With the Wild Things

Muscovy Ducks are so used to humans that we can learn close at hand from their wild ways in our environment about behaviors and characteristics often shared with other duck species. For example, ducklings often follow behind their mother single file and close together. As shown in photos, each duckling usually has two white spots on its rump. Those may serve as false “eyes”. Predators normally attack from behind to avoid potential injury from prey. The false “eyes” on the rump of ducklings may thus reduce the potential for attack. Swimming single file and close to the parent likely also contributes to duckling safety. Viewed from behind, the group may initially appear to be a single, larger, potentially more dangerous animal such as an otter.

Wedelia is a yellow daisy-like flower that grows close to the ground and is native to Mexico, parts of the Caribbean, and parts of northern South America. It is easily identified by the “W” that occurs at the tip of each petal. At least by the 1930s Wedelia was being introduced to Florida as a ground cover. More recently it has been designated as an “invasive exotic” by the State of Florida – a plant that displaces native plants in the state, although its eradication is not at all likely and, indeed, it is still often deemed desirable because of the beauty of its flowers and its ability to provide vegetation to cover bare areas. What hasn’t been considered is the role this plant plays in the lives of many other species. That is often positive. Wedelia blooms year round and is a source of food for many species of native butterflies, at least one moth, and several bees and flies (including honeybees which are also exotic, having been introduced from Europe.The one moth that I have seen repeatedly on Wedelia – during the day – is the Orange-Spotted Flower Moth – a beautiful moth with orange-and-black wings that seems to blend in well when on a Wedelia flower.

The Cane Toad got that name because of a plague of insects that was ravaging sugar cane crops Australia. To stem that plague, “Giant Toads” (another common name given to this creature) were introduced from South America. This largest of all toads was also called the “Marine Toad” – perhaps in part because it was brought across the ocean to stem the plague – but no doubt the name marine toad name also came from the fact that it could be found in coastal wetlands. It can survive in water that is very slightly salty, but it can’t survive in oceans. News of success of the imported toad in stemming the pests in sugar cane spread rapidly – and so did the Cane Toad. Success of the introduction of Cane Toads to Puerto Rico was a major stimulus for their introduction to the U.S. – where they also became part of the pet trade. Little thought had been given as to what else the toad might eat or what impact this toad might have on other animals that ate it.

Killdeer are common plovers seen in open areas of neighborhoods, parks, beaches, and sometimes on gravel rooftops. They feed on insects, worms, and other small creatures and are with us year round. Nests are usually on the ground and are a scrape that they fill with light colored rocks and debris picked up and merely tossed over their shoulder each time they leave the nest. Their name comes from their loud, familiar call “Killdee! Killdee!”

Precatory Bean is an invasive exotic plant native to Asia and humans have introduced it around the world – perhaps initially by missionaries who valued its hard, bright red seeds for making rosaries – hence the plant’s other common name – Rosary Pea. The shiny red seeds with a black cap at one side were not only valued for making rosaries, but also for making decorative necklaces and earrings. Such rosary pea jewelry is often sold to tourists. The jewelry can be beautiful, but a child carried by a person wearing such jewelry may be attracted by the bright color and chew on it. The seeds can be lethal. An intact seed swallowed is likely to pass through a human digestive tract without harm, but a seed pierced for inclusion in jewelry might release some of its toxins.

The Tricolored Heron – as its name suggests – is clothed in three main colors: rusty breeding plumes on the back, and pink to red eyes in adults; white on the front of the neck and a flash of white on the back of the head of breeding birds; and an overall blue-gray on the back, neck and wings of adults. You might say they are red, white, and blue – patriotic birds. But they are not limited to the United States, but are found in coastal wetland areas of the eastern U.S. south through the Caribbean to the mouth of the Amazon in South America. In North America they are thought of as being a southern coastal bird, but there have been breeding populations in suitable habitats up the east coast to Maine and occasionally are found in midwestern states.

Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) is an invasive exotic aquatic plant that has been in Florida for hundreds of years – perhaps merely as a result of being snagged on or carried in bilge water of early sailing ships traveling between the Amazon River in South America and Florida. Once here – and in other countries around the world, it quickly reproduced and was spread down rivers and streams and even into isolated lakes by boats and individuals who admired its beauty. To this day it has negative impacts on native wildlife, shading swamp waters, thus cooling them and reducing sunlight needed by native plant species, often making it difficult for herons, egrets, Anhingas, and other aquatic animals to find food. If you boat in waters with water lettuce, always check your boat and trailer for plants caught on them. Don’t introduce this plant to waters where it isn’t currently found. In spite of its name.

The Swallow-tailed Kite is a hawk that only spends the summer with us, but its arrival from a winter home in the American tropics in late February or early March has long been heralded as a signal of the arrival of spring. It arrives in small numbers with piercing high-pitched notes and aerial acrobatics that captivate those who spot them. Courtship and nest-building quickly get underway. Nests are typically placed high in a tree near wetland areas, but foraging kites can sometimes be seen flying low over city streets. This is a species that suffered greatly from clearing of forests, draining of wetlands, pesticides, and other pollutants. Northern populations long ago disappeared. Florida breeding populations have suffered, but Swallow-tailed Kites still return each year – no doubt influenced by our climate and the vastness of the Everglades ecosystem.

Shorebirds are easy – they are found at the shore. Well, not quite so easy. Some such as Killdeer can be found in your yard. Others can be found in or at the edge of almost any body of water. Gulls, terns, sandpipers, and plovers are the major groups of shorebirds introduced this week. Each of these four represent a different group of birds but the groups often mingle on or near our beaches – and each species has unique physical and behavioral characteristics. Gulls are typically big, with short, stout bills – they are scavengers that often float on the surface or just stand around on land.

Red-bellied Woodpeckers are the most commonly seen woodpeckers in Florida in part because they are generalists that forage for insects, spiders, small lizards, and fruit in trees and on the ground in our yards and parks. Unfortunately, they are about the size of European Starlings and Starlings often usurp their cavities.