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A golden glint catches my eye. Atop a purple bloom a dragonfly sits with tightly clenched legs, its small body changing direction like a pennant in the wind. How beautiful…. a God-given work of art. My butterfly garden has produced many moments of joy in its first year. Designed with pollinators in mind, it has hosted many things with wings. From the buzzing bees, to migrating birds splashing in the fountain; from hungry caterpillars to butterflies sipping sweet nectar, their larvae munching on the milkweed where chrysalis will soon hang.  Looking closely, I marvel at this tiny creature, a living piece of art. The purple firespike was planted for the hummingbirds, a species which still remains elusive from my vision and that of my camera. The good news is the dragonfly took advantage of the firespike's spindle-like bloom to rest. The creature let me take multiple photos with my camera lens just inches away from it’s tiny form. What a fearless critter! Is that why they call it the Dragonfly?  I planted the purple firespike for the hummingbirds, a bird species which still remains elusive from my camera. The good news is the dragonfly took advantage of the firespike's spindle-like bloom to rest. The name dragonfly is from the Old English word dragoun, referring to a mythical serpent or sea monster; and the word fleoge referring to flying insects. By putting the two words together you get dragounfleoge, meaning dragon-like flying insect. There is nothing to fear about these “dragons.” They don’t bite because they don’t have teeth. They do have a serrated mandible which comes in handy for holding and crushing prey. The Halloween Pennant Dragonfly (Celithemis eponina) featured in my photos is named for its orange-colored wings, with dark brown bands. It is found in the Eastern U.S., especially near fresh water ponds, and is seen perching on tall grasses, reeds and cattails. The males are often spotted in groups of 10-15 and are in search of a female. The males are more vibrantly colored, and have a red face while the females have a yellowish face, and heart-like markings on their abdomen. They appear in the Keys usually in late Spring/early Summer, about the same time as the mosquitos arrive and the snowbirds depart. Dragonflies are known as “Mosquito Hawks.” They are excellent flyers, which is a good thing, because they only eat while in flight. Dragonflies catch their prey by grabbing it with their feet or mandibles. Getting a picture of a dragonfly catching a mosquito in flight would definitely be a prize winning photo! The behavior is not rare…. It’s estimated adult dragonflies consume 30 - 100 mosquitos per day, and if they can’t fly they will starve. There are three stages in the life-cycle of the dragonfly: egg, larva (also known as nymph) and adult. The female dragonfly deposits eggs in a pond and a tadpole like prolarva emerges from the egg, This stage lasts up to a year in warmer climates, and here the larvae hunt for mosquito larvae and more.  Dragonfly eggs laid in quiet ponds hatch as nymphs possessing a voracious appetite. They begin controlling the mosquito population by eating mosquito larvae, plus fish and tadpoles . They remain in this stage for just weeks, months, or up to 1-3 years. After 5-14 molts, the nymph climbs out of the pond, molds a final time, and an intact dragonfly emerges from its cracked exoskeleton. Photo Credit: University of Florida So how did they find my garden in the Upper Keys which is surrounded by coastal marshes and mangrove swamps? Dragonflies can do well in small freshwater ponds like mine, which never runs dry, is free from chlorine and chemicals; my pond even has a red mangrove living in it which was planted from seed. The leaf debris at the bottom of the pond creates a natural habitat and circulation keeps it clear. I often see tadpoles, and the birds are regular visitors. Perhaps I have a dragonfly habitat? An outdoor pond has some benefits: my orchids like the transpiration of the circulating water, the birds have a place to drink, especially migrating birds who stop there. Am I on their map? My pool lady saw my waterfall and asked if I’d like it cleaned of algae. No, I replied, it is for the birds. If you have a pond, don’t keep it too clean for you may disturb the areas where critters lay their eggs. Also chlorine is not good for our critters to drink. There is nothing wrong with a little “green.” Avoid pesticides near the water. That goes for ponds and also our nearshore waters.  This photo appears to show the adult dragonfly chewing foliage, but that is not the case. Dragonflies are meat-eaters… consuming exclusively flying insects, especially mosquitos, flies and gnats. Dragonflies have the potential to control mosquitos, and indirectly the diseases they carry. So think twice when you get that notice from the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD). These agencies commonly use the organophosphate insecticides malathion and naled and the synthetic pyrethroid insecticides prallethrin, etofenprox, pyrethrins, permethrin, resmethrin and sumithrin for adult mosquito control. There is collateral damage from broad application of these compounds. Per the FKMCD announcement: “Weather permitting”… we will nuke all flying insects in your area:… or as they state it, “there will be a fog truck in your area.” The salt marsh mosquito is an annoyance, but does not endanger us with disease. Would it be better to monitor and eliminate areas of standing water where “bad” mosquitos breed? Would it be better to burn a mosquito coil or apply spray to our clothing to keep areas mosquito free? It’s not a perfect world, so lets make “more better” choices.  A dragonfly has many lensed eyes and a nearly 360 degree field of view.
