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Tag: Sandi Staton wildlife photographer

Nature’s Reflections – Eastern Indigo Snake

A RARE, YET BENEFICIAL FRIEND TO HAVE AROUND

 

While it may make one’s heart jump at first sight, the Eastern indigo snake (Drymarchon corais couperi) is harmless and beneficial. This rare snake plays an important role in Florida’s delicate ecosystem. The record length is 104 inches. Yes, that’s 8 foot, 8 inches. It is the largest of the native nonvenomous snakes found in North America and is federally protected. It has been classified as a threatened species in Florida since 1971. It is illegal (a third-degree felony) to harm, handle, harass or possess the indigo snake.

 

The main reason for the indigo’s decline is habitat loss. With a documented range of 400 to 1,400 acres, indigos need relatively large areas of undeveloped land to flourish. Indigos are not restricted to sand habitats. They are commonly found around ponds, cabbage palm and hardwood hammocks.

 

Indigos are more black than blue with smooth, shiny scales and a reddish chin and throat. Its young are lighter in color and have a faint banded pattern. This reptile often seeks a sheltered refuge such as gopher tortoise or armadillo burrows and holes in stumps. These dens are used for egg laying, shedding and protection from temperature extremes. Indigos breed from October to February. Four to 12 eggs are laid in May or June, but do not hatch until August or September. Indigo hatchlings are usually about 16 inches long.

 

Indigo snakes feed heavily on frogs and other snakes. Indigos are immune to venom, which allows it to eat rattlesnakes and pit vipers as well as rodents and small prey. Its large size and strong jaws enable it to eat its prey live.

 

This snake is vulnerable to highway mortality, feral pigs, pollutants and killing by uninformed persons. Indigos may not be kept as pets, picked up, collected or sold per Florida Statute.

 

If you’re lucky enough to see an Eastern indigo, take a moment to appreciate its usefulness and let it be. It may give you a fright, but it is not aggressive and quite harmless. It is an important and beneficial segment of Florida’s wildlife.

 

Column & photos by Sandi Staton – sandi.staton@gmail.com

 

Read the full Nature’s Reflections article in the November 2018 SECO News online.

Nature’s Reflections – Butterflies

THE GRACEFUL, CROWNING TOUCH TO ANY GARDEN

 

Some are as big as your hand, while others could fit on the head of a tack. Regardless of size, butterflies are creatures of beauty that are a joy to watch. According to entomologists, there are 200 species of butterflies and moths with breeding populations in Florida. Many others visit or migrate through our State.

 

The most successful butterfly habitat includes plants which meet the needs of butterflies during all four stages of their life cycle: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis and adult. After mating, female butterflies search for the perfect host plant on which to lay their eggs. Not just any plant will do, and native plants are favorites. Females must find a plant that will provide food for their young who emerge as caterpillars with voracious appetites and survive on leaves of the host plant. Most caterpillars have defenses other than coloration. Some hide in curled leaves or silk webbing, while others emit an odor that is repulsive to an enemy.

 

A caterpillar’s best defense is quick growth, escaping would-be predators by shedding skin to change into a chrysalis. It quickly attaches to plant stems protected by surrounding vegetation. Inside the chrysalis, the adult butterfly is formed by metamorphosis and emerges to sip the sweet nectar from Florida’s flowers.

 

Time from egg to adult is five weeks. Adults lead a life of leisure, eating, mating, laying eggs, sleeping, and of course, escaping predators. Enemies of these gorgeous, day-flying insects are primarily human creations – vehicles, pesticides and parking lots. Others fall prey to disease and natural predators. Ants, particularly fire ants, along with other insects, arachnids (spiders) and birds are among the major predators of butterfly eggs and caterpillars.

 

Adult butterflies are capable of traveling considerable distances. During the fall, monarchs travel from southern Canada to central Mexico. In Florida, the monarch is not the only long-distance traveler. From August to mid-October, huge numbers of cloudless sulphurs, long-tailed skippers, common buckeyes, gulf fritillaries, clouded skippers and others come south with the rest of the snowbirds to spend the winter in Florida.

 

Column & photos by Sandi Staton – sandi.staton@gmail.com

 

Read the full Nature’s Reflections article in the October 2018 SECO News online.

