Islamorada - 3/4

[Mark Walker]

I was just thinking about the evening I spent recently reclining in a beach
lounge chair and watching a spectacular lightening show in the skies above
Islamorada (just south of Key Largo, FL).  When the rain came, it came in
buckets.  And sheets.  Sheets and buckets.  There's nothing quite like the
skies of South Florida (except, of course, the skies above Cuba, and Puerto
Rico, and every other tropical island - but then that sort of ruins my
point).  I was stationed in Florida years ago while in the U.S. Navy, and
I've never gotten over the skies there.  So - here I was again, laid back on
a (plastic) lawn chair with the sky bright from flashing electricity and the
waters off Islamorada surprisingly tame.  What a life. 

Incidentally, I guess this would be private property.  No moths on this
night, although I did find a plump polka-dotted wasp moth larva crawling
across the Outback Restaurant parking lot.  Fancy tufted little thing.  No
wonder it grows up to be so colorful - spending all it's immaturity eating
poisonous plants.  I'll avoid telling the tragic story of my dear friends
that lost both of their adopted children to this little guy's foodplant.

BTW - the croton is doing very well on Big Pine Key - on both public and
private property.  The Florida Leafwing was on the wing - and ovipositing
like a big dog - er, leafwing - on this plant.  Not many Strymon acis
bartrami, but lots of blues.  Lots of other bugs, but I'll spare you the
details.

I drove all the way to Key West on this trip.  I don't do that very often -
and that's how I ended up on the beach at Islamorada.  No sense in driving
all the way back to the mainland when there's perfectly good private
property right at your toetips.  

Mark Walker
presently at the Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas

 
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