Floridian Nature

While most snakes in Florida are harmless and provide important services such as controlling rodent colonies, we do have six venomous snakes that call Florida home. By learning to identify these snakes we can protect both our self and  non-venomous snakes that live in Floridian nature . This rat snake was enjoying investigating my fence and although I was startled when I saw him, I was happy to see he was not a deadly snake! All five of Florida's deadly pit vipers, including the Dusky Pygmy Rattlesnake can be recognized by their stocky bodies, relatively small necks, large triangular heads, and eyes with vertical slit pupils. The coral snake is easily recognized with its color band design (red on yellow kill a fellow). The Florida Cottonmouth or Water Moccasin , is a serpent that strikes terror in the hearts of hikers, swimmers, and freshwater fishermen. This snake is a heavy bodied pit viper with a large triangular head. The coloration of the Cotton...

It has been a wet summer in central Florida and all this rain is getting frogs out and about like this green treefrog I saw peeking in my living room window. The Green Treefrog is one of the most common treefrogs found in Floridian nature . Green treefrogs don't seem to mind sharing their environment with people and are often spotted on windows or the exterior walls of homes. This species of frog doesn't croak but makes a sound more like a ringing bell. Usually vivid green, the Green Treefrog can change to brown quickly. The well defined strip that runs the length of its side makes identifying the Green Treefrog easy. When a heavy evening rain is impending during the spring or summer, many frogs and toads begin to call. This is the first signal of intense breeding activity. Frogs and toads generally mate at night, since the darkness conceals them from sharp-eyed predators, especially wading birds. As rain starts to fall more and more frog voic...

Fall must be a busy time for grasshoppers in Floridian nature because I sure have seen a lot of them in my garden this month. This southern green-striped grasshopper is a common insect   found in Florida as well as other southern states. The greenstriped grasshopper feeds mainly on grasses with a preference for succulent plants .This one was feeding off my banana tree and had eaten about 1/8 of a large leaf when I discovered him. The greenstriped grasshopper possesses long wings that extend 2 to 8 mm beyond the end of the abdomen. A strong flier, it often travels a great distance from where it hatched. This grasshopper seems to be a female based on her size and color and she has attracted at least one male who I caught trying to put the move on her! This two-striped walking stick is also a common sight around here. Other names for this skinny creature are devil's riding horse, prairie alligator, and stick bug. These bugs are not harmless b...

Strains of red tide crop up every year along Florida's coastline, but this year looks to be potentially more devastating with the strain called karenia brevis reeking havoc with marine life like fish, turtles, manatees and more. Right now, the algae is collecting in an area about 60 miles wide and 100 miles long, about 5 to 15 miles off St. Petersburg in the south and stretching north to Florida's Big Bend. Recent satellite images from the Optical Oceanography Laboratory at the University of South Florida show an offshore surface bloom extending between Taylor and Pinellas counties, approximately 5 to 35 miles offshore between southern Taylor and northern Levy counties and 10 to 20 miles offshore southern Levy to Pinellas counties. Red tide destroys marine life by releasing a toxin that paralyzes their central nervous system. The algae also hurts Florida's beaches and can be harmful to people who inhale the algae's toxins when winds blow onshore or by crash...

The list of Florida hurricanes encompasses approximately 486 tropical or subtropical cyclones that affected the state of Florida. More storms hit Florida than any other U.S. state, and since 1851 only eighteen hurricane seasons passed without a known storm impacting the state. Of the 34 major hurricanes in Florida’s recorded history of storms to make landfall or produce Category 3 winds in Florida, 18, have occurred in the month of September. I thought it would be fitting to reflect on some of Florida's best known September hurricanes.   The Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 was the first ever Category Five Hurricane on record to hit the United States. The compact and intense hurricane caused extreme damage in the upper Florida Keys, as a storm surge of approximately 18 to 20 feet affected the region. The hurricane's strong winds destroyed most of the buildings in the Islamorada area, and many World War I veteran workers were killed b...

