The usual band of miscreants

It's been kind of a slow news time at the dome. Lazy days of summer. The grand kids have already gone back to school last week on August 10th!  Seems like they just got out.  But the good news is they will get out next year for Memorial Day. A few weeks ahead of when the rest of the world gets out of school and just before the Africa like heat starts.  I have a feeling we will be piling all sorts of adventures in a very short time.

And the sheep toads are back! So funny hearing them bleat out their message of love to anyone who will listen.  

Other than the toads it is the regular gang of miscreants. The other day a mom raccoon was showing her two babies the ropes as far as foraging. So cute to watch her and her babies explore the bird feeders, the areas I usually leave crumbs for the birds, the bird baths, a good climbing tree and the ponds. And as usual I wasn't fast enough with my camera.  Jim hates the raccoons as they are always messing up the pond, but they love it so.  You can't put a water park in your yard and not expect uninvited patrons.  That's just how it goes.

Our gopher tortoise seems to have moved to greener pastures. He didn't even stick around long enough for us to name him! Apparently our 4 plus acres wasn't big enough for him.  Hopefully he didn't wander into neighbor Ray's yard or his huge Tibetan Mastiff's would have have made turtle soup of him!  Let's hope he just moved.

Jim finally fixed our gate. That was a pain, having to get out of the car during a storm to open and close it.  This new gate opens from a greater distance but doesn't chime. The old one chimed with 5 beeps which the Mockingbirds loved to imitate! I walked to the gate once hearing it chime constantly and was worried to think it was malfunctioning. Turns out it was the Mockingbirds trying to talk to it! I wish I could train them to beep when this one opens, that would work.

As for me I am hanging in there.  I always feel better after swimming.  It really is the best exercise! And have been thoroughly enjoying the Olympics especially gymnastics and swimming!  I was thinking of Michael Phelps in my little pool. He would dive in and already be at the end of it before he even moves his arms!  It would be like the rest of us trying to swim in a hot tub. But I was so shocked to see Michael Phelps so exhausted after a swim he had to be lifted out of the pool! I feel your pain buddy.  Even the best of us all need a little help sometimes.  It is probably time for him to call it quits. His record of 23 gold Medals and 28 Total Olympic Medals should stand the test of time,  just in time for his son Boomer to take up the sport.  

Bats about Bats

Here at the dome we have a family of bats that entertain us every night at sundown.  At first there was just a couple, I decided to name them Edward and Bella. Now they have a third member I am assuming is their child. Her name ( of course) Renesmee.  Every night we sit in the screen dome and watch the bat Cirque Du soleil. There movements are hypnotic and amazing, diving, swooping, lightning fast turns!  What a show!  They really are fascinating little creatures.

There are those that are afraid of bats, hate them, etc.  Lets face it creatures that aren't conventional looking get a bad wrap, spiders, snakes, bats,etc.  But bats are very beneficial. A single brown bat can eat 1000 mosquitoes an hour! And other types of bats are the pollinators of several plants including banana trees and nut trees. The next time you eat a banana split thank a bat. I would suspect there aren't too many people who look upon them adoringly. They cause rabies don't they?! Yeah, no, not any more than any other mammal in fact you have a MUCH better chance of getting rabies from a raccoon, possum or skunk.  In fact it is pretty rare for a bat to contract rabies, but when one does we hear all about it. Sigh.

For a little while I worked for a little local chapter of  Bat Conservancy near John's Pass beach.  It was thrilling and I even got to feed one by hand! But alas now I am too far away from any chapter.

little brown bat at Bat conservancy

My sister was lucky enough to have an entire family living on her front porch under a giant thermometer!

My sister Bert's Bat. Look at those little toes, awwww

 I was a little jealous as I had a bat "house" and no bat came near it!  You can build it but they don't always come.  There is a gigantic bat house up in the northern part of the state that hardly any bat has gone near.  Embarrassing, but the thought was there.

