Page 22 - August 2015 Life In Naples Magazine

Zoo Landscapes:

A tail/tale of two exhibits at Naples Zoo

by Darryl Windham and while most will never have the opportunity
to reproduce, many nonnative species of fish,
Naples Zoo Grounds Supervisor frogs, lizards, birds, mammals, insects, and
reptiles now call Florida home. We can all help
W hile walking through Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens one can’t help by reporting pythons and other invasive species
but notice the lush tropical plantings that create a unique backdrop by calling 1-888-Ive-Got-1 or downloading
for the visitors and animal exhibits alike. Henry Nerhling’s original the free IveGot1 app.
plantings provided the backbone that has allowed the Zoo to continue
expanding those gardens to where they are today. Zoo horticulturists strive to immerse To echo that messaging, the second major
the visitors into an all-encompassing experience by selecting plants that mimic the habitat factor that zoo horticulturists must consider is
of the animal being displayed. Indeed, creating landscapes in a zoo setting differs from the use of invasive or potentially invasive species
residential and commercial landscapes in several ways, but there is one main factor that and not to use those plants whenever possible.
So keeping in mind the use of invasive plants
dictates what and how we use plants for these and the native range of the reticulated python,
landscapes: the animals. Climate, appropriate we set out to create the landscape surrounding
plant material for the animal being displayed, the new python exhibit. With the design of
plant toxicity, and potential invasiveness all the interior exhibit building being restrictive,
must be considered when selecting plants to the shape and the layout of the pathways, and
use in new exhibits and renovation of existing how the exhibit was situated we opted not to
exhibits. No matter where a zoo is located, go for a realistic habitat, but a landscape that
climate is one of the main driving forces showcased unique plant specimens found
when it comes to choosing plants when throughout the native range of the reticulated
creating new zoological habitats. Whether python. Some plants that were selected
you are in Seattle, Washington or Phoenix, were Philippine Fig (Ficus pseudopalma),
Arizona, you must try to create or mimic a Highland Betel Nut Palm (Areca macrocalyx),
realistic exhibit with plants that grow well in Nasturtium Tree (Macaranga grandifolia), and
your climate. With the subtropical climate of Timor Black Bamboo (Bambusa lako).
Southwest Florida, horticulturists at Naples
Zoo are lucky to have a large palette of plants When the time came to design and install
at our disposal in which to create these the landscape for the new Florida panther
new, realistic habitats. Naples Zoo recently exhibit, we had to look no further than Collier
opened two new exhibits that challenged us County’s own backyard for inspiration and
to use two very different parts of that palette to pull off the look that we were going for: ideas. Given the fact that Naples Zoo was
a reticulated python and a Florida panther exhibit. converting an existing big cat exhibit for
When the reticulated python exhibit was finished, it included messaging about panther, there was plenty of opportunity
the reticulated python’s smaller,
more invasive cousin, the
Burmese python, which has
become established in South
Florida. Escaped and released
Burmese pythons now number
in the thousands and they
are breeding across southern
Florida. Although they are
a very real threat to our local
ecosystems, they are only a
small part of a much larger
problem. More than 500
species of nonnative wildlife
have been found in Florida

22 Life in Naples | August • September • October 2015