Yuma, which is Native American for “Son of the Chief.”  is the name of the rescued baby Florida panther that now resides in Homosassa Springs Park . According to the Citrus County Chronicle , the kitten was rescued by biologists in Collier County when it was only about a week old, The 1-pound male panther was found in a matted-down area of sawgrass and was nonresponsive with a dangerously low body temperature.The panther kitten was taken to Naples and treated for dehydration, malnourishment and to raise his body temperature. Once he was stable, he was transported to Lowry Park Zoo for further rehabilitation and vaccines. His permanent home is now the Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park. Yuma has grown considerably since he was first brought to the park. FWC cameras show the panther enjoying himself and he is often seen chasing butterflies, and pouncing on imaginary prey. The young panther seems to be completely recovered from its rough start on life but will remain in th...

Florida is home to over 480 variety of birds ! A great many of these birds live here year round but some migrate here just like our human form of "snow birds".  Over 175 bird species are known to breed in Florida and almost three hundred birds migrate here in the fall spring or winter months. These sandhill cranes were a welcome surprise when I went out to get my mail. Sandhill cranes are long legged, long necked, gray, heron-like birds with a patch of bald red skin on top of their head. These large and beautiful birds can be seen in Florida pastures, prairies and freshwater wetlands in peninsular Florida from the Everglades to the Okefenokee Swamp. This is a male and female couple and a youngster was spotted shortly after I took the picture. Cranes are monogamous breeders, and mated pairs stay together year round. Cardinals are always easy to spot, especially a male cardinal like this one. We have several cardinals that call our ba...

  Eastern cottontail rabbits are a common sight in Floridian nature and this little guy was willing to sit still for the camera yesterday as we passed by on our morning walk. The average Florida cottontail is between 14-17 inches in length and only weighs 2 to 4 pounds. They are grayish-brown in color, but are best recognized for their distinctive white "cotton" tail. Cotton tails in central Florida are often seen on the side of the road and stay near wooded areas. Twice last month I awoke to see a cottontail in my back yard despite the fact that the yard has a six foot privacy fence. When he saw me and decided to run for the hills, I saw that he had probably entered the yard the same way he exited it, by fitting under the narrow space beneath the gate    Rabbits are strictly vegetarians with their main food being green plant parts when available. They will eat young woody shoots and bark in a pinch if there is nothing better to choose from. I know...

While walking this morning I came across a small red rat snake that had been unsuccessful in crossing the street. Snakes are a common sight in Floridian nature especially during these hot summer months. As reptiles they  appreciate that hot baking Florida sun and so as Floridians we need to keep our eyes open to avoid a run in. Snakes are feared in part because of the very few species which are actually dangerous and in part because of ignorance about their mysterious ways The Red Rat Snake , often called the corn snake in Florida, lives near pinelands, hardwood hammocks, swamps, agricultural fields, and residential areas. Corn snakes are one of the most colorful snakes in Florida. Adult red rat Snakes are orangish-brown with black bordered orange, red, or brownish blotches. The belly usually is a black and white checkerboard pattern, though orange may also be present. The underside of the tail has 2 black stripes. Adult red rat snakes reach a...

Living so close to the Withlacoochee River is such a blessing and it offers an opportunity to see such a wide variety of Floridian nature . Nothing says Florida better than the knotty roots of the Cyprus tree. The bald cypress , often overgrown with Spanish moss, is the tree that gives the Louisiana bayous and the Florida everglades their exotic atmosphere. Despite its association with the South, the bald cypress is hardy and adaptable to many parts of the continent. The bald cypress has a pyramidal shape similar to other conifers, with a broad buttressed base. It reaches up to 100 feet in height in its native environment, but rarely more than 70 feet in culture. In wet situations it develops 'cypress knees': curious growths which rise out of the ground or water and are believed to help the tree breathe in swampy conditions. The short green needles turn brown and drop off in the fall. Its bark is fibrous and an attractive reddish brown. The...

You may have missed the scuttlebutt but Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (PARC) and conservation groups from around the world have designated 2014 as the Year of the Salamander! The goal of this world wide effort is to energize salamander education, research, and conservation. Salamanders are amphibians that have long tails and moist skin. All salamanders must keep their skin moist because it is comparatively soft and does not protect them against loss of moisture. For this reason they require damp environments. Even the land species are usually found in shady, wooded areas near water. Some burrow into damp ground. With the exception of sirens and amphiumas, salamanders look basically like scaleless lizards. Floridians sometimes call salamanders "spring lizards" because they are often seen near springs. But unlike lizards, salamanders have neither claws, nor scales, and their legs are so short that their bellies drag on the g...

