Iguanas

I used to think they were kind of cool. A sign that we really DID live on a tropical island....hey, we have iguanas in our yard! When we put our swimming pool in, I started to see the very UN-cool parts of having iguanas around. At first we thought a stray cat was getting in at night to leave, um, deposits....nope, iguanas like to poop near water. They also love the lush tropical plants I chose to surround the pool, especially orange flowers....my favorite, too. We have a large native sea grape tree over part of our deck and pool, providing shade and a lovely canopy of leaves. In the last few months, the tree has also provided direct access for the iguanas to leave deposits IN the pool. Really gross! We tried trapping them.....they walked in the traps, took the oranges, and went about their iguana business. Yesterday the chief tree trimmer for the City of Key West came and cut the tree back for us. Native sea grape is protected and can't be cut down, but you can trim 25% per year. We may have to add a sun shade out back if we feel like we are getting too many rays, but it will be nice to enjoy a swim and play with the girls without worrying about iguana poop putting an end to the fun. And I know John will be happy to go back to cleaning just leaves and stray flowers out of the skimmer and filters.