Carol Ellis Photography
  • Home
  • THE ARTIST
    • Carol Ellis
    • Technique & Media
    • Beginnings Catalog
    • Photosynthesis Catalog
    • Human Nature
  • PORTFOLIO
    • Art in Homes & Public Spaces
    • Body in Motion
    • Colorized | Infrared | BW
    • Everglades | Hammocks
    • Flowers | Orchids | Peonies
    • Herbs | Veggies
    • Ocean Reef Club
    • Ocean | Bay | Mangroves
    • Palm Fronds | Foliage
    • The Moon
    • Contemporary
  • WEARABLE ART
    • Apparel
    • Dri-Fit Fishing Shirts
  • OCEAN REEF HISTORY
  • JOURNAL
  • CONTACT
Picture

Critters in our Midst - Key Largo Woodrat

9/1/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture
“Key Largo Woodrat” - Clay DeGayner Photo The woodrat is greyish brown, with a hairy tail, big ears and resembles a mouse.
Calusa Indians, Spaniards, wreckers, pirates, farmers, Bahamian  fisherman, Conchs, homesteaders, hermits, land developers, the U.S.  Government, collectors and conservationists have all laid claim to the  Upper Keys. Each in their own way have left their mark. 

US1, the main route to the Florida Keys, contained the tourism and  development for those seeking an exotic world of tropical adventure,  and spared North Key Largo from much attention. 

I arrived in the Florida Keys in 1984 in my red Pinto station wagon  containing all my belongings, including a windsurfer strapped to the  roof. I took a left at the intersection of US1 and CR 905 and headed  northeast, eventually ending up in a small conch cottage in Gulfstream  Shores named “Somewhere Else”. It was in the middle of future  conservation lands. 

The establishment of Crocodile Lake NWR in 1980, and the acquisition  of Port Bougainville by the State of Florida in 1982 were pivotal events  securing the future of a natural N. Key Largo. The CLNWR is home to  the endangered Key Largo woodrat, Key Largo cotton mouse, Stock  Island tree snail, Schaus’ swallowtail butterfly and American Crocodile..  

There are many misconceptions about one of the protected species: the  Key Largo woodrat. Very dissimilar from the black rat. the Key Largo woodrat is a nocturnal animal, that lives away from humans in the  hammocks of North Key Largo. The woodrat is greyish brown, with a  hairy tail, big ears and resembles a mouse. The black rat, a nuisance  species, has a long scaly tail and is found in populated areas, around  dumpsters, or even in your tool shed or attic. 

Some people see black rats like the ones attacking a bird feeder, and  claim they are woodrats,. A woman seated at the local bar was  overheard saying: ”I don't understand why the government is building  houses for those rats in N. Key Largo”. Her vision of woodrats  occupying a three room dollhouse, complete with front porch, and a tin  roof, is totally false.  

Yes folks, they walk among us.

Prior to the 1980’s, on both sides of CR-905 there were wheel worn  finger roads, about six ft. wide and as high as a pick-up truck, etched in  the coral rock. These roads of formerly platted subdivisions, became the  dumping grounds for old refrigerators, discarded vehicles and  construction debris. With public acquisition came cleaning up of the  trash, some of which included piles of sticks indicative of nesting Key  Largo woodrats.
Picture
“Bug in the Woods” - Carol Ellis Photo Roads of formerly platted subdivisions along CR-905, became the dumping grounds for old discarded vehicles.
Ralph and Clay DeGayner signed on to volunteer at the refuge because  they wanted to see a woodrat. They became curious as to why the  woodrats were not piling sticks, but instead making homes in the  hollowed out bases of trees and under debris.  

It became obvious that supplemental nests were needed. Ralph’s idea of using discarded jet skis as nests was frowned upon by researchers,  however he persisted, and jet skis were hauled into the woods, and  covered with natural materials such as coral rock and tree debris. When  they began working as nesting sites, Ralph says "some of my best  breeders", it changed everyone's minds.
Picture
“Jet Ski Supplemental Nest” - Carol Ellis Photo Supplemental nests constructed with a jet ski covered by natural materials such as coral rock and tree debris.
Rodents are at the bottom of the food chain and their natural predators  include snakes and raptors, along with non-native predators such as  feral cats, and Burmese Python. Cameras were placed in the nests,  which provided researchers with valuable information pertaining to  reproduction, and what predators were in the vicinity, and eventually  implicated feral cats as a major predator, attracted by the commotion  the woodrats made while building their stick nests. 

