Wildlife Corner Photo & Article By Barbara Ann Comer PLEASE REMEMBER TO CLOSE The Common Gallinule (formerly called UMBRELLAS AT THE POOL & PET PLAY PARKS ! It costs the District Common Moorhen) is a familiar year-round bird at Lake Ashton. Always found in or near water this duck-like bird is black, with white “racing-stripes,” a bill that resembles candy corn, yellow legs and feet and a white hind end. The fluffy black chicks have large feet to grow in to. As one resident put it “they are cute in an ugly sort of way.” They are a precocious species and the babies can swim shortly after hatching. Males fight like aquatic Suma wrestlers on their backs in the water trying to submerge the competition by pushing hard with their big feet. These large feet help them walk in the mud and also on floating vegetation. They are omnivorous consuming water plants as well as tadpoles and more. The sound of the Moorhen is the sound of the marsh in Florida with their cute high-pitched squawks and whinnies. ALGAE BLOOMS Algae blooms are dense layers of small green plants that grow on the surface of lakes and ponds. The algae's quick growth is attributed to the elevated nitrogen levels in the water. These nutrients are introduced through runoff from roads and fertilizers applied to lawns. During the spring and summer months, the combination of warm and sunny days and increasing nutrient levels encourages sustained rapid development. LACDD has a contract with an aquatics provider who treats and maintains its ponds. When an algae bloom appears, the aquatic vendor initiates treatment. These treatments occur every two weeks. To be proactive in keeping CDD ponds free of algae, the CDD has introduced grass carp to troublesome ponds. These fish are a long-term, lowcost method of controlling undesirable aquatic vegetation. Email Matt Fisher with any questions or concerns at mfisher@lakeashtoncdd.com. 14 approximately $70 per umbrella to replace. David Marsh caught his first “hog” (a bass over 5 lbs with a belly) on May 10. The Large Mouth Bass weighed 7.5 pounds and was caught on Hole 3 of East Course. Caught a big one? Send a picture or selfie with any fish caught in ponds or lakes in Lake Ashton, along with your name, where it was caught, as well as the type of fish caught and any measurements you may have (length and/or weight) to Valerie at valerie@lakeashtoncdd.com.
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