Flora, Fauna, and Heritage in the Mangroves: Crane Point, Marathon Key, Florida USA

Closeup: Golden Silk Orb-Weaver, Crane Point, Marathon Key, Florida USA

Golden Silk Orb-Weaver – Nephila
Surrounded by mangrove jungle and clumps of native hardwoods, where the only sounds are the buzz of the tropical insects, the thrum of the heat, and the lapping of distant waves, we come across a beautiful resident of Marathon Key, Florida.

On a long, circuitous drive that my husband and I made around the United States, we managed to hit the southernmost point of Key West (see: Mile Zero and Hemingway’s Cats). As much as I would have loved to stay in that delightful, laid-back island-city, it was far too expensive! A motel room in the city of Marathon, just 80 kilometres (50 miles) north, in the middle of the Florida Keys, was about half the price, allowing us to indulge in guilt-free mahi-mahi dinners as the sun went down.

The city of Marathon takes in 13 islands, or ‘keys’ in the term coined by the Spanish, from the word ‘cayo’ meaning ‘small island’ in the language of the Taino Indians of Hispaniola. Marathon is a major sport-fishing destination, known for its beaches and reefs, and popular for deep-sea, reef or flats fishing. We are not fisherman, and didn’t have the time or inclination to scuba dive or snorkel, so a morning walk around the Crane Point Museum and Nature Center on Grassy Key seemed like an ideal option.

Crane Point is considered special because it is one of the last untouched ‘tropical hardwood hammocks’ in the Keys. A ‘hammock’ is a closed-canopy forest in Southern Florida, and predominantly made up of evergreen and semi-deciduous trees and shrubs originating in the West Indies. Hammocks are important habitats for wildlife and many West Indian plant species. They are under threat from invasive plants, feral animals, and – especially in the Keys – land development. Crane Point was saved from being developed into proposed private homes and shopping malls when it was bought in 1989 by the Florida Keys Land Trust, a not-for-profit conservation organisation.

The oldest home in the Keys – outside of Key West – is here in the woods. In 1903, George and Olivia Adderley, Bahamian immigrants, built their family home using tabby, a concrete-like material made by burning conch and other shells to make lime, and then mixing this with water, sand, ash and broken shells. This historic building has been renovated and is open to view. The Adderley’s lived a hard but simple life here, eking a living by making charcoal, and selling sponges they collected in the reefs off the Keys.

Crane Point is named for Francis and Mary Crane, keen conservationists and horticulturalists who bought the property in 1949. They built their home on neighbouring Big Rachel Key, linking the two with a causeway. They worked to preserve the hammock, enhancing it with flowering exotic trees and shrubs in keeping with the ecosystem.

Today, groomed and managed nature trails wind around the 63 acre property, sampling a thatch palm hammock, a hardwood hammock, a mangrove forest, tidal lagoons and wetland ponds, and accessing the historical George Adderley House, a rehabilitation centre for local wild birds, various museum exhibits, and views over Florida Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.

Join us for a walk:

Entry door, Crane Point Museum and Nature Centre, Marathon Key, Florida USA

Crane Point Museum and Nature Centre
Also known as the Crane Point Hammock Museum and Nature Trail, the centre comprises nature trails, bird aviaries, and historical buildings set on 63 acres of woodland and mangrove: what Florida residents call a “hardwood hammock”.

Florida thatch palm leaves, Crane Point Museum and Nature Centre, Marathon Key, Florida USA

Florida Thatch Palm
As soon as we step out of the entry, we are surrounded by greenery. The Florida thatch palm (Thrinax radiata) is native to many Caribbean islands, Central America, and this part of southern Florida, but grows nowhere else in the United States.

West Indian Milkberry – Chiococca Alba
Glossy leaves are all around, …

Greenery
… including underfoot.

Pathway into the Woods
The 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) of trails around Crane Point lead through a variety of habitats.

The George Adderley House
We come across the Adderley’s home in a small clearing. The renovations have left some of the interior stones bare to make the construction methods more transparent.

Storm Shutters
In the absence of glass, rough wooden shutters are the only protection from the elements. You can see how the tabby-mixture is plastered over the stones used to build the house.

Inside the George Adderley House
The interior is – unsurprisingly – very simple and very dark.

“A True Pioneer”
The Adderley’s were true pioneers – as the sign explains – making charcoal and collecting sponge to trade for the things they couldn’t produce themselves.

Zebra Longwing Butterfly (Heliconius Charitonius)
Alighting on a native-Florida firebush (Hamelia patens), a little zebra longwing butterfly – the official state butterfly – flits in the garden.

Gray Kingbird (Tyrannus Dominicensis) on a Wire
High overhead, a gray kingbird watches for insects. Widespread in the Caribbean, these birds are regular visitors to the mangrove swamps of south Florida.

Rosy Rat Snake (Elaphe Guttata Rosacea)

Brown Pelican (Pelecanus Occidentalis)
Injured birds are cared for in the Wild Bird Center. It was interesting looking at the brown pelicans – so different from the Australian pelicans on our waters at home.

Caged Western Osprey (Pandion Haliaetus)
It is always sad seeing injured raptors in cages.

Red-Shouldered Hawk (Buteo Lineatus)
Of course, the advantage is that birds in the rehabilitation centre pose for pictures, …

Swallow-Tailed Kite (Elanoides Forficatus) Overhead
… while the raptors flying free are too fast and too far for me to get crisp shots!

Off the Coast of Marathon
In a couple of places, we get views back to the city. I love the reminder of how close we are to ‘civilisation’ – and how close this land was to being lost! An egret wades in the waters of Florida Bay.

Butterfly in the Mangroves
As we follow the path around the point, we come across a mangrove skipper (Phocides pigmalion), …

Boat off the Keys
… and another opening in the mangroves giving us views over the water: this time, towards the Gulf of Mexico.

Jamaica Caper (Capparis Cynophallophora)

‘Mangrove’
‘Mangrove’ refers to the salt-tolerant trees and shrubs that live in the tropical coastal intertidal zones. They are critical to reducing erosion and providing safe habitat to fish and other small creatures.