People are often surprised to find that I don’t like to
swim. Considering I was born and raised in South Florida
it shouldn’t be a surprise. When the ocean is warm enough to swim in it, the
air is disgustingly hot and humid. In the winter when Florida
Aquatic wildlife species have it tough when it comes to
waterways choked with Water Lettuce (Pistia stratiotes). The floating
plant, which is often found in Bald Cypress swamps, grows vegetatively as well
as sexually and can blanket the surface of fresh waterways. It looks like a
head of lettuce growing on the water and has the green vibrancy of a week-dead
treefrog trapped between my sliding and screen door.
There is debate as to the origin of the plant’s native
status in the United States
with some saying it was introduced from the ballast of ships coming from Africa
or South America . Native or otherwise, it is
considered a noxious weed in many U.S.
Water Lettuce makes life tough for the Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps), a freshwater diver that seeks crayfish, fish and aquatic
insects. Not only does the Water Lettuce block the light and limit visibility
for diving birds, it also prevents the growth of other plants, leading to the
reduction of nutrients and biological diversity.
For the carnivorous American
Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis),
there’s no chance in partaking of a salad but I have watched gator pups lounge
about on several heads of water lettuce like they were tubing down a slow-flowing
river. Sounds like fun, but still no chance of me going in that water.
Green-backed Heron
Pied-billed Grebe
Glossy Ibis
Mottled Duck 
Common Moorhen
Blue-winged Teal
Purple Gallinule
And an Alligator in the Duckweed
