South Florida Obs in the Summer

[andresvila]

Hello!
Now as the spring songbird migration winds down and with summer around the corner, I am wondering what some of the best types of organisms to look for in South Florida (Miami Dade, Everglades, and top half of Monroe) could be.
I recently got myself a blacklight set up so I hope to do a lot of that this summer.
What are considered the “treats of the summer” for observation purposes down here?
Thanks.

[swampster]

Insects:

• Eastern Lubber Grasshopper: one of the most easily found insects in Florida, but brightly colored and adults get impressively large.
• Atala: butterfly with striking colors both as an adult and as a caterpillar. Many other cool butterflies as well.
• Faithful Beauty: moth with striking colors both as an adult and as a caterpillar.
• Polka-Dot Wasp Moth: wish-list species for me.

Other Invertebrates:

• Blue Land Crab
• Florida Tree Snail among other cool snails.

Reptiles:

• American Crocodile
• Many cool but invasive species such as Brown Basilisk.

Amphibians:

• Not a whole lot of easy-to-find natives for this category in South Florida, but invasives like Cuban Tree Frog, Cane Toad, and Greenhouse Frog.
• Southern Toad is probably the most common native.

Birds

• Swallow-tailed Kite: classic Florida bird.
• White-crowned Pigeon: harder to find outside of the keys, but still possible in the Everglades.
• Non-native parrots in the cities: Monk Parakeet, Red-masked Parakeet, and Mitred Parakeet to name a few.
• Spot-breasted Oriole: non-native but a wish-list species for me.

Mammals

• West Indian Manatee: classic Florida mammal.
• Bobcat

Fish

• Florida Gar

Plants

• Red Mangrove
• Buttonbush
• Devil’s Potato
• Nickernut

[dlevitis]

There are very many mosquito and midge species to document in South Florida in the summer.