With the Wild Things

The Green Heron is hardly green at all, but has a green tint reflected from the black as a result of its feather structure. This diminutive heron is with us year round and can often be seen at water’s edge, standing on floating debris, or on a low limb. While its legs are short, its neck is relatively long. It can be extended instantaneously to seize a small fish or other creature or to gain a better view of its surroundings or potential prey.

The Black Skimmer is a very unusual shorebird – in part because of its exceptionally long, knife-like lower bill and much shorter, slightly-curved upper bill. The knife-like lower bill is for slicing through calm surface waters near shore and in shallow ponds and lakes to capture fishes. When the lower bill strikes a small fish, the fish slides up the bill and the upper bill clamps down on it.

Cabbage Palms are Florida’s State “Tree”. I put “tree” in quotes here because technically they are different from trees. We all know Cabbage Palms and recognize how the fronds arch upward and outward when alive and how a dead frond snaps off in the wind leaving the dead frond base attached to the palm. What you may not know is that the top of a palm frond stem is concave. When it rains, water flows down the trough of the stem into the base providing water that is absorbed by the palm and also helps cool it in the summer sun.

River Otters are carnivorous mammals – distantly related to dogs and cats, members of the weasel family, and close relatives of Sea Otters. An adult otter can be nearly four-feet long and – it has a bite that can crush a turtle, a clamshell, or your hand. An otter’s jaw is built for crushing – not for grinding.

The Florida Softshell Turtle is one of three softshell species common to Florida – but it is found over most of the state and is especially common in south Florida. The other two species are found in parts of north Florida and northward. It’s easy to identify the Florida Softshell because it has a noticeable ridge of scales across the front part of its otherwise leathery “shell” – which is properly known as its “carapace”. All of these softshell turtles are flattened – aiding in their rapid movements to capture small fish, crayfish and other small animals. Plants do appear in their diet, but at a low level – and perhaps they just came along with an animal they were eating.

Molt is a routine loss and replacement of feathers that can occur at any time of year, but in most birds a complete molt occurs in late summer and fall. For some species a partial molt often occurs in early spring. Timing of molt is important. In late summer and fall, weather is warm and there is generally an abundance of insects, seeds, and fruit that provides energy for molt.

The Great Egret is the largest of North American egrets and although it can be found in most of North America, it is nowhere more common than in Florida. More northern populations must migrate south in winter to survive, thus Florida and other southern populations swell. Great Egrets are second in size only to our Great Blue Heron. Its size, striking white plumage, yellow to orange bill, and black legs make it readily identifiable.

Spanish Needles, Devil’s Pitchfork, and Bidens alba are one and the same – and humans have bestowed this plant with several other common names. This plant is scientifically known as Bidens alba. “Bidens” refers to the two sharp “teeth” usually found at the tip of each spine associated with a seed. The teeth are sharp and point backward such that an animal that passes by will get “hooked” and carry the seed away until it is pulled off or brushed off – and there a new Bidens plant may grow. The species name “alba” means “white” and refers to its white petals.

Killdeer numbers and distribution have grown greatly in the past 200 years to include most of mainland North America – including most of Florida. The bad news is that their success has been due to our clearing of the land and “salting it” with patches of gravel in parking lots, yards, and rooftops – and many other species have declined as their preferred habitat disappeared.

The Cabbage Palm – Florida’s State Tree is found throughout Florida – in the wild, in our yards, along city streets, and from coast to coast. It’s tolerant of the coastal influence of salt spray and the seasonal wet and dry times of inland areas. It was these characteristics and its long history with Floridian culture that finally won over the legislators who chose it over other trees that may be more impressive, but limited in their state-wide distribution.