River Otters, Lontra canadensis, are members of the weasel family. They can be found in a variety of freshwater bodies including rivers, creeks, swamps, marshes, ponds, and lakes throughout Florida with the exception of The Keys. Otters love riparian areas where they can make their burrows under tree roots on a bank and slide into the water for a tasty dinner of fish, crustaceans, reptiles, and amphibians. They also dine on insects, birds, and small mammals.
River Otters weigh 15-30 pounds and live to 12 years old, They and are skilled swimmers. When they aren’t playing in the water or mud, you will find them marking their territory with urine, feces, scent glands, and scratch marks on trees. Females give birth to one to six pups in a den dug into the bank of a body of water or a hollow log. When they are two months old, the mother otter pushes her pups into the water where they quickly learn to swim.
Fun Fact: River Otters can hold their breath for 8 minutes.
Photo Credit: Paul Waller
Yellow-crowned Night-Herons, Nyctanassa violacea, with their purplish-gray body, black-and-white face, and striking yellow plumes can be found in wet fields or shallow wetlands. They may be seen foraging any time during the day or night. You will most often discover this bird alone, although, at times, they may appear in groups.
Watch as they stand still or walk slowly with their necks extended in search of their favorite dinner of crustaceans. They may also eat frogs, small fish mussels, and water beetles.
Keep a keen eye out for this hard-to-find bird. While they are most common in barrier islands, coastal marshes, and mangroves, you may also find them inland near rivers, on golf courses, or even in your wet yard.
Yellow-crowned Night-Herons have been around for a long time. The oldest recorded fossil was discovered in Sarasota, Florida, and is 2–2.5 million years old.
Sadly, the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron has been designated a Species of Concern by Florida Rare and Endangered Plants and Animals.
National Key Dear Refuge
Established in 1957 to protect and preserve in the national interest the Key deer and other wildlife resources, the 9,200-acre National Key Dear Refuge consists of salt marsh wetlands, mangrove forests, freshwater wetlands, pine rockland forests, and tropical hardwood hammocks. Twenty-three endangered and/or threatened animals and plants live in the refuge.
National Key Dear Refuge is surrounded by saltwater and easily accessible on Big Pine Key. Because of karst bedrock, freshwater is stored in the bedrock’s holes and crevices. This freshwater is necessary for Key Deer and other plant and animal species to thrive.
Visiting National Key Dear Refuge on Big Pine Key:
Drive the Speed Limit. Key Deer and other wildlife share the roads with you.
Be sure to stop at the Visitor Center to learn about how to avoid poisonwood trees and stay safe on a trail where you may encounter snakes and alligators.
Saunter along the trails at The Blue Hole. https://www.imagineourflorida.org/blue-hole/
Discover endangered Bartram’s scrub hairstreak butterflies, endangered Lower Keys marsh rabbits, and the endangered Key Deer. https://www.imagineourflorida.org/key-deer/
There are 40 species of reptiles, including alligators and crocodiles, waiting to be discovered. Look for over 250 migratory and resident bird species, including the rarely seen Mangrove Cuckoo. Snakes, including the threatened Eastern Indigo call the refuge home.
Leashed dogs are welcome.
Learn more here:
https://www.fws.gov/refuge/National_Key_Deer_Refuge/
Photo credit: Dan Kon, Nancy Kon, Christian Kon
White Peacocks, Anartia jatrophae, are common butterflies found on roadsides, near the edges of ponds and wetlands, and in fields and parks with low growing vegetation. They can be seen year-round flying low to the ground where their favorite low-growing nectar plants thrive.
White Peacocks lay a single egg on or near a host plant such as frogfruit or water hyssop. They live for about 4 months and their wingspan reaches 2 – 2.75 inches.
Photo Credit: Andy Waldo and Aymee Laurain 
Cloudless Sulpher
Cloudless sulfurs, (Phoebis sennae), live in Florida year-round. These beautiful, bright yellow butterflies are hard to miss with their wingspans of 2 – 3 inches. Look for them in sunny, open areas such as along roadsides and in pastures, fields, and meadows.
Cloudless Sulfurs can be seen in large numbers during the fall migration season. Many spend their winters in Florida south of Gainesville. Nectar plants include red morning-glories, scarlet creeper, and cypress vine, scarlet sage, and Salvia. Cloudless Sulfurs prefer various species in the pea family as host plants where females lay a single egg.
Least Tern
I was able to get out today and visit a Least Tern Colony. Watching these amazing parents nesting, sitting on eggs, and caring for their newborn chicks is very interesting indeed. They actively defend their nesting areas and will let you know if you get too close in short order! They will scream and dive at you even pecking you in the head should you not pay heed to their warnings!
