Posted by Bryant Roberts on August 13, 2002 at 22:31:55:
I haven’t seen any new species of fall migrants in central Broward County since my last
posting on 8/6, here are the totals from 8/7 to 8/13:
Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher - 20
Red-Eyed Vireo - 17
Prairie Warbler - 15
American Redstart - 11
Black-and-White Warbler - 5
Northern Parula - 5
Yellow-Throated Warbler - 4
Chimney Swift - 40
Barn Swallow - 22
There were fifteen Roseate Spoonbills at Birch State Park on 8/10 and there were three
Snail Kites visible from the levee at Markham Park on 8/7 and 8/13.
Over the last few days I’ve become aware of an exotic insect outbreak that may have
serious implications for the ecology of South Florida. During my birding over the last
few weeks I’d noticed sooty mold on plants and trees that I couldn’t recall having seen it
on before. This weekend the cause was pointed out to me, it was an introduced scale
insect that was attacking a wide variety of plants, both native and exotic. The insect looks
like a 1/8 inch long shiny black oval lump on the stem surrounded by a sootlike coating.
Over the last two days I’ve been noting the plant species that were infested and my
observations were disturbing, among those native plants infested were: Wax Myrtle,
Buttonwood, Myrsine, Coco Plum, Strangler Fig, Shortleaf Fig, Wild Coffee, and Red
Bay. This is by no means a complete list and the infestation was widespread and severe.
This morning I saw some Wax Myrtle that appeared to have been killed by the scale. The
people at the Davie USDA labs were very helpful and willing to share what information
they had. The scale is Rotund Lac Scale, which is related to the scale that is used in the
production of lacquer and was first noticed in Dade County in 1999. The outbreak
appears to be most severe in Broward County but the insect is also present in Dade and
Palm Beach Counties. A Pest Alert bulletin is in the works and right now they are trying
to detemine the plant species and area involved and contact experts on this family of scale
insects in the regions where it naturally occurs. The plant species under attack include
some that are important food sources for birds and other wildlife, and even if the
infestation isn’t fatal it would very likely reduce fruit production. One reason for hope for
control is that since this scale is closely related to a commercially imortant species there is
probably a good deal of information available that may be used to find a natural enemy of
this scale.