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Summertime is tropical fruit time. It is hot and humid, too much for most plants, and humans. Those of us who are here get the sweet reward of mango season. My mango tree is Valencia Pride variety, purchased at Fairchild Tropical Gardens. They recommended it as a good variety for Key Largo. It produces in June/July and gets rave reviews from everyone who has tasted the fruit.  Squirrels move around with reckless ease, as if the gravity does not apply to them. In fruit season, I monitor the tree daily, checking for mangos that may be on the verge of ripeness. The object is to pick the fruit before the resident grey squirrel finds it. One day in late June I spied a grey squirrel near the mango tree. At the same moment the squirrel, who was just a short leap away from the mango tree, stopped in its tracks. It heard me and it remained motionless in an attempt to hide from sight. Some fruit were showing signs of ripeness, so I picked a half dozen that were a few days shy of being perfectly ripe. Valencia Pride mangoes have a color change from their unripe solid green state, to yellowish gold and reddish orange as they ripen. The fruit is considered mature when the end of the fruit away from the stem broadens out. Luckily the fruit ripens in stages, which allows the fruit to stay on the tree until you are ready for the next batch.  This squirrel is making noise, flicking its tail because I was near the tree and it viewed me as a threat.  A squirrel’s front teeth are always growing, so they must constantly keep chewing to wear them down so they don’t grow into their lower jaw. Their preferred foods include bark, berries, seeds and acorns. My bushy tailed rodent visitor will get its share of fruit no matter how vigilant I am. It will find a fruit and nibble on it, then move onto another fruit and do the same. Squirrel proofing your fruit trees is not impossible. Some people wrap their tree in netting. Others set out motion-activated sprinklers. One year I wrapped each hanging fruit in a brown paper bag. That was crazy, and labor intensive, and I couldn’t see the fruit when they were in the bags. I’d go out there and find a paper bag with a mushed fruit in it on the ground. I kinda feel sorry for the squirrels, and I would never do harm to the one or two that come visit. One way to lessen their impact is by cleaning up any downed and rotting fruit and by providing an alternative food source. Unfortunately birds and squirrels share the same diet, so you may be faced with squirrels raiding the bird feeder.  My prize mangos begin to turn from solid green to shades of yellow gold and reddish orange as they ripen on the tree. Squirrels are common visitors in the urban landscape, so much so that we seldom pay attention to them. My yard is just one stop on a circuit which spans from tree to tree in its neighborhood range. The local squirrels never have to leave the treetops in order to get to my yard. Squirrels get hit by cars when they cross the road. The iNaturalist database is full of pictures of “flat-squirrels” with the sighting location as Crocodile Lake/Card Sound Road, a fragmented habitat with a 55 mph highway running through the middle of it.  The squirrel stops in its tracks, just a short leap away from the mango tree. It heard me and it remained motionless in an attempt to hide from sight. Since the squirrel spends much of its life in the trees, it’s obviously very good at navigating from tree to tree in search of its food. It’s like an arboreal super-highway. On gardening day we were trimming the green and silver buttonwood hedge running the length of the backyard. It is a mature hedge with many thick connecting branches. The squirrel had a path along the border, and the daredevil squirrel regularly leapt from branch to branch on its path. On this day we heard a crash, and something tumbling through the foliage. Much bigger than a golf ball, I thought. The next thing we saw was a squirrel emerging from the brush, and the look on its face was priceless, as it processed what had just happened. The squirrel looked at me as if to say “Are you responsible for this?” The squirrel had mindlessly leapt for a branch that had been recently removed, an unexpected alteration to it’s world. The squirrel also gets a bad rap for being forgetful. Squirrels are credited for planting many oak and walnut forests, as they bury their food cache for later, and then forget that they did so, and the resulting forests grown from the seeds are attributed to squirrels. The year 2026 produced a bumper crop on my mango tree, and I felt superstitious, since the last prolific crop on my property was in 1992, the summer that hurricane Andrew decimated North Key Largo, Homestead and vicinity. That June before we lost the tree in the August hurricane, my mother-in-law Helen’s mango tree was loaded with fruit. I peeled and chopped the fruit, and helped her make several cases of mango chutney, using the original Hayden recipe. To this day I label my mango chutney “Mrs. Atkinson’s” as a tribute to Helen Atkinson Ellis.    Mango Bread Recipe Card 