Nature’s Reflections – Right Tree – Right Place

Right Tree – Right Place Make all the Difference

 

Like real estate, it’s all about the location. As many have witnessed firsthand during one of Florida’s thunderstorms, tropical storms, or hurricanes whether a tree becomes a blessing or a curse depends a lot on its location. Storms, trees and power lines do not mix. Falling limbs and trees are SECO’s second leading cause of power outages and they can cause severe, costly damage to homes as well.

 

Around homes and work places, trees work as natural barriers for climate control. Plant trees strategically to provide shade in the summer and act as a natural barrier against cold winds in winter. Planting deciduous trees to the south, southwest or west side of buildings offers summer shade. Trees planted on the north and west sides can block winter winds and reduce heating costs.

 

Trees add beauty to the landscape, provide shelter for wildlife, create a playground for children and clean the air we breathe. The most direct impact trees have on us as human beings is the conversion of carbon dioxide into oxygen. It has been said that one mature tree, in just one growing season, provides oxygen equivalent to that required by one adult for a year.

SECO Energy Nature's Reflections Trees are Natural Climate Control

 

Plan before you plant. Do not plan during summer’s heat – use this time to design your planting scheme for when the weather cools. It’s important to do your homework before making a selection. Decide what size, shape, location, and type of tree you want and its characteristics. Does it drop leaves or have little seedlings coming up all over? Is it brittle, does it become hollow or has invasive root systems that may interfere with underground utilities or clog septic systems?

 

Research the tree’s possible height when mature – never plant tall trees near overhead power lines. During storms, limbs may break or the tree falls completely, causing extensive damage or outages. Once a tree has grown into an energized line, it can conduct electricity and become a safety hazard. Consequently, trees that have grown into the power lines must be trimmed to maintain a safe clearance and prevent outages. Once trees are cut out of the right-of-way, they never look as good as those planted well away from the power lines. Shorter varieties should always be used around utilities. Many shorter trees also flower, attracting hummingbirds and butterflies.

 

The right tree in the right place adds beauty and can be enjoyed for years to come.

 

Column & photos by Sandi Staton – sandi.staton@gmail.com

 

Read the full Nature’s Reflections article in the September 2018 SECO News online.

Nature’s Reflections – Florida’s Burrowing Owl

A pint-sized owl that’s active both day and night

 

The burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia floridana) is one of our smallest owls, standing just nine inches tall with a wingspan of 21 inches. Unlike other owls, this owl is a ground dweller, preferring open fields and prairie-type areas well away from trees. It spends most of its time on the ground foraging or guarding its burrow which is where it gets its name. Camouflaged brown plumage helps it blend into its surroundings. It has bright yellow eyes, but no ear tufts and longer legs. This raptor needs open fields and short, herbaceous ground cover, like pastures, golf courses, or agricultural fields. It can be spotted during the daytime standing erect and on guard at the mouth of its burrow or perched on a fence post. Once disturbed, the owl clucks or chatters its displeasure and bobs its head in agitation. Burrowing owls often fly in a wavy, up and down fashion as if negotiating an invisible obstacle course. It can also hover in mid-air – an effective technique used for capturing prey. Florida’s warm climate provides this owl with plenty of its favorite foods: grasshoppers, beetles, mole crickets, small rodents, earthworms, lizards, frogs, toads, snakes, etc.

 

Florida Burrowing Owl imageIn Florida, burrows are used year-round. While the owls sometimes use gopher tortoise or armadillo burrows, most pairs excavate their own, which may extend four to eight feet underground. Burrows are lined with grass clippings, animal feces and decorative pieces of shell, feathers or trash.

 

Nesting begins in the fall and peaks in the spring. Four to ten unmarked white eggs are laid over a one-week period. Three to four weeks later, hatchlings are born covered with grayish-white down and eyes closed. Chicks emerge from the burrow after two weeks. Although proficient fliers at six weeks, chicks typically do not leave their parents until about 12 weeks old.

 

Both the eggs and young are at risk to predators, snakes, opossums, raccoons and skunks. Nests may be lost or
destroyed by construction activities, malicious destruction by people, or by flooding during heavy rains. This owl is classified as “Threatened” by the Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission primarily due to the loss of native habitat. Burrowing owls and their eggs are protected from harassment and/or disturbance by state law and protected by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

 

Column & photos by Sandi Staton – sandi.staton@gmail.com

 

Read the full Nature’s Reflections article in the April 2018 SECO News online.