FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY


lightning, plants and wildlife. For example, thunderstorms and the accompanying lightning are a
particular hazard while drilling and often led to shutting down of the drilling rigs until the
lightning passed. The lightning photo below was taken by Tom Scott while doing fieldwork in
Florida Bay several years ago. Florida is known as "the lightning capital of the world" for good
reason.


 In the current study area, there were an abundance of field hazards encountered.
Fortunately, through the use of telephoto lenses, images of some of these hazards were captured
from a safe distance. Brief descriptions and photos are included to aid future workers in the
proper identification of these dangerous flora and fauna.

 Plants

 Poisonous plants including poison ivy (Rhus radicans) and poison oak (Rhus pubescens)
are very common in Florida. The leaves, roots, and fruit of these plants contain a poisonous sap
which can cause severe itching, inflammation and blisters in people susceptible to the poison.
 Poison ivy usually grows as a vine on tree trunks or sprawling over the ground and is
easily recognized by the presence of three leaves ("leaves of three, let it be"). The leaflets are
elliptical, wider near the base, and the middle leaf is longer than the other two. The leaves may
vary greatly in size. They are reddish in the spring, turn green during the summer, and may
become various shades of yellow, orange, or red in the autumn.