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I love the change of seasons in Florida. There’s a freshness in the breeze, accompanying a slightly lower level of temperature and humidity. It's lovely when you can go outside in the evening without hearing the whir of the mosquito fog truck. It’s healthy to leave the TV, the couch and the air-conditioning and venture outside to lay in the hammock to be entertained by mockingbird melodies from the wire above.  The Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is a fixture in my yard. I recognize one in particular by unusual growths above it’s beak and beside it’s right claw. The Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) is a fixture in my yard. I recognize one in particular by unusual growths above it’s beak and beside its right claw. My friendly greeting of “what's the matter birdie... how are you today? Are you finding the food you need? Are you happy? You're a pretty bird.” accompanies my arrival. The mockingbird sits calmly on its perch observing, allowing me to get close with my camera. (The bird must be thinking “get a life.”)  American beautyberry,is an excellent food source for birds. Northern Mockingbirds are common in backyards, but they don’t often visit feeders. I see them hopping around on the ground stopping every few feet to partly spread its wings. They can be found high on a strangler fig branch, or among the branches of my mango or papaya trees, probing for ripening fruit. Though by necessity I must be more vigilant and pick the fruit before it becomes riddled with their peck marks, the mockingbird is helpful in my yard because it usually feeds on insects such as grasshoppers, crickets, chinch bugs and caterpillars, as well as weed seeds.  Mockingbird perch on overhead power lines. Native plants like Simpson’s stopper, American beautyberry, wild coffee, and including fruit-bearing passion flower, wax myrtle and seagrape are excellent food sources for birds. Florida's state tree, the Sabal palm is a favorite source of fruit for mockingbirds, as are the fruits of the Washingtonian palm. From prior encounters, the mockingbird knows I am a regular in the yard, and I pose no threat to it or it’s nest. University of Florida researchers have found that mockingbirds can recognize individuals after only two 30-second encounters. On the large university campus researchers observed mockingbirds rapidly learning to assess the level of threat posed by different humans, and further enabling the bird to pick out the same individual even in a crowd. Pretty amazing! Mockingbirds have been known to dive-bomb humans who may have ventured too close to a nest, particularly during the spring. Joggers and dog-walkers beware of hit-and-run attacks to the back of the head as mockingbirds warn you to get away from their nest.  Wild coffee berries are a favorite food for birds. Both male and female mockingbirds sing. They begin singing at dawn and continue throughout the day and into evening. The males can be quite loud while singing to attract a mate, and possess impressive acrobatic skills, often leaping a few feet in the air and flapping his wings while singing.  A high perch in a wild tamarind tree. Thomas Jefferson’s favorite bird was the mockingbird because of its intelligence and ability to mimic. Jefferson kept a pet mockingbird named Dick in the White House, and boasted in his Notes on the State of Virginia that Great Britain’s birdlife had nothing to compare with this bird’s vocal abilities. From the mimic thrush family, their Latin name translates to "many-tongued thrush.” They mimic the songs of other birds, as well as different animals like frogs and squirrels, and devices such as car alarms and horns, while they repeat phrases three times per sequence. The mockingbird is widely distributed throughout Florida year-round, and is one of the best-known birds, found in urban areas, suburban areas, and parklands. For the casual observer the mockingbird is just another unremarkable bird with feathers in varying shades of white, to grey. It has a long tail and slender bill, and when in flight a broad white patch is visible on its darker grey wings. There is little coloration difference between males, females, juveniles or while mating.  Mockingbird recognizes me and sees I don’t pose a threat. The Florida Federation of Women's Clubs requested Florida schoolchildren to select a state bird; they chose the mockingbird and on April 23, 1927 the Florida legislature designated the mockingbird as the state bird, giving it protected status. According to Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 3, the "melody of its music has delighted the hearts of residents and visitors to Florida from the days of the rugged pioneers to the present comers.” Some argue that Florida should not share a state bird with other states. The mockingbird is also the state bird of Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Texas. Suggestions for a new state bird are all over the map, but four main contenders have emerged: the Florida scrub jay, flamingo, osprey and roseate spoonbill. May I “mockingly” suggest Florida’s state bird should be the construction crane?  