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Posts tagged ‘animals’

May 28

82 Comments

Cantankerous Puffs of Adorable

Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way. —John Muir

We’re finally getting drenched with some much-needed rains in South Florida — the swamps and Everglades are thrilled, I’m sure of it. Last Monday alone, we received ten inches from the sky… TEN INCHES. That kind of downpour creates flash flooding, and the accompanying high winds (and lovely lightning) can wreak havoc on birds’ nests.

During a quick visit to the wetlands between the raindrops, it was obvious that there was much repair to the nests being done throughout the preserve. As I was blankly staring at a turtle (I love our turtles), I caught some commotion deep within a Pond apple tree, one that’s been an annual home to nesting Green herons. Mom had just returned with branches to repair the nest, and her little ones were obviously expecting food — and visibly unhappy about the sticks over the food.

Baby Green Heron in Pond Apple Tree, Florida Wetlands

On the lookout for mom

All babies are sweet, but Green heron babies are little cantankerous puffs of adorable.

Baby Green Heron in Pond Apple Tree, Florida Wetlands

She’s not that way, either…

And back she flew to the wetlands, to high commotion, for more nest-building materials. So much work to be done; babies still needed their food….

Baby Green Heron and Mother in Pond Apple Tree, Florida Wetlands

Honestly, mother.

[For all you locals: If you're as fascinated by the area's water cycle and flow as I am, check out Go Hydrology in my "Florida Nature Blogs" to the right — fantastic daily updates and general information!]

May 17

54 Comments

The Butterfly of Doom

Or so it was named by the late 19th-century Russians — leave it to them to label a butterfly as such. It’s definitely the first time I’ve ever heard Butterfly and Doom used in the same phrase; there has to be heavy-metal band with this name out there somewhere.

Red Admiral Butterfly (Vanessa atalanta), Florida Everglades

A Red Admiral Butterfly (Vanessa atalanta) rests in the Florida Everglades

Zebra Longwing Butterfly (Heliconius charitonius)

Florida’s abundant all-year blooms provide enough butterfly chasing, even for me. The most common encounter is the Zebra Longwing (Heliconius charitonius), found throughout the hardwood hammocks, swamps, and Everglades — and designated the official state butterfly of Florida.

Found in North America, Asia, and Europe, territorial male Red Admirals (Vanessa atalanta) can be found in the same location day-to-day — and as a testament, the images below were shot on separate days, in the same clump of foliage. Red Admirals are dark brown, with brick-red bars and white markings on the tips of the forewings. Although known to be quick fliers, they’re considered a perfect companion for gardens, being very people-friendly, and known to perch on humans.

Red Admiral Butterfly (Vanessa atalanta), Florida Wetlands

The Butterfly of Doom terrifies all

The Red Admiral is considered the favorite butterfly of author and amateur lepidopterist Vladimir Nabokov (1899 – 1977); it’s mentioned throughout his writings, taking a prominent role in the 1962 novel Pale Fire. When scholar Alfred Appel, Jr. asked why he was so fond of Vanessa atalanta, Nabokov replied: “Its coloring is quite splendid and I liked it very much in my youth. Great numbers of them migrated from Africa to Northern Russia, where it was called ‘The Butterfly of Doom’ because it first appeared in 1881, the year Tsar Alexander II was assassinated, and the markings on the underside of its two hind wings seem to read ’1881′. There is something interesting in the Red Admirable’s ability to travel so far” (Strong Opinions, p. 170).

According to Pale Fire‘s character — poet John Shade — the original Old English name for the butterfly was actually Red Admirable, which was later degraded to The Red Admiral. In the novel, Vanessa atalanta appears as Shade’s heraldic butterfly, as seen in the verses:

Come and be worshiped, come and be caressed,
My dark Vanessa, crimson-barred, my blest
My Admirable butterfly… (lines 269–271, p. 42–43)

Red Admiral Butterfly (Vanessa atalanta), Florida Wetlands

Nabokov’s favorite in the Florida wetlands

Red Admiral Butterfly (Vanessa atalanta), Florida Wetlands

A Red Admirable kindly displaying for the butterfly-chaser

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May 8

47 Comments

A Cormorant’s Dream

And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye. —Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Our cormorants are some of the most personable birds of the wetlands. As common as they may be in this area, they’re fascinating and sweet creatures.

Sleeping Cormorant, Florida Wetlands

Hello, sweet one

I caught this serene cormorant — or “shag” (referring to the bird’s crest, which is lacking in the British forms of the Great Cormorant) — as he was preparing for the evening in the local wetlands.

These medium-to-large coastal (rather than oceanic) seabirds are plentiful in southeastern Florida, and can often be seen diving for fish and other aquatic grub. After fishing, the cormorants dry their wings ashore in the sun and in the trees (similar to the cormorant-like anhingas), as their feathers don’t possess the waterproofing oil of other seabirds.

