Author Topic: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?  (Read 77758 times)

3rdgrey

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #300 on: May 31, 2021, 11:26:07 AM »
Im in Okeechobee.  There's every animal native Florida plus the invaders. I have herds of wild hogs. Owls, eagles and hawks are awesome! They help get ride of the pests- rabbits are a big problem. They eat everything except mango plants. Same with the deer. Deer even ate my citrus plants! Good thing mangos are in the sumac family I believe.

roblack

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #301 on: May 31, 2021, 11:34:20 AM »
I have Hummingbirds nest in my sapodilla and lime trees and they come back the following year to use the next again.







Hummingbird nest pics rock! Great find, one of my fav birds.

We feed them, yet to see a nest.

sc4001992

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #302 on: May 31, 2021, 03:07:56 PM »
Yes, Hummingbird nest are neat. I didn't know they like to make their nest so close to the ground. The one on the sapodilla tree is about 3 ft off the ground so I try not to get any water on them when I water my yard. When it rained here these babies in the lime tree nest were getting wet so I had to build a pseudo umbrella using a car sunshade (it worked).



roblack

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #303 on: May 31, 2021, 03:13:38 PM »
you are awesome, a god to hummingbirds

sc4001992

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #304 on: May 31, 2021, 03:45:45 PM »
wife said I was crazy doing it in the rain.

fruitlovers

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #305 on: May 31, 2021, 08:00:22 PM »
Great shots! Didn't know hummingbirds recycled their nests. What kind of material are the nests made from?
Oscar

sc4001992

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #306 on: June 01, 2021, 02:17:38 AM »
Oscar, I don't know what material but it seems to be very fine material. You can see a few more photos I took of the nest on the Lime tree(1st photo) and the Sapodilla tree(2nd & 3rd). This is the second year they laid eggs on the nest on the Sapodilla tree (3ft off the ground). Last year the babies grew up and left the nest. This year I may have accidentally watered the eggs and the mother may not be sitting on it now.





FV Fruit Freak

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #307 on: June 01, 2021, 11:05:57 AM »
“I found my thrill...on blueberry hill...”

Two monarchs havin a little fun on the blueberry bush



Nate

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #308 on: June 01, 2021, 11:21:19 AM »

Great pics everyone!! I have to say the Humming bird nests are the best, super cool find and to get awesome pics is even better. We used to see them here once in a blue moon, but I cannot remember the last time I have seen them. I even put a humming bird feeder and never saw a single one use it, it's been many years.

You guys with the Giant Anole lizards and iguanas in your trees, I would have a heart attack if I saw either of those in my yard, especially my mango trees! Yikes, those guys scare me  :o

sc4001992

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #309 on: June 02, 2021, 05:05:20 PM »
Since you liked the hummingbird photos, here's some of the baby that still hangs around the nest in the lime tree. It's nice since they like to catch/eat small flying bugs on the window/walls of the house.










sc4001992

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #310 on: June 05, 2021, 05:02:08 AM »
I was planning to harvest some loquat seeds but didn't get to it yesterday. Something got into it before me.
















I had my pellet gun ready, but after taking these photos, just couldn't use it on him. Instead I gave him some loquats to eat.




zands

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #311 on: June 05, 2021, 11:03:17 PM »
I was planning to harvest some loquat seeds but didn't get to it yesterday. Something got into it before me.
I had my pellet gun ready, but after taking these photos, just couldn't use it on him. Instead I gave him some loquats to eat.

Positive -- hummingbirds are amazing. I am sure by flying and hovering while sucking nectar, that they violate 5 laws of aerodynamics. Thanks for the photos and please post more. I need to read up on how to attract them. Do you do anything for this?

NEGATIVE! -- Get those possums off your property or they will multiply. Being marsupials I was all sentimental and forgiving of them. Until a really huge one tore the screen in my garage window and starting breaking in. He deposited a pile of possum shit in one place. There is nothing to eat in my garage but he poking around anyhow.
By huge I mean his body looked one foot long. I sighted him twice in the garage and shined a strong LED flashlight in his face. He ignored it completely. Perhaps he was old and blind. I think I am rid of him/her now but I am not positive.

