Description
Split Rock Key, as I initially knew it, or Destroyer Key is unique geologically and ecologically to the many Mangrove Keys throughout the Florida Keys. It hosts hardwood and pine trees on an obviously rocky isle, along with an ever-present osprey couple who nest there. The reasoning behind the difference is interesting. Oral history tells of a Navy destroyer, caught in hurricane conditions and unable to get to safety, that beached itself in the shallow flats making up the Mule Keys due west of Key West. Following the storm, the Navy freed the beached ship by dredging a channel from the Atlantic (southern) side. Once it arrived at the ship the dredge then removed material from both sides of the ship, creating two piles of dredge ‘spoils’. Over time rain washed out the salinity in the dredge spoils, and nature took over with vegetation and animal life assuming control of the dredge piles. The suggested history from dredging is easily verified by satellite imagery which clearly shows the dredged channel leading out to the Atlantic. The photo was taken from the north during bright daylight conditions that aligned perfectly for the seamlessness of water and sky, creating the illusion of ‘Islands in the Sky’. The print is very limited edition with a total of 15 created over 40 inches. It’s one of the most popular Seascapes, and once sold out it will no longer be available.