Ralph, born during the Great Depression, dedicated two decades of his  life toward improving a habitat, that during his lifetime was nearly  destroyed, so that a future generation could see a woodrat. Ralphs most  memorable moment as a volunteer, came while spending time with  conservation icon Jane Goodall, visiting thriving woodrat nests in the  hammocks. After the visit, Goodall wrote: “a small group of dedicated  persons, even volunteers with little scientific training, can help turn  around an extinction event just by persisting in intelligent efforts.”
Picture
“Conch Cottage in 2008 | Ralph DeGayner” - Carol Ellis Photo A two room cottage belonging to an early settler prior to it’s collapse in 2011.
Personally, I am not particularly bothered if I see an actual woodrat in my  lifetime; I am just reassured by the passionate efforts of many, to ensure  their survival
Picture
“Collapsed Conch Cottage in 2022” - Carol Ellis Photo With Ralphs help, it became a productive nesting site containing multiple woodrat nests.
0 Comments

    CAROL ELLIS

    This photographic website provides me the opportunity for self-expression, for sharing
    original visual content, and connecting beyond my studio walls with you, the visitor.
    Through this journal, I hope to share the stories behind the experiences, and my thought
    processes as I hone my craft both visually and technically.

    Keep growing, Carol

    Archives

    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017

    TAGS

    All
    African Tulip Tree
    American Cockroach
    Art In Homes And Public Spaces
    Bees
    Bird Photography
    Birds
    Bird Sounds
    Black Swan
    Body In Motion
    Bombax
    Bottlenose Dolphins
    Bugs
    Burmese Python
    Butterflies
    Carol Ellis Photography
    Chickens
    Christmas Bird Count
    Common Yellowthroat
    Crabs
    Critters In Our Midst
    Croc Lake Audubon Christmas Bird Count
    Crocodiles
    Crustacean Plantation
    Dolphin Aquarium
    Dolphin Research Center
    Ensign Wasp
    Everglades Python
    Flipper
    Florida Butterflies
    Florida Crocodiles
    Florida East Coast Railway Extension
    Florida Everglades
    Florida Friendly Yard
    Florida Keys
    Florida Keys Chickens
    Florida Keys Gardening
    Florida Keys Pet Safety
    Florida Keys Photographer
    Florida Keys Photography
    Florida Keys Wildlife
    Florida Python
    Giant Milkweed
    Great Blue Heron
    Gumbo Limbo Tree
    Hermit Crabs
    Homemade
    Honey Bees
    Hurricane Ian
    Hurricane Irma
    Hurricane Season
    IMazing HEIC Converter
    Insect Photography
    Iphone
    Islamorada
    Key Largo Photography
    Key Largo Woodrat
    Lizards
    Mangroves
    Marine Max Ocean Reef
    Miami Seaquarium
    Mold-a-rama
    Monarch Butterfly
    Mosquito
    Mosquitos
    Native Plants
    Natural Sustainability
    Nature
    Nature Photography
    Northern Raccoon
    No See Ums
    Ocean Reef
    Ocean Reef Club
    Opossum
    Orchid
    Orchids
    Owl
    Palm Trees
    Pelican
    Peony
    Planting
    Planting For The Critters In Our Midst
    Python
    Raccoon
    Raccoons
    Reflection
    Robbies Marina
    Roosters
    Scanography
    Schaus Swallowtail Butterfly
    Screech Owl
    Snails
    SONY A6300
    South Florida
    Spider
    Spiders
    Spiny Orbweaver
    Spring Migration
    Spy Fly
    Stu Apte
    Summer
    Sunrise
    Tarpon
    Tavernier
    Theatre Of The Sea
    Tigers Claw
    Tollbooth
    Tropical Milkweed
    Water
    White Pelican
    Wildlife Photography

    RSS Feed

Picture
HOME  |  THE ARTIST  |  TECHNIQUE & MEDIA  | ART IN HOMES & PUBLIC SPACES  |  JOURNAL  |  CONTACT
© Copyright 2022. Carol Ellis Photography.
All Rights Reserved.

Web Development by: Mellowfish Media
  • Home
  • THE ARTIST
    • Carol Ellis
    • Technique & Media
    • Beginnings Catalog
    • Photosynthesis Catalog
    • Human Nature
  • PORTFOLIO
    • Art in Homes & Public Spaces
    • Body in Motion
    • Colorized | Infrared | BW
    • Everglades | Hammocks
    • Flowers | Orchids | Peonies
    • Herbs | Veggies
    • Ocean Reef Club
    • Ocean | Bay | Mangroves
    • Palm Fronds | Foliage
    • The Moon
    • Contemporary
  • WEARABLE ART
    • Apparel
    • Dri-Fit Fishing Shirts
  • OCEAN REEF HISTORY
  • JOURNAL
  • CONTACT