One of the noticeable effects of the Florida big freeze in January was that it took out all my Butterflies. I had them visiting everyday in the garden then after the freeze nothing.
I was real happy to see this female Monarch show up on my Mexican Sunflower blooms.
How do I know it is a female? Cause the males have two large black spots on their back wings.
I have really learned a lot about my resident butterfly's and can identify several on sight now.
As a reward for my learnin' this butterfly even posed a while for me to get her picture taken. Another sure clue that she is a female.
It seems like the long extended January freeze here in Florida has really done a lot of damage within the state.
The Governor here Charlie Crist sought a federal disaster declaration for 67 county's. The Florida crop damage is still being assessed and won't be known until March or April. It is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions.
That wont help the average gardener who lost their plants unless you had them insured. In Florida there is over three billion in insurance coverage on crops and 831 million coverage on nursery's. The losses are still being added up.
But besides the damage to the plants here the wildlife has taken a big hit also.
In the Everglades the South Florida authorities have documented 70 North American Crocodiles killed by the cold.
Also 60 Manatee's were found dead from the cold . When the water gets under 68 degrees they experience cold shock that can be fatal.
Across the state over 4,500 green sea turtles washed up on the beaches . When the temp gets below 50 degrees the Turtles go into shock and start floating. The good news is most of the turtles were rescued by the Fish wildlife Conservation Commission and volunteers. They were thawed back out and released .
The fish population was hammered also with fish floating up to the surface days after the freeze. It has killed so many Snook here that the FWC has closed the fishing season on Snook until September when they will reevaluate if it will reopen. Many other Fish were also effected in the state.
The Freeze in January has also killed quite a bit of living coral on our reefs ex specially in the Keys. Our Florida barrier reef is the only living barrier reef in the United States and a priceless treasure.
The weather has caused losses to a lot of folk's throughout the state as well as to our wildlife and reefs.
But there are signs that things are coming back slowly.
Many of the folk's in the gardening blogs that I read indicate they are replacing the lost plants and starting afresh. A good indicator of renewal.
Here in my own garden I found this Lantana plant blooming . After the freeze its leaves turned purple and I thought it was done for but it is back to being green again and is now blooming.
And the butterflies that disappeared are starting to return. Hopefully a positive sign. Welcome back.
---Sanddune----
Wow ... the freeze certainly took its toll on plants and animals alike. Good to see that the butterflies are returning ... nice photos. Over here Lantana is classed as a noxious weed because almost nothing stops its growth and spread ... so I'm not surprised it's come through. I do hope the rest of your garden has come through with minimal loss.
ReplyDeleteI'm watching a segment on the mass deaths of manatees in South Florida. I just happened to be in Ft. Lauderdale for the "Big Freeze". I couldn't believe the cold.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing of nature bounces back. Seeing the lantana and butterfly warmed me up.
Four inches of snow falling as I write.
What a great summary of the cold spell! Thats a real shame with the crocodiles since there are so few of them to begin with, and the sea turtles... I'm very into sea turtles so its a good thing i took that news sitting down. Did you guys know that dogs in the miami area are getting sick from eating all the rotting iguanas? Strange days these are...
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the butterflies are returning to your garden, but so sad about all the wildlife. Whenever there is a natural disaster the focus is usually on the human toll, as it should be. But I always think about the animals, too. I am grateful that nature is resilient.
ReplyDeleteWow, and here I was thinking that it would reduce the population of bad bugs like mosquitoes! I never realised how many tropical wildlive would suffer. How sad!
ReplyDeleteIt's sad to hear of all the devastating effects on Florida's wildlife. I had heard the non-native snakes in the Everglades and the iguana populations were dealt a blow and that's positive. We tend to worry about our plants and forget about all the wildlife. Thanks for this info.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to see the butterflies returning! I noticed many frog and lizard carcasses after the cold spell. I was sad. Although we do not have a shortage of these little creatures, I like them. Of course, my arch enemy, the fire ant, seems undisturbed by the cold. Grrrrr!
ReplyDeleteI've seen a couple of butterflies in my garden again...especially with the honeysuckle, lantana, mexican petunia, kalanchoe and blanket flower...thank God for these hardy blooms!
Found your garden through the Central Florida Gardener site. Glad to know that the butterflies are coming back to your garden! My garden is very close to Miramar, so I will come back to visit your garden more often because we have almost same climate, and I am sure I can use more knowledges from my fellow gardeners :)
ReplyDeleteI just added your link to my bloglist.
Welcome to stop by my garden as well at http://sefloridagardenevolvement.blogspot.com/.
Bernie,
ReplyDeleteSouth Florida is semi-tropical but is not used to an extended freeze. In January it was 14 days straight where the plants and wildlife are used to mayby a overnight freeze then warmer weather.The effects of the extended freeze can be seen throughout the entire state.
By the way thanks for stopping by my blog. I get lots of gardening info from Australia as it is a lot like South Florida only six months different. I look forward to checking your blogs when I get back home. OOT right now.
Jim,
ReplyDeleteWith all the snow you have been having in NC lately Ft. Lauderdale seems like a good place to thaw out some yourself.All the times I have been up in Dunn NC it never to my recollection snowed there.They did have some bonechilling days though.
Rainforest G.,
ReplyDeleteI like the sea turtles also.From what I have read when they get so cold the go into a suspended state and just float unable to swim. They were washing up on the beaches all over Florida. Most were saved is the good news.
The Iguana's fall out of the trees here quite often when it gets really cold. As reptiles they cannot produce their own warmth. I guess they can't escape the dogs then. The local paper advised just to sit them back in a sunny spot until they come back around.
Deborah,
ReplyDeleteI can see Alabama is getting their share of the winter weather this year also. Nature is resilient and will come back that is the good news.
Gillian,
ReplyDeleteAlas, the Mosquitoes around these parts are really tough. Just as soon as the rainy season starts back so will they.
Susan,
ReplyDeleteThe non-native Burmese Python in the everglades are quite a threat to the native birds and animals. They were dumped there by irresponsible people who had them as pets once they grew to large to handle. I think the Florida Legislature has proposed a law prohibiting their sale here now.If it passes maybe this coupled with the freeze deaths will help to get them under control. They have colonized this wild area and are a major predator now. They can grow up to 19 feet and weigh 200 pounds.One Bermese Python killed a 2 year old child after getting out of it's cage.Preserving the everglades has enough problems without these guys.
Kimberly,
ReplyDeleteI have an ant invasion going on also. It is just that time of year in Florida.Since I no longer choose to use pesticides it is especially bad.But that is the price for moving towards a natural organic garden. Gives me motivation to study and find other methods to control them. Glad to hear that your butterflies are returning also.
Ami,
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by and yes I will be visiting your blog. Good local info is hard to find and South Florida is such an unusual climate with its own rules.