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When I reflect upon my work in the garden, I ask “Am I keeping the plants in the garden alive, or is the garden keeping me alive?” Gardeners nurture their plants by adding water, compost and nutrients, and by removing sunlight-blocking weeds, and in return the plants produce abundant growth, flowers and edibles. Often times homeowners consider ornamental plants solely because they look good, are fast growing or are inexpensive… none or few redeeming qualities for life. Edible landscaping is a concept that replaces ornamental plants in the landscape with plants that produce food for humans. Planting for wildlife is a form of edible landscaping, for the birds, bees, pollinators, small furry creatures, insects and reptiles in our midst. When we plant native plants, we are planting for wildlife.  Carol holding a Soursop fruit. While looking up at the Soursop tree I think of Ronnie, in whose memory the trees were planted The plants growing in our gardens tell a story. It may be as simple as the plant came with the house, or the birds planted the seeds as volunteers. When my sister Lillian comes to visit she always brings cool and unusual plants. She brought fragrant lemongrass which is thriving, and a pomegranate tree which gifts me with delicious fruit. The Vanda orchid “Josephine” she brought came from a 100 year old collection. Oh, the responsibility is huge… thankfully the orchid is very happy near my pond.  Soursop looks prickly, but it is not. Often trees are planted as a living tribute for a family member or friend who is no longer with us. In my yard, that plant is the Soursop, aka Guanabana (Annona muricata) planted for my former photography assistant Ronnie Navarro, who died from cancer. Over the course of his treatment involving chemotherapy and radiation, Ronnie would tell me what he’d learned about a natural anti-cancer alternative from the Soursop tree. Research and anecdotal accounts, not necessarily true or reliable, have shown Soursop leaves and stems consumed as a tea, and by eating the fruit, can benefit you by reducing inflammation and preventing/curing certain types of cancer. Ronnie planned on eating the fruit and drinking the tea as soon as he got out of the hospital. He never got that opportunity.  Soursop leave and fruit. Fruit grows close to the stems all over the tree. The two trees planted in Ronnies honor have now expanded to ten, all from seeds that sprouted near the original trees. Each week I brew a batch of fresh Soursop tea. Maybe I am fighting cancer? The use of Soursop to prevent cancer is no more crazy a concept than traditional medicine’s use of Coumadin, an anticoagulant, which is actually rat poison. If you can use rat poison as a blood thinner, then what’s so strange about having fruit to prevent cancer? The lack of human studies and clinical trials doesn’t stop me from experimenting with Soursop. Food is medicine. The health benefits from growing your own allows you to pick fruits and vegetables at their peak freshness and nutrition, In the Keys (zone 11) tropical fruit trees include Avocado, Mango, Figs, Carambola, Mulberry, Pomegranate, Loquat, and Soursop. Eggplant, okra, turmeric, ginger, lemon grass, pineapples, bananas, papaya, scallions, rosemary and other herbs grow year round. It is best to choose planting locations with early morning and late afternoon sunlight, and avoid the extreme heat. Fruits and vegetables need 6-8 hours of sunlight.  Picking Soursop leaves for tea. The new growth is preferred for the best green tea. Adding stems to the tea increases the strength of the brew. You can learn a lot about the plants that grow in the Keys when speaking with our friends and neighbors who have lived in the Caribbean Islands or Central America. Often the best and only medicines are found growing in their native landscape. Lemongrass is good for head congestion. Boil a pot of water and lemongrass for 5-10 minutes. Remove from the stove, cool until the mixture is warmish. Remove the grass. Sit in a bathtub and pour the water over the head to open sinuses. Aloe Vera calms burns, including sunburn, and helps heal wounds. A sprig of Rosemary in your water makes you smarter… well maybe not, but reading this article might!  Ripe fruit, ready to go. When there is more fruit that I can eat, I share with farm to table chefs and fruit stands  Picked leaves can be used fresh, or dried out. Dried leaves make a stronger tea.  Green soursop leaves are submerged in simmering water to make tea. Though fresh fruit is available only in the summer, the leaves can be consumed as tea year round. Gardens … we nurture the plants and keep them alive, but what about the opposite? Not sure whether I am here to keep the plants alive, or they are here to extend my life? Can plants nurture our spirit as well as provide food and medicine? Truth is written on a stone in my garden: “An Hour in the Garden Puts Life’s Problems in Perspective.” A wise Jewish woman once told me: “ When you speak the name of the deceased, they live. Their name is the key to their soul.” Each time I walk by the Soursop trees planted in Ronnie’s memory, I think of Ronnie, and he lives. 
