by Rich Leighton | Apr 24, 2018 | Florida Nature Facts, Florida Nature Photography, Herps, Natural History, Reptiles
The green anole is a common lizard in the American Southeast, slender in build, with a narrow head and a long, slender tail that can be twice as long as the rest of the animal. Color can vary from gray-brown, to brown, to bright green. Each animal can change its color...
by Rich Leighton | Apr 19, 2018 | Florida Nature Facts, Florida Nature Photography, Natural History, Wildflowers
The American lotus has extraordinarily large and beautiful pale yellow native aquatic wildflower has two amazing characteristics: one – the large circular lily pads (leaves) do not get wet on top, and water forms beads on top if splashed or rained on, but even...
by Rich Leighton | Apr 9, 2018 | Dragonflies, Florida Nature Facts, Florida Nature Photography, Invertebrates, Natural History
One of the fastest and most maneuverable of the world’s winged insects, the dragonfly uses a method of catching prey called “hawking” where the dragonfly forms a basket with its hairy legs, scooping and eating up to 300 flying mosquitos every day of...
by Rich Leighton | Mar 30, 2018 | Florida Nature Facts, Florida Nature Photography, Natural History, Orchids
Probably the most famous of our southern native orchids, the rare, leafless and mysterious ghost orchid of South Florida, Cuba and the Bahamas is at home in the dark, humid swamps where it regularly skips a few to up to a dozen or more years between flowering. It is...
by Rich Leighton | Mar 25, 2018 | Florida Nature Facts, Florida Nature Photography, Herps, Natural History, Reptiles
The cottonmouth, also known as the water moccasin, is the only semiaquatic viper, usually found in or near water, particularly in slow-moving and shallow lakes, streams, and marshes. The snake is a strong swimmer and even enters the sea. It has successfully colonized...
by Rich Leighton | Mar 20, 2018 | Birds, Florida Nature Facts, Florida Nature Photography, Natural History
The only raptor in North America that dives into the water after fish, the osprey is the sole bird of prey to feed only on fish. Weighing only 3 pounds, this strong flyer with a 6 foot wingspan can carry a trout of 2 or 3 pounds. The osprey’s only natural enemy,...
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