Do not coddle these cute pests. You can always shoot one and put it in the stew pot with potatoes and carrots.
Making Possum Stew
41,336 views•Aug 29, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyFbr7Mzq0w



sc4001992

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #312 on: June 06, 2021, 12:16:31 AM »
Yes, those possums do multiply. Last year my wife was screaming for me to get home because she had something in the trash can for me. It was a moma possum that had babies and my wife said it was making noises and trying to bite my small dog so she grabbed an empty trash bin and covered it up. I didn't want to kill the mother so I took it to a park and released it. The little babies all ran away into the neighbors yard. Possums are not as large as the racoons that come visit my fruit trees almost every other night to eat my ripe fruits. Racoons are big guys, they always start by climbing up my large plumeria in front and climb over the root to get to the back yard. I even threw some large lemons at them on the roof to scare them off but it didn't deter them, they just gave me a dumb look and just kept going to the back yard for some dinner.

roblack

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #313 on: June 12, 2021, 12:20:59 PM »
Cute lil opossum looks to be part pig. Let em live, you can always make stew later. Great famine food, lol.

These frogs are all over the place. Get pretty big. Hanging out on fruit trees, and do some pest control. Frogs and Tokay geckos ate every caterpillar off sugar belle plant. Great to have around.


fliptop

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #314 on: June 13, 2021, 12:17:34 PM »
I grew up catching reptiles and amphibians in South Florida. I have a feeling if I was born in Australia, my penchant for herptiles would've led to a short life.

I unfortunately found this bug on one of my papaya plants.



bigalxx15

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #315 on: June 14, 2021, 01:19:41 PM »
The blue jays and the squirrels are definitely enjoying my Sweet Tart mangoes


3rdgrey

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #316 on: June 14, 2021, 06:38:32 PM »
Fliptop- that looks like a wasp. Wasps eat aphids and other harmful insects. This in addition to pollinating plants.

fliptop

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #317 on: June 14, 2021, 06:52:01 PM »
3rdgrey, the bug is a papaya fruit fly. I've met many of their kids, who like to reside within the fruit.😜

3rdgrey

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #318 on: June 14, 2021, 06:56:45 PM »
They sure do resemble wasps!

roblack

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #319 on: October 20, 2021, 08:27:53 PM »
Giant Cuban Knight Anole hanging in achachairu

fliptop

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #320 on: October 20, 2021, 08:54:35 PM »
Black Racer in my Flacourtia inermis

fliptop

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #321 on: June 14, 2022, 11:04:21 AM »

I came across this big grasshopper on my Sugarloaf Mango Tree. I asked if it was there to cause trouble. It replied, "I'm a Lubber, not a fighter."

RS

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #322 on: June 14, 2022, 05:42:56 PM »
"I'm a Lubber, not a fighter."

:) These things have taken over my miracle fruit bush this year, a group of them hangs out every night. I was concerned they'd decimate it, but it's actually created a nice flush of fresh growth.



roblack

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #323 on: June 14, 2022, 07:55:13 PM »
Those grasshoppers are evil! They will multiply, and eat everything without prejudice. They tear up our ornamentals, like crinum lily. Lizards and birds won't touch them, must be noxious. Have never tried one.

RS

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Re: Wildlife in your fruit trees ?
« Reply #324 on: June 15, 2022, 11:13:35 AM »
Those grasshoppers are evil! They will multiply, and eat everything without prejudice. They tear up our ornamentals, like crinum lily. Lizards and birds won't touch them, must be noxious. Have never tried one.

Have you tried other grasshoppers? "Lubbers ingest and assimilate substances in the plants they consume that, although harmless to humans and the lubbers themselves, are toxic to many predators. These chemicals may kill smaller creatures such as birds or leave larger animals quite ill after ingesting a lubber."

Darn things could be eating Sabara flowers/immature fruit, been wondering why the fruit is vanishing.



Found this pair in restinga. I'll have to get serious about removal if they're ruining the jabo crop, we all lubber jabos.