thinking that the previous owner, who put the tree in, must not have planted it deep enough.

Drake Chinese Elm Tree Removal by Camden and Son Tree Service
Photo Taken : January 16, 2015

The roots had not yet lifted my sidewalk or driveway, but that was a matter of time. Those roots have made it into my side yard. When I was putting in the two Bottlebrushes in front of the privacy fence gate, I found a root from that tree; it was definitely an inch in diameter, if not more.

Those roots were running above the surface of the ground on the perimeter of the tree. They finally began to significantly impact my grass which was already sparse under the tree. I would say it wasn't from the shade, but from an aggressive root system, that the grass wasn't growing. I've actually tripped over the roots when I have been mowing the grass.

Drake Chinese Elm Tree Removal by Camden and Son Tree Service
Photo Taken : January 16, 2015

Bark, Bark, Bark!!! The first year of experiencing the Drake Chinese Elm Tree, I thought it had some infection. The bark was exfoliating in clumps from the tree base and branches. My front yard was littered with large clumps of bark. You could actually peel the bark; and I did!

Drake Chinese Elm Tree Removal by Camden and Son Tree Service
Photo Taken : January 16, 2015

Camden and Son Tree Service

I have worked with Diane Camden and her son on three separate occasions. They first trimmed the water oaks in my back yard before I brought them out for a marathon day of water oak trees removal. When I called Diane, I had planned on aggressively trimming the Drake Chinese Elm tree. Diane and her crew showed up around Noon on Friday. We chatted about what I had in mind. When her son said, "if you take out more than 25% of the tree, you will endanger it." So, I asked, "how much to take out that tree?"

It really wasn't in the budget for a tree removal, but I opted to "take it out" and told Diane, "go ahead and take it out!" The price quoted was $475.00 which includes stump grinding. Considering all the hours I have already spent "cleaning up" after this tree, and all the hours to go, I figured my personal time was worth more.

Lucky for me, Diane is an efficient gal. She showed up with a crew with all the necessary equipment to do a fast and clean job. It was surely under two full hours to accomplish the job. They ground all the limbs and then carted away the cut base. Some of those wood pieces looked excellent for craft uses.

Drake Chinese Elm Tree Removal by Camden and Son Tree Service
Photo Taken : January 16, 2015

What I Will Miss!

It looked beautiful. But, looks can be deceiving!! Don't get me wrong, there are some positives about this tree. The first thing I will miss about this tree? Oh boy, this was surely a beautiful tree from the artistic shape of the base. It actually looked like the torso of a woman! And, looking at the major limbs of that tree, they too were quite attractive in their shape. I had worked on the tree each season to prune and trim it so that it formed a very attractive canopy. I appreciated the shade that the canopy afforded my yard.

Poor birds! I have had quite a few birds' nests built in that tree! You can actually see the biggest nest that was left in the tree. I think it was a cardinal bird's nest. There were a lot of different birds that frequented that tree. Cardinals, mockingbirds, mourning doves, bluebirds, thrushes, and even a red-shouldered hawk! I've found birds' eggs in my front lawn and even witnessed the hawk stripping a young mockingbird. I've watched the courtship of two mourning doves. I will miss the birds!

No more squirrels in my front yard tree! I definitely will NOT miss all those squirrels! Holy smokes, those are the fattest squirrels I have ever seen!

Drake Chinese Elm Tree Resource

The University of Florida IFAS Extension has a very detailed and informative page on the Drake Chinese Elm. I had to smile at their introductory statement about said tree; i.e., "An excellent tree that is surprisingly under-used, Chinese Elm possesses many traits which make it ideal for a multitude of landscape uses."

Perhaps, homeowner word-of-mouth has impacted the planting of this tree in people's yards? I don't know. But, I don't recommend planting it!!

Red-Shouldered Hawk Feather

I have been captivated by the activities of the red-shouldered hawks that live nearby. Only recently have I tried to capture them on video tape. They must have a nest nearby near the tall pines that grace the backyard natural area of my neighbors.

This past week, I captured two videos of the red-shouldered hawk as it landed on the light posts in our cul-de-sac.

Later, in the afternoon, as I walked to my curb to get the mail, I spied a bright red-orange-brown colored feather on my driveway.

In the past, I have seen many feathers in my grass and driveway. Usually, they were feathers from the morning doves or mockingbirds. This was the first time that I realized the feather was of a different bird.

I brought this feather inside to study. It surely didn't look it came from a "regular" bird.

What other bird could this feather have come from? I was thinking maybe the female cardinal bird? But, surely this feather is too big?