The mockingbird sits calmly on its perch observing, allowing me to get close with my camera. It was another humid Florida Keys day, with record setting heat, when a naturalist friend alerted me to a very rare bird sighting. The tip came from a true photo enthusiast, who sadly possessed only an iPhone. I gathered up my professional photo gear and showed up in the hopes of getting a shot. OK… Though most of my photo archive consists of photos of birds flying away, I am optimistic. The first rule of photography… always have your camera ready so you can be there to get the shot. The thing about the iPhone is you will definitely have it when something happens, and though they are amazing, they fall short on details.  Black swans have black plumage, which contrasts with a bright red bill with white tip, and red eyes. The rare birds were a pair of Black Swan (Cygnus atratus) which had been parading back-and-forth in a small cove on the Atlantic side of North Key Largo. The second rule in photography, is you have to be lucky; I was pleased when the swans decided to come to the shore and greet me. My friend called me a “swan magnet.” These birds possessed no fear at all. Was it the bold blue hydrangea print dress I was wearing, or maybe I represented a source of food, as people tend to befriend wildlife in nature.   Black swans mate for life, and move in unison, and even assist while the other grooms. I lingered for the best part of an hour, took dozens of swan portraits, before they retreated offshore as the tide was going down, and more feeding grounds opened up on the flats. It was a breathtaking scene, with Carysfort Lighthouse on the distant horizon, sport fishing yachts and sailboats passing by, and even some paddle-boarders moving through. From time to time I would see a flash of white feathers, as they dunked and bobbed, but wasn’t sure where on their body, as they were so far away. Ecstatic that I had been able to witness such a beautiful display of nature, I headed home, eager to share my discovery with my husband, whose first reaction was, “oh that’s very bad.”  Wings raised in an aggressive display reveal the white undersides. Huh? I was more thinking this was a gift, and I was blessed to witness it. As a child, I recall seeing White Mute swans paddling in the canal behind our home off East Las Olas in Ft. Lauderdale. We’d feed them scraps of bread and enjoy their presence, but one day these graceful creatures, whose only predators are birds of prey, mysteriously disappeared, amidst rumors of foul play. Maybe that’s what my husband was thinking about… that humans can be so cruel sometimes? I later returned to the cove, and they were still there, but a Great Blue heron had now befriended them, and they were happily feeding side-by-side. I thought for a moment, how is the Blue heron reacting to these strangers? Has it ever seen a Black swan, with a long neck such as this? All of a sudden one of the swans fluttered up and revealed a beautiful white underside to an otherwise black feathered body.  I could help but wonder whether the Great Blue heron was comparing their long necks?  Black swans frequent brackish environments during migration times when resources become scarce elsewhere. I captured many images of these swans, both close-up, and far away… so much for my theory about birds flying away! I logged a few photographs on iNaturalist (www.iNaturalist.org) to confirm the identity and search for places where Black swans had been observed; the closest to the Keys was Fort Lauderdale, but very few overall had been reported. There are estimated 500,000 Black swans in the entire world. The Black swan is a non-native species, and there are no breeding populations in this area, They are migratory, and their origin is southeast and southwest regions of Australia. Florida is home to three species of swan: the Mute swan, the Trumpeter swan and Whooper swans. Factors that may have attracted the Black swans to this area include the search for more abundant food options, and migration patterns.  When swimming, black swans hold their necks arched or erect… Ocean Reef Members Point in background.  Black swans impart beauty and uniqueness to any body of water lucky enough to host them. They are typically found near lakes and ponds, with fresh water and cover needed to survive, but they frequent brackish environments during migration times when resources become scarce elsewhere. 80% of a swans diet consists of plant based food sources, but they will also eat small fish, mollusks, insects, crustaceans and worms when available. While online, I checked my email, and my husband had sent me info about the “black swan theory”, often used as a metaphor for an unexpected event, that plays a dominant role in history. Up until a Dutch explorer in 1697 discovered Black swans in Australia, people thought that only white swans existed. In the financial world, a black swan event is seen as an event that negatively impacts the stock market, catching investors off guard. Recent examples include the dot.com stock market crash, and the housing crisis that caused recession. Hope that as I stand in proximity of a ga-zillion dollars worth of real estate, their rare visit is not a forewarning of some future event.  Carol Photographing black swan |
CAROL ELLIS
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