Preening Cormorant, Florida Wetlands

Preening time

Cormorant, Florida Wetlands

One last look to the setting sun

Sleeping Cormorant, Florida Wetlands

Nodding off

Sleeping Cormorant, Florida Wetlands

Snooze

Check out their beautiful and distinctive turquoise eyes that fade quickly after the breeding / nesting season.

Humans have long used trained cormorants to fish the waters of China, Japan, and Macedonia. Trained by fishermen, a snare is tied near the base of the bird’s throat, allowing the bird to swallow only small fish. When the bird captures and tries to swallow larger fish, the snare doesn’t allow the fish to be swallowed, and it becomes stuck in the bird’s throat. The cormorant is forced to return to the fisherman’s boat, where he helps the bird regurgitate the fish, removing it from its throat. Traditional cormorant fishing isn’t as common a method today — with the development of more efficient fishing methods — but it remains a tourist draw. However, the method is still practiced in some Japanese regions, and has continued uninterrupted for 1300 years in Gifu City, in Gifu Prefecture.

Apr 26

53 Comments

Happy Birthday, Mr. Audubon!

A true conservationist is a man who knows that the world is not given by his fathers, but borrowed from his children.

As I grew up I was fervently desirous of becoming acquainted with Nature.

But hopes are Shy Birds flying at a great distance seldom reached by the best of Guns. —John James Audubon

Happy birthday to one of the most intriguing figures of history, the French-American ornithologist, conservationist, naturalist, and painter. John James Audubon — a man whose influence is keenly felt to this day — documented countless American birds in his gorgeous and brilliant drawings. His masterpiece — the enormous (-sized) color-plate book, The Birds of America (1827–1839), is widely considered to be the finest ornithological and artistic works ever created.

Thank you, sir, and happy birthday!

Audubon, Great Egret, 1821

Audubon, Great Egret, 1821

Great Egret in Breeding Plumage, Florida Wetlands

Great Egret in Breeding Plumage, Florida Wetlands

Audubon, Louisiana Heron (Tricolored Heron)

Audubon, Louisiana Heron (Tricolored Heron)

Tricolored (Louisiana) Heron, Florida Wetlands

Tricolored (Louisiana) Heron, Florida Wetlands

Visit Florida Rambler to learn about his beautiful Key West home, where he stayed in 1832… Discovering 18 new species (well, to the Western world at least).

National Audubon Society Logo — The Great Egret in Flight (Courtesy of The National Audubon Society)

National Audubon Society Logo — The Great Egret in Flight (Courtesy of The National Audubon Society)

Mar 29

57 Comments

Hippity-Hoppity…

In honor of the upcoming Easter holiday, an Everglades bunny for you!

True to its name, the marsh rabbit is found in the marshes and swamps of the Eastern and Southern United States. Our marsh rabbits — not to be confused with the larger swamp rabbits of Alabama through Texas — are delicate little things. Those on the Florida peninsula, and in South Florida in particular, weigh only 2-3 pounds, reaching a total length of 17 inches. “Mainland” (non-Florida) marsh rabbits run noticeably larger.

Florida’s marsh rabbits have shorter ears, and smaller legs than the swamp rabbits and cottontails — and instead of a bushy, cottonball-tail, the tail forms a tuft. They’re also darker in coloration than eastern cottontails.

Marsh Rabbit, Florida Wetlands

Marsh rabbit on alert in the Florida wetlands

What’s so interesting about our marsh rabbits, as their name signifies, is their proclivity to water — swimming often and well, sometimes for long distances. It’s common to see them in the shallow waters of our wetlands scrounging for food (note the wet legs of the guy above). Another interesting feature of marsh rabbits is that they walk on all fours, like a cat — ensuring easy and swift negotiation of the dense marshes and the surrounding vegetation. Their preferred habitats are the brackish and freshwater marshes, mangrove swamps, and sandy islands. These rabbits must have access to water, remaining on high ground and in the thick vegetation for protection from predators including alligators, snakes, bobcats, foxes, coyotes, and birds of prey. They’re most active at dusk and at night, eating the abundant wetland and aquatic plants.

Marsh Rabbit, Florida Wetlands

There honestly couldn’t be anything more adorable than a Marsh rabbit baby. Just try.

They’re truly adorable little things…. And the baby marsh rabbits? Cuteness factor through the roof. I like to call them *all* swamp bunnies though, much to the chagrin of uptight naturalists who may be listening in on my insanity. But it’s hard not to envision fae around these critters, helping us occasionally close-minded humans love and appreciate their, and Nature’s beauty, all the more.

Marsh Rabbit, Florida Wetlands

Poor Marsh rabbit burr-face

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