News - Johns Lake Association

August 1, 2018April 6, 2022

Johns Lake Boat Parade: Save the Date!

August 1, 2018

Johns Lake Boat Parade: Save the Date!

The 18th Annual Johns Lake Holiday Boat Parade will be held on Sunday, Dec. 16, 2018. We will be sending out information, and looking for volunteers to help.

Next Meeting

An announcement will be sent before the next meeting. Anyone wanting to attend is welcome. If you want to get more involved, this is your opportunity.

Share the News

Share this newsletter with your neighbors, and ask them to let us know if they want to receive information regarding our lake.

August 1, 2018April 6, 2022

Do You Have Aquatic Midges?

August 1, 2018

Do You Have Aquatic Midges?

(aka blind mosquitoes)

Aquatic midges, or blind mosquitoes, don’t bite, suck blood, or carry diseases, but they can be a real problem for homeowners on the lake. They can be beneficial as a food source for fish, and lakes where the midge breeds are the best fishing lakes. However, the nuisance created by these little bugs far outweighs the benefit.

One of our JLIA members shared this photo:

The aquatic midge has four stages in their life cycle: egg, larvae, pupae and adult. The eggs are laid on the surface of the water in a gelatinous mass that can contain upward of 3,000 eggs that will hatch in 2-7 days. The larvae then feed on that gelatinous mass for about 2 days, they then burrow into the mud and feed off organic matter in the mud and water. After a period of 2-7 weeks, they transform into pupae and swim to the surface of the water. Within hours, the adult midge emerges- then look out!! The adult midges usually emerge in large numbers between April and November. During the day, they hang out in cool shady place and swarm at night to mate, preferring the lighted areas around homes (pools, porches, accent lighting). They do not feed, so they only live 3-5 days, then the life cycle begins again.

Midges eventually attract spiders, their natural predator. The accumulation of midges in the webs results in frequent washing of home exteriors. As these midges die and decay, they can produce an offensive smell similar to rotting fish.

Their occurrence and survival often indicates the type and amount of nutrients found in the water. Attempts at control involving insecticides or fogging units only address the adults (who have shown to develop a resistance to pesticides) and can even be counter-productive if it kills the natural predators. These attempts at control are only temporary as the next generation emerges rapidly. Midges breed in water that is excessively rich in nutrients, frequently caused by runoff from the land that contains organic materials, fertilizers (phosphates), among other materials. These nutrients stimulate the growth of aquatic plant life (such as algae), resulting in the depletion of oxygen. As nutrients increase, so does the population of midges.

Recommendation for lakefront residents:

Reduce the use of unnecessary outdoor lighting, and indoor lighting that will attract midges to the
windows and building
Use a “light trap” in a corner of your yard to attract midges. Use of bug zappers is not recommended because they kill beneficial insects as well as the midges.
Prevent nutrients from entering the lake by eliminating debris at the lakeshore (leaves, grass clippings, etc.)
Prevent fertilizer (phosphate) from washing into the lake by maintaining barriers to prevent runoff
and by not fertilizing between the barrier and the lake.
Consider planting aquatic plants that improve the waterfront by removing excess nutrients that the larvae feed on. Though this is a slow process, it help to improve the overall lake health and wildlife habitat.

All of this information and more can be found on the following University of Florida site.

November 1, 2017April 2, 2022

Plants for the Lakefront

November 1, 2017

Plants for the Lakefront

Mary Louise Grable

For some reason many lakefront homeowners have the erroneous concept that the perfect landscape should include a lakeshore comprised entirely of sand. There are numerous attractive plants that benefit wildlife, help control erosion, protect water quality and should be included in the landscape plan.
Shoreline vegetation that is beneficial should not be removed simply to construct a beach. In fact certain trees and endangered plants cannot be removed. Plants that are native to the area greatly reduce or eliminate the need for the use of fertilizers and pesticides. It is okay to remove invasive nonnative vegetation such as torpedo grass, but some of the shoreline needs to be replaced with native plants. There is an excellent website that provides substantial information on restoring the lakefront. Go to Seminole County’s website to find all you need to know about the many aspects of the process.

An emergent plant known as Duck Potato or broadleaf arrowhead has lance shaped leaves and provides showy white flowers with three petals. The flowers appear on stalks that are taller than the leaves. It is a Florida native and grows well at the shoreline or in the water. The tubers are edible and were once a staple for the indigenous people.