The Least Tern is Florida’s smallest Tern. It’s a spring/summer visitor. They are often seen flying low over the water, with quick deep wingbeats and shrill cries. These Terns usually hover before plunging into water for tiny prey and do more hovering than most terns. Populations are endangered in many areas because of human impacts on nesting areas, especially competition for use of beaches. Least Terns are listed as Threatened in the State of Florida.
For Tern parents, it’s tough raising chicks on a beach with development, people, dogs, feral cats, raccoons, fox, predatory birds, and broiling hot sun. Least Terns in some parts of the east including Florida are now nesting successfully on gravel roofs near the coast. This particular colony is the only known beach-nesting colony in SE Florida. The parents need to protect the chicks and feed them constantly while getting enough nutrition for themselves. Least Terns are great providers and amazing parents! ~Paul Waller
Note: All shots were taken from a responsible distance with a long lens
Photo credit: Paul Waller
Lake Lily, located in Maitland, is a 10-acre park with a 1/2 mile walking trail around the Lake. Saunter near the lake as you watch for limpkins, green herons, ibises, and a variety of ducks. Sit on one of the many benches and watch squirrels who will keep you smiling with their jumping skills. Listen for birds of prey, crows, and a variety of songbirds.
Lake Lily is open from 8 am until Sunset most days. There is a playground for the kids, a rentable wedding gazebo, and restrooms. Your leashed dog is welcome to enjoy the day with you.
For more information: https://maitland.recdesk.com/Community/Facility/Detail…
Photo credit: Dan Kon
Collier-Seminole State Park, located in Naples, is a 7,271-acre park that offers the opportunity to explore part of the Great Mangrove Swamp of South Florida and an original stand of royal palms. Discover wildlife and wildflowers like those in the Everglades.
Learn about the Bay City Walking Dredge No. 489, a mechanical engineering marvel that walked forward as it dredged limestone to create a road from Tampa0 to Miami.
Collier-Seminole State Park has four wonderful nature trails ranging from less than a mile on the Royal Palm Hammock Nature Trail to the 5.25 mile Strand Swamp Trail. Discover the plants and animals, many imperiled, that live in the park. The park is designated a Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail so be sure to bring your camera/binoculars.
Launch your canoe or kayak at the ADA accessible launch. Explore the Blackwater River on the 13.5-mile canoe trail. As you paddle through the mangroves to Blackwater Bay, look for crocodiles, alligators, otters, manatees, and a variety of wading birds.
Primitive camping sites and campsites for your RV and tents are available. There are bike trails, two pavilions, picnic tables, and a playground for your enjoyment. Leashed pets are welcome.
For more information: https://www.floridastateparks.org/…/collier-seminole-state-…
Photo Credit: Ileana Rodriguez
Heavenly or Sacred Bamboo, Nandina domestica, is not very heavenly in Florida. It is native to Asia, introduced in the US, and can be found in forests and hammocks throughout Florida.
Heavenly Bamboo is not bamboo. It is a shrub that grows to about 7 feet tall. Reproduction may occur through vegetative regeneration, however, it is known to reproduce through seed dispersal. Red berries appeal to birds and other animals. The tiny white flowers and bright red berries appear harmless.
Heavenly Bamboo is poisonous to some animals. Cyanogenic glycosides can be found in the foliage and the fruit. The shrub is a species of concern because it may compete with understory plants and threaten several of Florida’s endangered wildflowers.
If you have this plant in your yard, IOF recommends you remove it. Protect wildlife and ecosystems when you replace Heavenly Bamboo with one of Florida’s native shrubs.
For more information:
https://www.fs.fed.us/datab…/…/plants/shrub/nandom/all.html…
The Blue Hole in the National Key Deer Refuge
Located on Big Pine Key, the Blue Hole offers a short trail and observation deck where you can immerse yourself in nature.
The Blue Hole is a large sinkhole. The sinkhole became a quarry and the limestone was used to construct roads in The Keys as well as Henry Flagler’s Oversea Railroad. After being included in the National Key Deer Refuge, the Blue Hole was replanted with native vegetation and returned to nature.
The water in the blue hole is a freshwater lens. This means that freshwater from rainwater floats on top of the saltwater that lies underneath. The Blue Hole provides a unique ecosystem for the wild plants and wildlife that thrive there.
The Blue Hole is included in the Florida Keys Birding and Wildlife Trail. Look for Key Deer, fish, alligators, turtles, iguanas, and a variety of birds (including wading birds), and snakes.
Sea level rise is an immediate threat to the Blue Hole. Lying only 3 to 6 feet above sea level, freshwater in wetlands in the Keys will become brackish or saltwater habitats if the sea level continues to rise. Mud turtles, marsh rabbits, and endangered Key Deer will be impacted by the loss of freshwater. When we make choices that protect our planet from climate change, we ultimately are protecting Florida and all of its inhabitants.
Photo credit: Dan Kon, Christian Kon
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