You can see both sides of the feather in my hand. Do you think it is a feather from the red-shouldered hawk?

The feather, with quill, measures 3 inches in total length and 3/4 inches at the widest part of the feather. The quill is approximately 3/4 inches long which gives a 2-1/4 inch length to the feather portion.

Learning more about the red-shouldered hawk, the National Geographic reference shows the state of Florida as a year-round range. And, that reference shows the comparison photos of adult and juvenile hawks. In those photos, the adult hawks have the coloring more like this feather.

I believe I want to next find feathers from the red-shouldered hawk's tail. In the past, I have found blackish-brown and white feathers in my front yard, but I always assumed those were from the mockingbirds. Now, I'm not so sure. It seems I should start to collect all these feathers I have been finding! Or, at the very least, start photographing all of them.

It was early in the afternoon when I arrived home to see the red-shouldered hawk hanging around our cul-de-sac. I first heard it; and used to think I was listening to seagulls by the sound. As I watched the hawk, it flew to one light post in the cul-de-sac and then to another. It was definitely keeping its eyes on some prey. It was later that day that I found the feather.

One evening as my online work was winding up, I came to my Florida Room to look out at the rain. As I cast my eyes across the back yard, I spotted the red-shouldered hawk on the branch in the bent tree out back. I never realized that the hawk seemed to enjoy the rain. Once I uploaded my two hawk videos, I found other such videos on YouTube. So, I would conclude that the red-shouldered hawks seem to not mind the rain.

Red-Shouldered Hawk in Water Oak Tree

In my back yard, I used to have a number of large water oak trees. I used the see the red-shouldered hawks quite often in the three large multiple water oaks that were removed. This photo of the hawk shows the wild bird in the one remaining water oak at the back of my property. It is in that tree that I have seen the two hawks mating.

Want to know more about the red-shouldered hawk? Well, I do! So, I was searching on Amazon to see what is available. I saw a number of promotional items which tells me I need to improve my hawk photography so that I can list some items.

Hawks at a Distance: Identification of Migrant Raptors - Jerry Liguori, a leading expert on North American raptors, factors in new information and approaches for identifying twenty-nine species of raptor in various lighting situations and settings.

The field guide's nineteen full-color portraits, 558 color photos, and 896 black-and-white images portray shapes and plumages for each species from all angles.

For me, I'd be interested also in all aspects of in-flight hawk identification, including the flight style and behavior. I'd want to understand more about the hawks that I continue to see in my back and front yard throughout the year. They are always here! A lot of other birds seem to come and go, but not the red-shouldered hawks!

Identifying Birds of North America

Last night on our way to dinner at the SchnitzelHaus, we stopped at Borders to pick up a Southern Spain travel book, Insight Guides Southern Spain: Costa Del Sol, Andalucia. Well, we bought the travel book, but stopped at the bargain books display. Hubby began browsing Smithsonian Birds of North America: Life Histories of More Than 930 Species by Fred J. Alsop. I picked up another copy of the five pound, 1000+ page book and began paging through the woodpeckers.

We've been trying to identify a particular bird that has been arriving in pairs to eat the berries at the very tops of the trees out back. Usually this bird will arrive before, after, or sometimes with the pileated woodpeckers. It was thought the bird might be the Downy Woodpecker, but hubby is now convinced that he saw a Northern Flicker, which apparently is a common bird! According to the information online, this bird likes to eat ants. Hmmm, the ones we see like to eat berries -- so can this be the same bird?

This comprehensive reference includes full-page profiles of more than 930 species - all the birds known to breed in the United States or Canada, as well as regular visitors and vagrants to the continent. Birds of North America provides essential identification tips on each species, together with fascinating information on feeding and behavior, breeding, and nesting habits.

The author, Frederick Joseph Alsop, III Ph.D. is an ornithologist and a professor of biological sciences at East Tennessee State University. He received his doctorate in zoology from the University of Tennessee, and specializes in the ecology, distribution, life history, and taxonomy of birds. An avid field biologist and birder, he has identified more than 3,200 species of birds worldwide.

I love bird-watching and have had the opportunity to photograph many a species of birds not only in the United States, but in Costa Rica and Europe. Several years ago, my duck photograph took first prize in a FujiFilm photo competition. I have that picture framed and hanging in my office at work. A couple of fun birds that I have written about are the Puffin -- A Seabird Clown, the Blue-footed Booby -- A Seabird Clown, and lastly, the Turkey Vulture -- A Buzzard which happens to be one bird that doesn't get enough love!