Maidencane, a native Florida grass, is excellent for shoreline stabilization. It is a perennial grass growing 2 – 5 feet in height and is found only in freshwater. Although it can get out of control, it is easier to manage and should not be confused with torpedo grass (Panicum repens) which is a nonnative invasive species and almost impossible to control.

Pickerelweed is an attractive Florida native plant found in shallow freshwater and often used as an ornamental plant in water gardens. It is easily recognizable by its beautiful violet blue, uncommonly white, flower spikes which bloom almost the entire year. It is common, extending by rhizomes to the height of 2 – 4 feet. Bees and butterflies are attracted to the flowers, ducks and people eat the seeds and the leaves can be boiled like greens. The plant provides good cover for birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, insects and
swimming mammals.
It is doubtful that cypress trees were once found on Johns Lake, but currently several lakefront landowners have been successful in growing them. These unique trees dominate the wetlands and are the most tolerant of floods of all Florida trees. The deciduous, often Spanish moss laden conifer has been part of the landscape for thousands of years. It is excellent as wildlife habitat, for flood control and maintaining water quality.

Bald cypress grows mainly in wetlands over many years and may reach over 100 feet.
Its leaves are linear and spread on branchlets. Pond cypress (Taxodium ascendens) does not grow as large and favors depressions in pond and lake margins. Its leaves are awl-shaped and press against branchlets. Some botanists consider them separate species; others as variations of the same species. Both are unique and attractive trees.

In addition to the plants identified in the above article, other commonly found native plants are shown below. There are may species available from some of our local aquascpaing
nurseries. They are all beautiful additions to your lakefront landscape, and you will be amazed at the number of birds, butterflies, fish and mammals that will be visiting your new and Florida Native shoreline!

Fire flag

(Thalia geniculata)

Soft rush

(Juncus effuses)

Swamp lily

(Crinum americanum)

Golden canna

(Canna Flaccida)

Blue flag iris

(Iris Virginica)

Scarlet hibiscus

(Hibuscus coccones)

November 1, 2017April 2, 2022

Grass Carp

November 1, 2017

Grass Carp

Mary Louise Grable

November 1, 2017April 2, 2022

17th Annual Johns Lake Holiday Boat Parade

November 1, 2017

17th Annual Johns Lake Holiday Boat Parade

John Schmidt

Sunday, December 17th @ 6:00pm

This year is the 17th Annual Johns Lake Boat Parade! The event will be held on Sunday, December 17th at 6:00pm. Come out and decorate your boat with lights and join in the fun! Last year we had a record 42 boats in the parade, and many spectators at the public boat dock on Lake Blvd. in Winter Garden, and on the shoreline!

All boats participating should gather a few minutes before 6:00pm on the southeast corner of Johns Lake. NOTE: THIS IS A NEW MEETING LOCATION. The lead boat will start the parade by blasting an air-horn several times. All boats should follow in-line and slowly head east. The parade route will follow the southern, eastern, and northern shores of Johns Lake (from Twin Waters in Orange County to Magnolia Bay in Lake County, where parade ends). The parade will take about 2 hours to complete. Please see the map below.

If this is your first time decorating your boat for a parade, here are a few tips: Christmas lights run on 120v AC and are designed to operate from your home electrical current. To operate lights on your boat, you will need to purchase a DC to AC power inverter. Power inverters are available at most auto parts stores, Wal-Mart, and Harbor Freight. Power inverters convert your boat’s 12v DC power to 120v AC. Inverters do have a limit as to how much power they can generate from your boat’s DC battery. Inverters are rated by watts; the more watts the inverter can handle, the more lights you can put on your boat. Most power inverters above 150 watts will need to be connected directly to your boat’s battery terminals to provide full power as 12v outlet plugs (cigarette lighters) are power limited by a fuse.

Use of LED lights provide the ability to power many more lights than incandescent lights. A 300 watt power inverter connected directly to your battery could power over 600 LED lights as opposed to 60 incandescent lights! Be careful though, as some units will overheat if too much load is placed on them.

Test your lights for a period of time before the parade starts. Make sure you use UL approved outdoor lights as the lights on your boat may get wet and you do not want to cause a fire or shock someone on your boat! If you do not live on the lake, you can view the boat parade from the public boat ramp located on Lake Blvd. (north shore of Johns Lake, off of Hwy. 50 at the Lake/Orange County line). The parade should be passing the ramp at approximately 7:00-7:30pm. If you have any questions about the boat parade, please call Ann at 407-701-8033 for details.