When we think of Floridian Nature , we tend to concentrate on large mammals like bears , deer , and panthers or marine mammals like the Florida manatee , or dolphins , but I doubt anyone in Florida works as hard as the dung beetle. Dung beetles are small beetles found everywhere except for Antarctica. Dung beetles come in a variety of colors, from dull and glossy black to metallic green and red. They are fairly small insects that are capable of moving dung (manure) much larger than they are. In fact one dung beetle can bury dung that is 250 times heavier than itself in one night. Ancient Egyptians thought very highly of the dung beetle, also known as the scarab and believed the dung beetle kept the Earth revolving like a giant ball of dung, linking the insect to Khepri, the Egyptian god of the rising sun. Dung beetles are one of the few groups of insects that exhibit parental care for their young. In most cases, the mother constructs the nest and provisions it with food ...

We may be the Sunshine State but this summer has been extra rainy in central Florida . One of the nice perks about the rain is that often times it doesn't mean the sun stops shining and we end up with some beautiful rainbows. The climate has always been Florida's most important natural resources, which is reflected in its official nickname, the "Sunshine State." Florida is famous for it's generally warm climate. The climate of Florida is tempered somewhat by the fact that no part of the state is very distant from the ocean. This is a shot of a splendid double rainbow that I was able to view from my front porch. I wonder if the Rainbow River got its name from the way it sparkled with rainbows like this overhead. The opposite of sparkling rainbows, lightening is another site that is often seen in Florida skies. Florida receives the highest density of lightning strikes within the United States. The corridor from Tampa Bay, Florida to Titusvi...

This is one corner of my Citrus County home, and on every other other corner and lots of places in between there are banana spiders . When we lay on a raft in the pool we can see multiple banana spiders high above us, their webs connecting from tree to tree. Banana spiders, also known as golden orb weavers are large colorful spiders with little known predators besides man. The name banana spider is from the shape of their body and not the fact that they live near banana trees. Golden orb weavers got that name because they web has a golden hue to it. When I started to do some research I found some amazing information including claims that a banana spider is able to capture and eat a small bird! Banana spiders build their webs quickly and unlike other spiders, they stay in plain site and await prey to be caught in the web. Its also almost impossible to tear down the orb weavers web because they work on it all the time and make repairs faster than you can knock it down. If I ha...

Gopher tortoises are protected under state law and for a good reason. The loveable, slow-moving Gopher Tortoise is famous for digging underground burrows 10 to 35 feet long with "bedrooms" at the ends. The burrows are found in sandy well drained areas through out Florida. In good weather, the tortoise emerges from its burrow to graze on low-growing vegetation, including leaves, grass and wild fruits. Over seventy other kinds of animals have been found using the state protected Gopher Tortoise burrows in various ways. These include burrowing owls, raccoons , opossums , gopher frogs, spiders, insects, cotton rats, indigo snakes, and rattlesnakes . In my location, it is hard to take a walk in the woods without coming across numerous tortoise homes and developers have to pay thousands of dollars to move gopher tortoise burrows to a safe location before building, While gopher turtles  had been a food staple  for southerners in the past, it i...

Anoles are those common lizards we see everywhere in Floridian nature . There are several varieties of anoles found in Florida nature but the most common is the green anole. Green anoles are similar to chameleons but they are unable to change colors as easily as their cousins. An easy way to identify an anole is by the bright flaming skin he expands on his throat when alarmed. Anoles can live between four and eight years and if you catch one it can be calmed and petted. Other anoles found in Floridian nature include the bark anole, the cuban brown anole, and the knight anole. If you are looking for more anole information be sure and check out our page on anoles at Floridian nature

Florida manatees are large marine mammals and a big topic of debate in the state right now. West Indian Manatee are large, aquatic mammals with a body that tapers to a flat, paddle-shaped tail. They are grayish-brown in color and have two flippers with nails on them. The head and face of these animals are wrinkled with whiskers on the snout. The closest relative to the West Indian manatee is the elephant! The average, adult manatee is about 10 feet long and weighs about 1,000 pounds. They can reach up to 13 feet in length and weigh up to 3,000 pounds. In areas like Crystal River Florida manatees are a year round tourist attraction, and in the winter months large groups of manatees escape the cold weather by enjoying the spring waters of the Crystal and Homosassa rivers. Not everybody loves the manatees though. Boaters resent the no wake zones created to provide manatees more safety against deadly boat propellers. If any of you have ever seen a manate...