One of the biggest supporters of bats is the Barcardi Rum company. They owe their lively hood in part to their iconic symbol of a bat with spread out wings. It is them and people who work for Bat conservancy http://www.floridabats.org/ whom I want to thank. The world would be much worse without the little creatures who work tirelessly to pollinate our trees and plants and kill disease riddled bugs!

What the Chambers of Commerce don't want you to know-Florida is a dangerous place!!

Sadly I read of yet another alligator attack. One last week had an adult male dangling from his mouth, now just yesterday an alligator grabbed a toddler and swam off with the baby while the parents frantically  struggled to get him back. As of this writing they are still looking for the little boy.  So incredibly devastating, I can't imagine the horror that will live in those parents minds forever! The family was from the mid-west and I'm sure didn't know that in Florida we have alligators EVERYWHERE! They are literally in every body of fresh water, golf course ponds ( making that water hazard way more hazardous)and including at times uncaged swimming pools! Even sanitized Disney World isn't free of them.  They are numerous and a protected species.  Unfortunately we are not fully protected from "them". We who live here and are aware know not to go close to fresh water, to always be on the lookout. Even if it doesn't "look like" there is an alligator in the lake or pond, there most likely is.

They are opportunistic killers, mainly going after pray that doesn't look like it would put up much of a fight.  Although they can bring down an adult human or a full grown deer or horse fairly easily.  These creatures are living dinosaurs, eating machines with no thought of compassion beyond caring for their own babies.  The term crocodile tears comes from the crocodile's eyes watering while it eats its pray.  It's certainly not upset it's just a  reflex action.

My thoughts are with the family of that precious little boy, can't imagine their pain.

The rest of this blog is about other dangers in Florida that maybe many aren't aware of.

Be afraid of the water---be very afraid

Other water hazards. Besides the alligators and down at the most southern part of the state crocodiles, we have sting rays and sharks.  Florida is number one in the country for shark attacks, mostly on the north east Atlantic coast of Florida.  While the Gulf coast is littered with sting rays. These gentle creatures pack a punch in their tail stingers!  We know to do the "sting ray shuffle" to get in the water during sting ray season. Shuffling our feet along the sand to scare them away. Honestly I don't know when that season ends as they seem to be here all the time.  Steve Irwin the crocodile hunter died from a sting ray sting.  The pain from the sting is unbearable. My husband can tell you that first hand, he said it felt like a Gout attack!  I can imagine Steve wanting to take away that pain and pulled out the stinger, thus causing his death. Had he left the stinger in chances are very good that he would still be with us.  There is an elderly man (80+) who learned that last lesson that Steve taught us. He was also stung in the heart. He went immediately to the ER. They did an echo gram and saw the stinger working it's way through his heart with every heart beat!  They then performed open heart surgery and he made a full recovery!  It is best to go to the ER with one of those stings, lesson learned.

Florida now is over run with Lion Fish, a gorgeous exotic that escaped during one of our numerous hurricanes. Their deadly spikes keep them safe from predators all the while they happily decimate our native species! If you catch one while fishing please don't release it back! Kill it, filet it or call the Fish and Game commission!  http://www.myfwc.com/fishing/saltwater/recreational/lionfish/events/  

As if alligators in fresh water weren't bad enough there can also be flesh eating bacteria.  
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/deadly-flesh-eating-bacteria-kills-two-florida-warm-water-beach-threat/48864465

Actually I leaned something I had no idea the other ways you could contract flesh eating bacteria, thought it was only in standing fresh water. You learn something new every day.

Things that sting...

In addition to the dangerous insect every one else has including the new Zika induced Mosquitoes
according to this map, Florida is one of the hardest hit.
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/06/13/official-map-finds-zika-transmitting-mosquitoes-in-much-us.html

We also have 4 species of Scorpions, killer bees,  and fire ants.  Although Scorpions are not poisonous if you read my other blog," Attack of the Scorpion king" you would know that they hurt LIKE HELL!!  And yes we have killer bees a standing joke on old SNL shows with John Belushi being one of them with antennae that he could never seem to control. But they have been responsible for a few deaths in Florida so I thought I would mention it. And for spiders, the "itsy bitsy spider" from another blog, the venomous Fiddle back Brown recluse as well as the Black Widow. Now any spider can bite but a bite from either of these will send a person to the hospital. The Brown Recluse has the same "type" of venom as a Rattler as in it can deform and rot tissue.