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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. One of the first close-up wildlife experiences for typical suburban kids may have come in the form of a “turtle oasis” purchased at the local pet store. I had turtles. They lived in our Florida room in a round plastic container filled with fresh water. The habitat had a raised center area, filled with sand and adorned with a plastic palm tree. The turtles, who were always named “Tommy,” would swim in circles around the ring, and climb out to dry off in the center. The turtles were of the slider variety, so designated because they slide into the water when approached. I fed them hamburger meat and turtle food. Though they can live 20-40 years with proper care, my turtles died.  A young Spur thighed tortoise retreats inside its protective hard shell. Red-earred sliders and Yellow-bellied sliders are the typical species of turtle you will find at the pet store. The yellow-bellied variety is native to North Florida. Yellow-bellied sliders are recognized by the yellow markings on their belly and neck. The non-native Red-earred slider gets its name from the red stripe around its ears, and is included in the list of the world’s 100 most invasive species. Well meaning folks who have out-grown their need for a pet turtle, have released their pets into the wild, only to have let loose a non-native turtle that can out-compete native species. Don’t do that.  A Yellow-bellied slider emerges from the pond for a gulp of air. They are excellent swimmers and can hold their breath for up to 30 minutes.  Though turtles live near the water, they lay their eggs on land. On the other hand, in a world of disappearing natural spaces there is a lot of competition for a place to live. That is why it is great to create home landscapes that have natural habitat where wildlife can live. My neighbor Penny Dinsmore’s home is dominated by a water feature that naturally incorporates plantings, rocks and ledges to be as close to resembling a natural occurring pond as possible. The building contractor excavated the length of the property between the house and the street, creating a tidal pond 8-10 ft. deep. There is a raised rocky area in the center, and sloping walls that meet a ledge just above the water level. A foot bridge leads up to the house; shades of Monet’s Giverny in Key Largo.  A Yellow bellied slider turtle showed up in a water feature at Ocean Reef. The homeowner named the turtle “Mystery.” A total of four adult turtles live in the pond, and babies have been spotted this year. The sound of moving water and lush foliage cascading down the sloping banks completes the tropical oasis, or shall we say “turtle oasis,” after the pond caretaker brought a turtle named “Tiggles” to live in the pond. A second turtle appeared, so Penny named it “Mystery.” Two more of the same species “Ginny” and “Raptor” were purchased. The turtles are Yellow-bellied sliders (Trachemys scripta scripta). Penny is a true turtle mom… She provides a great turtle habitat, with lots of hidey holes where turtles can be out of sight, or protected from the weather, as well as regular feedings; even when she is away. Small turtles have been spotted recently, so the turtle family is becoming established in a very special place. In 1513 Ponce de Leon encountered the seven coral reef islands 70 miles off Key West, and named them “Las Tortugas” (The Turtles) for the bounty of turtles found there. Subsequent explorers found the islands lacking fresh drinking water, and they changed the name to “Dry Tortugas.” The earliest maps of Key West show that people kept turtles along the shores of Key West. The early settlers captured green sea turtles and stored them in “kraals” until needed for meat, eggs or soup. Krall comes from the Dutch word for “corral,” and were shallow water enclosures with wooden poles spaced close enough to keep the turtles in, yet allow water to flow through.  This Red-footed tortoise is native to South America. A turtle is a reptile which has a bony shell. Turtles live in the water, but lay their eggs on land. Tortoises live on land. All tortoises are in fact turtles, but not all turtles are tortoises. Florida has a native tortoise called the Gopher tortoise, and it lives in northern Florida. They create burrows in the ground which provide homes to a range of other creatures in addition to the tortoise. Though the native Florida Box Turtle lives on land, and often wanders into residential neighborhoods, it is not considered a tortoise. They prefer damp environments such as wetlands and swamps, but they do not enter water deep enough to swim.  A box turtle is rescued from the middle of the road and placed in the brush near Crocodile Lake. They prefer damp environments such as wetlands and swamps, but they do not enter water deep enough to swim. Box turtles live on land, and often wander into residential neighborhoods.  An 86 year old Male Spur thighed tortoise and 16 year old female “playing” around. These tortoises are from Africa, and despite the female producing eggs, they do not hatch due to unsuitable conditions in South Florida.  Turtle shells are made of bone that develops from ribs that grow sideways, and form plates that join to protect the body. The shells are covered in scales made of keratin.  This Spur thighed tortoise weighs about 100 lbs. Its feet are covered with spur-like scales made of keratin. You can encounter non-native tortoises such as the Spur Thighed tortoises from Africa and Red-footed Tortoises from South America at wildlife centers and zoos. The Everglades Outpost located in Homestead, used to be a place to encounter reptiles, including tortoises, however the growing sprawl of new housing developments creeping closer to the Everglades has forced its closure.
Spur thighed tortoises can live to more than 100 years old. In fact, one was donated to the nature center at Ocean Reef after consideration by family members who decided it should not be included in a man’s last will. Maybe a turtle trust? |
CAROL ELLIS
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August 2026
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All Rights Reserved.
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