Wildlife life in The Tropical Paradise

For the most part, I am interested in flora, not fauna. But there is wildlife here at The Tropical Paradise. An animal that recently became extinct here is the mosquito (Culicedae). They survived here as long as there were damp areas to hide. I did not have standing water, so they weren't hatching here, but the adults were hanging out in wet, shady, protected areas. I have since eliminated their habitat.

There have always been birds here, too. Unfortunately, the removal of the big overgrown tree, while removing mosquitos entirely, has also reduced the bird population. And the smaller birds, which fed on the mosquitos, seem to be gone, too. I often would see many interesting types of small birds in the yard. It's summertime now so hopefully they will return in the winter during their migration.

Of course we have Mockingbirds (Mimus polyglottos) here in the Sonoran Desert. If you are hearing a bird that is much louder than a bird should be, especially at night, it's a Mockingbird. At in the evening there is the lovely sound of the Mourning Dove (Zenadia macroura). And there are plenty of crows here. They are big and noisy and have a tendency to dig holes in the garden searching for food. They nest in the olive tree and protect their nest by swooping down on my wiener dog (Canis lupus familiaris) in the springtime. Hummingbirds are attracted both by the water, which forms in tiny droplets in some of the tropical plants, and also by the blooms of the Cape Honeysuckle (Tecoma capensis). They also have a tendency to "dive bomb" both me and the little dog!

Earthworms are a sign of a healthy garden and The Tropical Paradise has plenty. There are plenty of "roll-polly bugs" (Armadillidiidae) here in the garden, too, and in the wetter areas, snails. The rainy season always brings out a lot of crickets, too! And there is a nice variety of spiders and beetles.

God had an inordinate fondness for beetles. God must have loved beetles, he made so many of them.
- J.B.S. Haldane