Brown recluse bite damage

Things that slither...

If there is one thing Florida has lots of it's snakes.  Approximately 65 species of snakes ( hard to get an accurate count) and 6 of those being poisonous. Which include three species of rattlesnake: Canebrake, Pygmy and Eastern Diamond back, the LARGEST of all the poisonous snakes in Florida.  The others are the Cottonmouth or Water Moccasin , the Copper Head and the infamous Coral Snake a near relative of the King Cobra known as the only snake that can kill an elephant.  Florida is number 1 in snake bites, mainly from people who like snakes picking them up and not knowing what they are capable of. Example the evil girl villain in Superman II picking up the rattler as it was "so interesting".  An honest mistake sometimes as the deadly Coral snake resembles the very beneficial Scarlet king Snake. That's where the poem comes in " Red touch black, friend to Jack, black touch yellow kill a fellow.' Or an easier one, black head you're dead.  Who wants to remember a confusing rhyme?  The Coral snake has a black face which touches yellow. Case closed.

Close up of a Coral Snake. 

And now slithering their way up north to a back yard near you the Pythons.  They recently held a contest to kill them and the count was 150 dead which made the people very happy. Me not so much, when you consider ONE female can lay 100 eggs they killed approximately one and a half pythons! A tiny drop in the bucket to say the least.  Meanwhile pets are disappearing, and the adorable Key Deer along with them who is certainly no match for this gargantuan killer!  God help us if it is ever a child but I can say with honesty that day will come.

http://pythonchallenge.org/

There's a cloud up in the sky stormy weather...

As every one is aware we get more hurricanes than any other state. Well actually not true, Texas gets just as many yet they have no issues with getting insurance. Hum...  Anyway we get more than our share.  Something we natives live with and take for granted. If fact usually the weather men/women build it up so much that we get all brazen " bring it on weather bitch"!  Only to have it fizzle out and hit somewhere else.  But we still get way too many.

We are also number one in Lightning deaths!  The Tampa Bay area ( 6 counties) has more lightning deaths than any other place! It's the reason why our Hockey Team is called the Lightning.  We know to run and hide when one is coming and that if you can "hear it" you can be "struck by it".

But many I'm sure don't know we are number one in Tornadoes!  How can that be we are no where near the tornado alley.  Yup, we get more than anyone. The only difference is we only get F1 and F2s, and rarely an F3. Never, so far knock on wood, an F4 or F5.  Tornado alley gets the "hand of God " ones.  But as weather patterns become increasingly weirder maybe we will too. Never say never.

We're number one, we're number one-unfortunately 

Yup, Florida is number one in so many things! None of them good. Number one in: snake bites, dog bites, lightning deaths, child pool drownings,  skin cancer, pedestrian deaths, bike deaths, tornadoes,shark attacks etc.  Also number one for tourism, which is only good for the hospitality industry.  And brings millions of people here from everywhere around the globe to visit Mickey and his magic land, or to swim at our world class beaches. But tourist beware it can be a dangerous place, keep little ones close, use common sense and be aware of your surroundings at all times.

Death of a Monarch

As I said in an earlier blog we have had a mini Monarch and Queen Butterfly (mostly Queens) breeding program.  We rarely get the Monarch caterpillars at our woods and it is a thrill when one drops by.

Recently we were so excited to see three fat Monarch Caterpillars munching away on our Milk Weeds.  They looked so fat, healthy and happy that is until disaster struck.  We found one dead at the bottom of a milk-weed, curled up with ants covering him. His friend we found at the bottom of another milk-weed black and shriveled.  What was happening?!  We had no idea. The third one we took into the screen dome on a potted milkweed where we could watch it more closely.  I looked away for a few minutes and he vanished!  I looked everywhere! " Maybe he climbed into one of the dome girders", I thought to myself.

