365 Urban Species will return--after this.

A person visiting the Caribbean as a tourist is likely to indulge in a number of activities. They will bask in the tropical sunshine and swim in the clear turquoise water. They may snorkel about the coral or walk along soft white and pink beaches by day and sip rum drinks by night. But will the tourist take note of the wildlife around them? Of course they'll see the birds by the water, and the dazzling reef fish below their sailboats, and they may enjoy the sights and smells of colorful flowering trees and vines planted around the resorts and hotels.

But a typical Caribbean tourist may notice other wildlife in their vacation surroundings. Being the tropics, there are insects, of every size from microscopic to heroic. Richly flowered landscapes feed nectar-loving creatures, and the insects feed an array of birds and reptiles. Wildlife that doesn't appear in tourist brochures, from mosquitoes to feral pigs, makes up the majority of the island fauna. Outside of the fenced developments wild plants cope with an assault of countless loose livestock animals, and only the hardiest can thrive.

There are cities small and large throughout the West Indies, but by a certain definition, nearly all of the land can be considered urban. The landscape has been drastically altered since the time of Columbus, when the first goats and pigs--and unintentionally, rats--were set loose on the islands. The succeeding centuries saw intense agricultural use, monocultures of tobacco and then sugar, driven by imported human slave labor. Only in the twentieth century did the tourist trade develop, and the concept of island paradise swept through the Antilles. To Europeans and North Americans, the Caribbean appears to be an unspoiled natural playground of sun and sand. Step away from the palm tree and sunset image and the natural landscape is closer in ecology to any long-settled suburb.

The pleasure for me visiting Antigua, beyond the obvious delights of warm air and water, gorgeous uncrowded beaches, and rum by the pool, is seeing the natural history of an unfamiliar environment. Like in North America, many species have been eliminated and extirpated, many before they even had the chance to be described. And likewise, a few species that were once small in number were pre-adapted to the ecology that came with human development. These few are worth understanding and appreciating. These are the species we share the future with--those animals and plants that can thrive in our cities and neighborhoods, alongside our livestock and crops, hotels and bars.

A little more than a week was what I had, and I'll post one species from Antigua for each day I missed. Each day I'll also keep up with the project; April and May promise to offer more choices than previous months. As usual, the best photographs come from cottonmanifesto, but I couldn't keep my hands off my camera either, so I'll post some of those as well.

Later today I'll get back to it, but in the meanwhile, here's some of the landscape for you to enjoy:
( click for panorama )

365 Urban Species. #104: Oleander

Urban species #104: Oleander Nerium oleander

Throughout the age of exploration, passing sailors would leave livestock on islands, allowing the animals to go feral and breed, to be harvested on subsequent trips. Usually pigs and goats were used for this purpose, relatively quick-breeding animals that can make use of almost any food source. Goats, in particular, are well-reknown for eating nearly any plant or plant fibers. Their legacy is the extinction of native plants and herbivores (such as several subspecies of Galapagos tortoises) from Pacific, Caribbean and East Indian islands.

On Antigua, there are still herds of feral goats, as well as roaming sheep, horses, and cattle, all set out to graze in the villages and the countryside. Landscapers must resort to the thorniest desert plants and those plants bearing the most goat-resistant toxins. The oleander shrub, native to the Mediterranean region, and across subtropical Eurasian, is the most consistent choice on the island. Oleander produces profuse white or pink blossoms, and can survive the often arid conditions on Antigua. It also is one of the most poisonous plants available to the Caribbean landscaper. Its toxic properties persist even when the plant is dried out, and there are apparently reports of poisonings resulting from the use of an oleander branch as a marshmallow roasting stick.

365 Urban Species. #113: Eastern Subterranean Termite

photos by cottonmanifesto

Eastern subterranean termite. Reticulitermes flavipes

Researching termites I find that the problem of termite infestations in houses in New England is very serious, at least in the opinion of the pest control industry. One Massachusetts-based exterminator's website helpfully provides the alarming fact that there are more than 2000 species of termites worldwide. It omits, however, the fact that there is only one species found in the northeast. The eastern subterranean termite is a relatively fragile creature, requiring moist conditions to avoid dessication. Doubtless there have been cases where they have infested homes in New England, but they are few and far between. Nationwide, the professionals tell us, termites cause as much structural damage as fire, but very little of this damage can be blamed on northeastern populations of eastern subterranean termites. I have only found termites in Boston underneath damp rotten logs.

Termites are the only social insects that aren't related to ants and bees. While sterile adults make up an ant or bee colony, termite workers and soldiers are sexually immature youngsters. In this stage the insects are white and sightless. Their appetite for wood is infamous, but it should be recognized as the remarkable adaptation that it is. Thanks to a symbiosis with single-celled organisms that live in their digestive system, they can make use of a food source unavailable to almost all other living things.
( soldier termite at upper left )