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This spring I noticed that Osprey were missing from where I live in North Key Largo. Absent were their short mellow whistling calls and all of the Osprey platforms in the mangroves and natural areas lie empty. Golfers were noticing the nesting poles on the three golf courses were also abandoned. Birders concurred that our local Osprey were indeed absent.  An Osprey surveys the Florida Keys backcountry for its next meal. Catfish, mullet and ladyfish are its favorite foods found in the shallow waters of Florida Bay. Inquiring minds want to know! My quest to find an answer led to many “round-about” theories, but no idea as to why our resident Osprey were missing. In the 1960’s Osprey were listed as a threatened species, in decline due to the use of the pesticide DDT, which was banned in 1972. Osprey rebounded and were removed from threatened status in 2009. Currently, the overall Osprey population are doing well.  An Osprey perched in a nest on a remote mangrove island in Florida Bay. Osprey in the Keys tend to stay here year-round, though we do get some wintering migrants from the north. Their recent absence could just be due to seasonal change, when Osprey northerners (like snowbirds) have started to leave this area to head to their northern nesting grounds. Another possibility is some of our locals journeyed into Central/South America and may just not have made it back yet. Maybe something is sending them away? Could there be predation on the nest or food scarcity? Are raccoon, iguana or python, preying on their nests or competing for food? Osprey rarely eat anything other than live fish, and I wasn’t aware of any issues regarding lack of fish. Catfish, mullet and ladyfish are favorite foods found in the shallow waters of Florida Bay. Based on research concerning mercury levels in waterways, which, given Monroe County's predisposition for higher concentrations, could mercury be affecting behavior or breeding success? We have had drought for the past two years? All possibilities, but only speculation on my part. The most inspiring news came from Erin Allison, Executive Director of Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center (FKWBC), who reported admissions were up at FKWBC, where four Osprey fledglings were in her care. Erin reported “one was orphaned, two fell from nest, and one due to emaciation. All young-uns.” She quipped “perhaps we weren’t seeing any because they were all in her care!” Her patients were most likely our local birds just learning how to be Osprey. At FKWBC birds are checked for injuries such as broken bones and bruises and treated for emaciation, mites and internal parasites. When ready, the birds are put into a large L-shaped flight enclosure, where they can learn how to fly, circle, perch and get their stamina up before release. After about 6 weeks in rehabilitation, two of the fledgling Osprey were set to be released back into the wild, and I was fortunate to witness the releases.  Bayleigh MacHaffie, Operations Director at FKWBC, toss released the Osprey in front of a crowd of supporters at the Caribbean Club.   The first release was from the dock behind the Caribbean Club during “Happy Hour.” The FKWBC releases birds from the “Club” in order to bring attention to their mission. The dock leads out toward the bay, surrounding mangrove islands and shallow fishing grounds. Bayleigh MacHaffie, Operations Director at FKWBC, toss released the Osprey. It flew away from land, and soon made a dive into the water. An Osprey has keen eyesight, and can see neutral colored fish from 300 ft. high in the air. They dive with wings half closed, and instantly grab their prey with their long talons, and moments later shake the water from it's wings and emerge up into the air again, heading off to it's nest where the fish will be consumed This released Osprey did not emerge from the water right away. A few tense moments ensued. Some onlookers called for action to rescue the bird, The FKWBC assured nervous observers that this is what “fish hawk” do. After a short while the bird was retrieved. “Mr. Osprey crash landed, got water logged, and we took him to a beach so he could dry off and he flew off beautifully on his own,” Erin explained. The second release took place the following day on a secluded beach inside Pennekamp State Park. Present were friends of the park and park rangers, including Joshua Wenkert Lane, who found the fledgling Osprey wandering around on the ground near Pennekamp Marina. The bird did not have the flight capabilities to return to the nest, and it was too risky to leave the bird on the ground.  Joshua Wenkert Lane, who found the fledgling Osprey wandering around on the ground near Pennekamp Marina, opened the door for the walk-out release.    “Penne” is released at Pennekamp Park, and heads off toward a happier tomorrow... hopefully to raise chicks of its own. Sara Read, Education and Outreach Coordinator at FKWBC explained, “Fledging is a natural part of a birds life cycle, so there is a period of time where there is an awkward guy hopping around on the ground figuring out how to fly. If it is in a very populated area like John Pennekamp that is where we run into issues, when human interference can play a role, and potentially injure the bird. The release was described as a “walk-out” where Lane opened the carrier door, and the bird named “Penne” walked through the opening, and flew away to a happier tomorrow.
