Beaches and Coasts

Lakes and Rivers

Forests

Inland

Everglades

Panoramas

Black and White

Florida is world-renowned for its beautiful landscapes. With over 1350 miles of coastline from the Atlantic Ocean to the Florida Keys to the northern Gulf of Mexico, there are an incredible number of unique and beautiful habitats, especially in the Florida Everglades. We also have thousands of islands, lakes and rivers (many of those are spring-fed) and of course our unique forest habitats from Central and Northern Florida down to our oak and scrub pinelands. The following galleries have a little bit of everything that the best of Sunshine State landscapes have to offer.

Brushfoots

Gossamer Wings

Swallowtails

Skippers

Sulphurs and Whites

Moths

Did you know that Florida is home to over 1,320 species of butterflies and moths? That number is still growing with careful and painstaking research, more new species are being discovered all the time!

Anhingas, Cormorants

Birds of Prey

Carrion Birds

Coots, Rails

Cranes, Limpkins

Ducks, Geese

Egrets, Herons

Gulls, Terns

Shorebirds

Songbirds

Spoonbills, Storks

Woodpeckers

When it comes to birds, the Sunshine State is fantastically rich in species diversity. The geography of Florida’s Peninsula creates a natural migratory route for millions of birds each year as they head south over the Caribbean towards Central and South America (and back). While some species are found all around the world, we are lucky to have 196 species of birds that live and breed in Florida.

Deer

Pigs

Rabbits and Hares

Manatees

Squirrels

Raccoons

Armadillos

We mammals have come a long way since the time of the dinosaurs. Since those times, we’ve conquered the land, sea and air. Florida has at least 99 species of mammals living, breeding and thriving today.

Crustaceans

Dragonflies

Grasshoppers, Locusts

Spiders

Snails, Mollusks

Other Invertebrates

96% of all currently living animal lifeforms alive today are invertebrates. Included are all the insects, arachnids, worms, crabs, shellfish, starfish, corals, and more! One thing they all have in common? No backbone.

Alligators, Crocodiles

Lizards

Snakes

Turtles, Tortoises

Long before the first dinosaur walked the earth, reptiles ruled the world. 65 million years after the last dinosaur drew its final breath, North America’s modern crocodiles, alligators, snakes, lizards, and turtles and tortoises are still keeping our Florida natural history alive!

Tree Frogs

Toads

Did you know the word “amphibian” means “two lives”? All amphibians start their lives in the underwater, but after they go through a series of metamorphosis stages to adulthood, most trade gills for lungs and live the rest of their lives out of the water. Florida is home to 33 native and non-native species of frogs and toads, and many more species of salamanders, newts and sirens!

Arethuseae

Calypsoeae

Cranichideae

Cymbidieae

Epidendreae

Malaxideae

Maxillarieae

Neottieae

Orchideae

Pogoniinae

Polystachyeae

Triphoreae

Vandeae

Vanilleae

One of the largest families in the plant kingdom with nearly 28 thousand species around the globe, orchids are also one of the most popular and most sought-after flowering plants in history. In Victorian times, entire foreign expeditions were sent around the world at great personal risk led by fearless (and often ruthless) orchid hunters to acquire the next new unknown exotic species from the most distant corner of the Earth. Luckily for us, Florida is rich with unique native species found nowhere else in the world!

Wildflowers by Color

Wildflowers by Family

By far our largest collection of galleries, these wildflower image sets are arranged by both color and by taxonomic family for use as a casual identification tool or field guide, or for more thorough scientific research for deeper understanding.

Pitcher Plants

Venus Flytraps

Bladderworts

Butterworts

Sundews

Sometimes called insectivorous plants, these amazing plants have adapted to a life in places where the soil is so poor in nutrients, that they’ve gained the ability to grow by trapping their food with modified leaves. By taking root in a harsh habitat, they have eliminated most of their competition from other plants.

Bromeliads

Mushrooms

Plants

Saprophytes

This last and final collection of galleries include all the non-wildflower images such as our native trees, ferns, palms, fruits and berries, cacti, saprophytes, mosses, bromeliads and more!
Florida Nature Facts #8 – Green Anole

Florida Nature Facts #8 – Green Anole

Apr 24, 2018

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...

Florida Nature Facts #7 – American Lotus

Florida Nature Facts #7 – American Lotus

Apr 19, 2018

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 cooler...

Florida Nature Facts #5 – Dragonflies

Florida Nature Facts #5 – Dragonflies

Apr 9, 2018

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 its week-long...

Florida Nature Facts #3 – The Ghost Orchid

Florida Nature Facts #3 – The Ghost Orchid

Mar 30, 2018

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...

Florida Nature Facts #2 – Cottonmouth (AKA Water Moccasin)

Florida Nature Facts #2 – Cottonmouth (AKA Water Moccasin)

Mar 25, 2018

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...

Florida Nature Facts #1 – Osprey

Florida Nature Facts #1 – Osprey

Mar 20, 2018

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, the...

My New Sanibel Island Art Installation!

My New Sanibel Island Art Installation!

Oct 25, 2017

This is a post I'm really proud of. Earlier this year, I was contacted by the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society on Florida's Sanibel Island about the possibility of one of my images being used for an installation at the J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge....

Anhinga! One of America’s Most Overlooked Birds

Anhinga! One of America’s Most Overlooked Birds

Jun 29, 2017

The anhinga is one of the most strange, beautiful and ancient birds of The Gulf Coast region of the Southeastern United States. When North America was split in half roughly 100 to 40 million years ago by a great inland sea called the Western Interior Seaway ( <---...

Showy Evening Primroses

Showy Evening Primroses

Jun 8, 2017

At first light, there is nothing quite as beautiful as wildflowers backlit from the rising sun. These highly-colorful showy evening primroses were no exception! ~ click on any image to enlarge ~ Showy Evening Primroses Also known as pinkladies, pink evening primrose...

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