Kiawah ’ s Colors and Camouflages
Some You See and Some You Don ’ t
By Whit Gibbons
Above : Painted bunting . ( Passerina ciris ). Photo by Andrew Lydeard . A male painted bunting in mating plumage is one of Kiawah ’ s most colorful birds . Below : Roseate spoonbill ( Platalea ajaja ). Photo by Jack Kotz . Always a welcome sight , roseate spoonbills provide flashes of color in the Kiawah salt marshes .
Except at Earth ’ s poles and the oceans ’ abyssal plains , where black and white dominate the environmental palette , from people ’ s perspective , the world is full of color . Among the world ’ s flora and fauna , as well as their habitats , color is pervasive . The plants and animals on Kiawah Island are no exception .
Flowers run the full color spectrum from red to ultraviolet . Though invisible to us , ultraviolet can be seen by many insect pollinators . Insects themselves , such as multipatterned butterflies and moths coupled with their oftenspectacular caterpillars , come in a range of hues . Birds , too , offer colorful displays that delight even the most casual observer . A roseate spoonbill or male painted bunting is certain to be pointed out by the first person in a group to see it . Male goldfinches , summer tanagers , and bluebirds may lack the glamor of showier birds , but they have their own captivating color presentations , which are always welcome .
Mammals have far less to offer in the realm of color , most being restricted to white , brown , gray , and black shades . In some of Kiawah ’ s mammals , shading of the dominant color may be apparent , as with the reddish tinge of a mostly brown-and-black bobcat or the blueish wash on an otherwise gray dolphin . In contrast to many birds and flowers , regional mammals do not display different colors during the reproductive period , nor do they sport flashy colors at other times . Among
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