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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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My childhood memories are full of sunny summer days at Ft. Lauderdale beach. I can still see the mounds of seaweed that had to be stepped over to get to the ocean, and feel the tickle of floating seaweed rubbing against my skin as I swam in the surf. It was fun to shake out the clusters of seaweed and see the small crabs and shrimp fall from its cover. There were other things contained in the seaweed such as black tar and the stinging Portuguese man o’ war that had to be watched out for. At the end of May this year, while seated at the ocean’s edge, those memories came rushing back to me, with a nostalgic filter of course. As a fresh batch of seaweed floated by, I admired how its light brown color was set off by the aqua of the sea and was amused by the exposed coral rocks that seemingly wore seaweed toupees, from fresh weed deposited by the high tide.  Wading birds flock to the seaweed, which is full of life. Reality check! A Miami news station had a feature about the FIFA world cup visitors who were turned off by our smelly beaches and weed filled waters. Not what they expected, especially after coming from across country or from Europe. The scourge of summer, from the viewpoint of South Florida resort managers, who have to field complaints about the stinky mess from June until September. Floating mats of fresh seaweed eventually end up onshore and become a hazard that attracts flying insects and carries contaminants and bacteria. Parents worry when their child has to wade through the junk in order to paddle board, kayak or launch a Hobie Cat. People with respiratory problems are at risk from the release of hydrogen sulfide and ammonia.  A Great White Heron waiting for low tide when the cove will be shallow enough to wade in. There will be plenty of crabs, shrimp, and small fish to be had in the sargassum accumulated below. Seaweed, also known as Sargassum, is a brown microalgae that never touches the sea floor, but instead drifts on the surface of the ocean. Its name Sargassum originates from the Portuguese word sargaço, a type of grape or also a wild vine that grows in willow thickets. The tiny balls that keep the weed afloat look like grapes. Christopher Columbus encountered a thick mat of weed while sailing in the Atlantic near the Bermuda Triangle, and with light winds prevailing, he feared getting stuck in it. Columbus had encountered the Sargasso Sea, an area that cannot be found on any map, but is defined by the convergence of four major Atlantic currents: the Gulf Stream, the North Atlantic Current, the Canary Current and the North Atlantic Equatorial Current.  Seaweed, also known as Sargassum. Its tiny balls keep the weed afloat. The Florida Keys are one stop along the Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt which spans 5,000 miles from coastal West Africa to South America. Winds and currents act like a conveyor belt that distributes the seaweed into the Atlantic and Caribbean Sea, and a “loop” current carries the seaweed around the coast of Florida into the Gulf of America. NOAA designates sargassum as essential fish habitat, for species including gray triggerfish, amberjacks and mahi mahi. In the open ocean seaweed provides food or shelter for fish, crustaceans, turtles and seabirds. When the weed hits the coastal flats, the wading birds flock to its floating mass, which is fresh and full of life. I netted a bucket of fresh weed and shook it until the critters contained within it fell out. There were shrimp and crabs galore. I marveled as the crabs would approach the shrimp and start pinching. The shrimp were translucent mini-me versions of jumbo shrimp.  I netted a bucket of fresh weed and shook it until the critters contained within it fell out. There were shrimp and crabs galore. Harvesting of sargassum is prohibited in U.S. federal waters (between 3 miles to 200 miles from shore.) Sargassum is not protected in Florida, as long as it has washed ashore naturally you can pick it up with your hands or with hand tools. In State waters up to 100 pounds of sargassum can be removed from canals or nearshore waters with a recreational fishing license. A commercial saltwater products license is needed to remove more than 100 pounds according to the FWC. Once near shore the weed makes its way into man-made canals and marinas and gets stuck. Keys boaters curse the seaweed as it fouls their props and canals get clogged with the weed. The trapped weed sinks, making the canal brown, due to the decaying weed, which depletes the oxygen in the water, resulting in fish kills.  A boat ramp covered with weed. You must wade through the junk in order to paddle board, kayak or launch a Hobie Cat. In Ft. Lauderdale small barges would run up and down the canals scooping up the seaweed with a fork. Removal is a futile process, since the seaweed floats in every day. Bubblers at the entrance to a canal may help keep it out. Seaweed has the potential for use as fertilizer; it contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK), the same ingredients found in fertilizer, plus micro-nutrients. Since there is arsenic in seaweed, it might be best utilized on ornamental plants and palms, not food crops.  The weed was so thick the black birds could walk on top of it. 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. |
CAROL ELLIS
This photographic website provides me the opportunity for self-expression, for sharing Archives
August 2026
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