We have had other disastrous hatch-lings in the past.  One butterfly was missing an antennae, but she seemed okay and eventually flew off. Another had one wing that couldn't open and it kept flying in circles.  Upsetting to say the least.  The worse was one that I referred to as " The Elephant Man Butterfly".  No description needed, suffice it to say that a lizard made sure it didn't live long.  When I hear about the decline of the Monarchs nation wide I think of just the few dozen we have bred which had a small percentage of deformities. You would think the miraculous butterfly lives in a perfect world. Even his world is fraught with danger and cruel twists of fate. Mother Nature can be a heartless bitch!

Trying not to think about them and their demise when Jim yelled at me the other day to come quick!   A gorgeous Monarch was drying out his beautiful wings at the inside top of the screen dome! The missing one did build in the girder! That kept him safe from weather and critters, how brilliant!!

Jim carefully collected him in a butterfly net and I'm happy to report he flew off to the top of a tree with his perfect wings!

Our one successful Monarch

The little snake who came to visit

Jim was working at the computer the other day when all of a sudden a baby black Racer snake peered at him over the computer monitor. Cue snake charmer music!  I don't know who was more surprised Jim or the snake!  The snake seemed very interested in what this human was doing.  And for a brief second they had a staring contest. Jim shouted, "we have a black racer in the house"!  I thought it was exciting but I'm sure most people would have a very different reaction!  After my training as a docent at a zoo where I frequently had to handle snakes I grew to respect them, they do have unique personalities regardless of what people may think of them. The little guy jumped down from the computer desk and was slithering towards our bedroom  (him slithering across our bellies at 2 AM would not have been a pleasant awakening) when we set up a blockade.  He then doubled back and headed for the screen dome.  He had dust all over his face and was shaking his tale wildly at Jim, I'm sure afraid for his life.  Jim carefully picked him up in a butterfly net, then deposited him by the pond. He quickly swam across the pond which must have felt very refreshing after getting all dusty. We have no idea how he got in but we made sure all the doors were closed tightly. Not exactly the type of "little visitor" we wanted or expected.  Hopefully after seeing what a human lives in he will stick to the great outdoors!

Little Racer in the screen dome

Memorial Day Miracles

Patriotic display

My dad home on leave with his sister Jane

My 90 year old dad remembers WWII like it was yesterday and we have enjoyed and marveled at his numerous stories.

My daughter Tara and her husband Kevin

As we get set to honor Memorial Day and our military dead,  I can't help but think how incredibly lucky my family has been to have participated in nearly every war and all family members came home alive. That seems truly miraculous.  Some lost all their family so we feel blessed with good fortune and are very grateful.

Our family military deployed in war time:

Kevin Dumais: Iraq and Afghanistan

Tara Dumais:  Bosnia (twice) and Iraq

Kevin's dad Don:  Vietnam

Uncles Sonny and Bobby Gilbert:  Korea

Aunt Trudy and Uncle Lloyd: WWII

Dad WWII: Lst 734 in the pacific during the war and The Destroyer USS Stewart after

Clinton Tucker: WWI - Calvary

Daniel Gilbert: WWI

Moses Hoskins and William Hamlin:  Civil War-Northern side

Lewis H. York:  War of 1812

Nathaniel Gilbert : Revolutionary War

Kermit gets "busy"

Tadpoles

Every morning we have our coffee in the huge screen dome and turn on the pond waterfall and gristmill. This morning we noticed something new in the pond and found out we are grandparents to at least 500 tadpoles!  Our little pond is brimming with life!  Not only with Kermit, but now all his progeny!

Proud poppa

Of course we are "blaming" Kermit but he could very well be innocent as many species of frogs and tadpoles use ponds for mating. We know there is at least two tree frogs living in the gristmill. And every spring we are serenaded by Sheep toads who sound exactly like their name implies! The first time we heard them we were startled and looked around the yard for lost sheep! We couldn't believe a small toad was making that sound!    

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHMjSYR6h_U

Our little ponds have dozens of mud minnows, many snails and 5 lucky goldfish who have survived the raccoon's nightly raids.  Our own little ecosystem!