Both releases were beautiful, hopeful occasions made possible by the professionals who care for injured and orphaned wild birds and the donors who support their mission. A wide spectrum of wildlife, both local and migratory, depend on the rich, natural environment of the Florida Keys, but for most of us, their presence goes largely ignored. Small discoveries, usually while in the presence of “naturalist” friends, led to my interest in writing about nature and often I get alerts regarding wildlife from neighbors. Late February I got an email from a former photography student Mary Lou Krause: "Carol... there is a Great White Heron nesting on the island near our condo. At this time she has her babies. Might be a nice picture.”  Pumpkin Cay Island is ideal habitat for birds. A male returns in the late afternoon with food for his mate and three babies. The island Mary Lou was referring to is a native outcrop of mangroves next to protected mangrove forest. It lies a hundred yards offshore of Pumpkin Cay condominium complex. Though it has no official name. the neighbors call it “Pumpkin Cay Island” because of where it is located. Her condo is a great perch for viewing marine life such as bottlenose dolphin, sting-rays, turtles, brown pelican and this pair of Great White Herons and three babies in their nest.  Two babies climb higher in the nest and become more visible. A third baby hides low in the nest. Pumpkin Cay Island checks all the appropriate boxes for ideal nesting bird habitat; it has sturdy branches to build a nest made of sticks, and is surrounded by water, with a seagrass bottom full of fish and crustaceans. Nesting birds feel safe there because of the distance created by the channel between the mangrove island and the sea-walled shoreline. There is some human traffic… small boats tied to cleats, a few fishing stations. the occasional dog walker… but this doesn't seem to bother the herons. The tidal flow from the ocean through Pumpkin Creek provides clear clean water essential for wading birds, who very slowly forage in the shallow water, waiting for a fish to spear with their sharp bills. Herons will hunt during day or night, the most important factor is the varying tidal depth of the water.  A male heron and three babies in the nest at early morning. Both parents take turns feeding the babies. Mindful not to get too close, for fear of disturbing the birds, I set up my camera with long lens a hundred feet behind the seawall. There was one very large adult heron visible in the nest. It was late afternoon and the soft light lit up it’s feathers in contrast to the green mangroves. I didn’t see the babies right away, but soon noticed yellow beaks and black eyes popping up from beneath the adult’s long light yellow legs. First I saw one rather bold baby, climbing up to the rim of the stick nest, it’s fluff feathers lit by the sun, then a second came into view, and the finally a third, clearly the most elusive, occupied the lowest portion of nest.  This heron was printed life-size, and featured in a “Name the Bird” contest. It received the name “Pumpkin” since it lives at Pumpkin Creek For the next few days I visited the herons during morning and late afternoon, and was fortunate to get photographs of both adults, in their natural environment, going about their everyday duties. This Great Blue Heron (white morph) nest on Pumpkin Cay Island is in the northernmost range for these birds, exclusively found in the Florida Keys and the Everglades. One morning I could see momma heron patiently waiting on the nest for her partner to return with food, and get a break from tending the nest. Moments before he arrived, she rose up in the nest, stretching her long neck. Soon her mate swooped in and they stood close with necks and chest touching. After a little “mutual appreciation” time, the female flew over to the seawall. As she perched on the seawall, she turned her head in the direction of the camera, with one leg raised, outstretched claws, and looked straight at me, as if to say “Can’t I get a moment of peace?”  The female (at left) enthusiastically greets the male returning to the nest. I loved this photo so much that I printed it life-size, and placed it where I would frequently walk by it, make eye-contact and say “Hi!” This is the largest heron in North America, 39”- 52" tall with a wingspan of 5’10”. The heron made me smile, and it needed more of a name than “big bird.” What better way to get a name than display the heron at an event full of children and adults? I held a contest at the Eco Fair at Ocean Reef, where I was doing a book signing for “Critters in our Midst”.   The female heron leaving the nest. Heron wingspan can reach 5’10” From more than 50 entries, the winner was Katherine Yalamanchilli, age 10. The name suggested was “Pumpkin”, and the three babies: Casey, Lola and Trey. The entry name stood out because it referred to where the heron lives - Pumpkin Cay. Katherine has a room at home decorated with stuffed animals, and she is excited to read “Critters in our Midst”. Despite the vast changes made by man to modify and occupy the coastline, most species can live nicely in proximity to humans as long as their most basic ecological needs are met: food, shelter and nesting sites. Habitat loss accompanying human development poses a great threat to wildlife, and water quality degradation is harmful particularly for wading birds.  Katherine Yalamanchilli, age 10, named the heron “Pumpkin” and the babies Casey, Lola and Trey. Her prize… a signed copy of “Critters in our Midst.” |
CAROL ELLIS
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