floating on diamonds -

" Swans were reported to be on the city's lakes as early as 1923.
Most likely, those early swans had been purchased as pets by lake
front residents, who later released them on the lakes. By 1954 the
last of these swans and their descendants had died, having fallen
prey to people, pet dogs, and/or alligators.

A Lakeland resident, Mrs Robert Pickardt who had enjoyed the
swans and mourned their passing, wrote to Queen Elizabeth of
England and inquired about purchasing a pair of swans from the
royal flock on the Thames River. A representative of the royal
family replied that the Queen would donate a pair of swans to
Lakeland if the city would pay the cost of capturing and shipping
the swans to the US. The money was raised for shipping the
swans, and two white mute swans were released on Lake Morton
on February 9, 1957.

Their descendants continue to grace Lake Morton and other lakes
throughout the city. "

- taken from the website City Of Lakeland

edited in:
www.picmonkey.com

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