# Sea Grape Leaves for Leaf Litter



## snooknfrogs (Sep 25, 2009)

Just curious if anyone has tried using sea grape leaves as leaf litter. They have a very broad leaf and take a looooooooong time to rot out. The leaves are also very thick and have varied colors from yellow/off white... most of them are a rose or rust color...

I think they would be an awesome alternative to magnolia or oak leaves and should last a lot longer in a viv. Let me know if you have tried them. Thanks

~JP~


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## billschwinn (Dec 17, 2008)

I have used them for years, they are great, Bill


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## snooknfrogs (Sep 25, 2009)

I thought they would work great Bill!! I'm trying to figure out how to add pics to my posts and when I do I'll put some pics on here for others to see!!

J


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## NathanB (Jan 21, 2008)

i wish i lived down there so i could use them


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## GSXR_MURRHEE (Sep 16, 2006)

I use 'em too, they work great.


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

bussardnr said:


> i wish i lived down there.....


Ah Nate.....you have no idea how many times I've said that over the years and now I'm almost totally down here.

If you like plants, and I know you do.....SoFL is indeed Shangra La.


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## snooknfrogs (Sep 25, 2009)

I'm with you Phil... It's a great place to live PERIOD!!! I've been here my entire life and traveled alot!!! There is no other place I would rather live in the US!!

Since I still can't freaking figure out how to put a pic on here... Here is a link to one... Enjoy!

~JP~

Stock Photo of sea grape leaf bxp28434 - Search Stock Images, Photographs, Pictures, and Clipart Photos - bxp28434.jpg


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## NathanB (Jan 21, 2008)

thats right phil, you can bring me some next time your down there. How nice of you.


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## snooknfrogs (Sep 25, 2009)

*More Sea Grape Cleanup*

I was thinking about that. I think I'll try that when they get trimmed! By the way Phil I PM'ed you!


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

*Re: Sea Grape Leaves (great for leaf litter)*

Those look really cool.

Def need another cool tropical looking viv substrate leaf for variety!


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## snooknfrogs (Sep 25, 2009)

*Re: Sea Grape Leaves (great for leaf litter)*

What about mini palm fronds... I've got those on the property too!! I'll take some pics of those as well and see if anyone is interested...

J


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## snooknfrogs (Sep 25, 2009)

*Re: Sea Grape Leaves (great for leaf litter)*

By the way Phil...

Are you going looking for burmese python's down in the glades? or walking the canals for florida kings?


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

*Re: Sea Grape Leaves (great for leaf litter)*



snooknfrogs said:


> By the way Phil...
> 
> Are you going looking for burmese python's down in the glades? or walking the canals for florida kings?


 
I was just down there a week ago (SoFl). Didn't get down to the glades.....a sad first for me, but I never go away empty handed.

I found a bunch of _Leiocephalus Schreibersi_....2 different species or a weird morph anyway. Spent a lot of time observing all their many habits. Tough little pit bulls.

Are there any _Molurus_ left down there? The hunt is on ya know....


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## snooknfrogs (Sep 25, 2009)

*Re: Sea Grape Leaves (great for leaf litter)*

The first one you're asking me about I have never seen. I used to go to the south end of Okeechobee and find FL kings and some other fun stuff... 

As for the burms there are tons of them down there from what I here... They are putting bounties on them and giving a few people permits to collect them. The last I read they are giving a trial run and then going to give more permits out if its successful. 

I've found populations a few other exotics breeding in s. florida... I know a place to get veiled chameleons, grandis day gecko's, and green iguana's are allllll over the orange groves south of stuart!! 

That's why people shouldn't let there animals go if they can't take care of them... They will screw things up. I hope people have stopped doing that for the most part and what's out there now are from years ago!

Herping in Florida is fun though... You'll never know what you'll see!!


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

*Clean-up from Sea Grape Ad*

The Curley tails are from the Cairb - Hispanola or Haiti.

OLD invasive lizard rumoured to have been brought to the Palm Beach coastal area in the 50's to eat garden bugs and help crops.

You will see them in broward somewhat - better chances all along the coast and look for them in parking lots and hotel sidwalk areas. they are cool.

Yea...i have mixed feelings about "invasive" and released animals. Horses were released in the west....WE... are invasive to Florida unless you are an Indian. Habitat destruction and urban sprawl are MUCH higher on my bad list than pythons and anoles.

hey...we need to go fishing and bug hunting in the Keys sometime!


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## snooknfrogs (Sep 25, 2009)

*Re: Sea Grape Leaves (great for leaf litter)*

I haven't been to the keys in a looooong time!!! I used to live in Key Largo! I travel so much on the tour that when I get home I stay HOME lol... 

What kind of bugs are you looking for? I love lepidoptera... Before the hurricane's I had a great collection... but when the drywall fell off of the walls they got destroyed... one of many things that I loved that was lost in the storms!!


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## dflorian (May 15, 2009)

*Re: Sea Grape Leaves (great for leaf litter)*

Stuart...huh. I grew up in Stuart and used to collect Hemidactylus garnoti in Stuart 20 years ago. It is a parthenogenetic gecko so all you need is one and you've got a proven pair..............................................................

of ovaries! hahaha There were several strip malls or office building in downtown Stuart where they were pretty common.

A cursory sweep through the same areas about 10 years ago turned up nothing so I assumed the population moved or was extirpated by a frosty winter.

Interesting idea...using sea grape leaves. Have you ever tried them with your tads?


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

*Re: Sea Grape Leaves (great for leaf litter)*



dflorian said:


> used to collect Hemidactylus garnoti in Stuart 20 years ago.


 
They are all over the place in Broward on down....

Bugs in Key West - not the palmetto or love bug kind.

The delicious spiny underwater kind.


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## snooknfrogs (Sep 25, 2009)

Someone asked me if you have used them to make "tea" for tads using them... Has anyone??

JP


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## Philsuma (Jul 18, 2006)

I've never heard of anyone using them for tadpole tea.

I don't think the have the requisate tannins in the leaf cells....so....I believe that Indian Almond remains the go to leaf for tea munching.


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## RarePlantBroker (Aug 3, 2008)

Nope, tadpole tea is out. The leaf chemistry/composition is wrong. 

Seagrape leaves are great hides. I've boiled mine for 15 minutes (while sterilizing), and the leaves never went limp! I use them frequently in temp/quarrantine tanks, as they take the place of a coco hut (and I get them for free...).


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## snooknfrogs (Sep 25, 2009)

Thanks for the info... They are a great leaf!! Isn't it great to live in Florida!!! 

~JP~


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## RarePlantBroker (Aug 3, 2008)

snooknfrogs said:


> Thanks for the info... They are a great leaf!! Isn't it great to live in Florida!!!
> 
> ~JP~


I love our locality, availability of plant material, fairly reasonable laws on herps, but still wish we had Hawaii's weather....


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## snooknfrogs (Sep 25, 2009)

If we had better waves Florida would be 100% PERFECT... That and we need a way to exterminate no-see-ums... those little bastards are straight from the deepest depth's of HELL  

Other than that, we have great fishing, both salt and fresh, tons of really cool native herps, and the weather is pretty freakin good... and no tsunami's lol!!!


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

Im packing up the fly rods and coming to visit


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## snooknfrogs (Sep 25, 2009)

I haven't fly fished in years!!! I'm a power fishin kinda guy!!! Just to make you drool though... The tarpon bite earlier this week was unreal... When the wind blows hard the temps drop they chew... I went two nights ago and had probably 12 fish on... Didn't land a single one because of the current, and they were BIG fish!!!


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