Notice the lightning whelk’s unique left-handed opening.
Flora & Fauna
- Air Potato (Dioscorea bulbifera)
- Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)
- Alligator or Fire Flag (Thalia geniculata)
- American Avocet (Recurvirostra americana)
- American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
- American Coot (Fulica americana)
- American Crocodile (Crocodylus acutus)
- American Oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus)
- American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
- American white ibis (Eudocimus albus)
- American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)
- Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga)
- Apple Snail (Pomacea canaliculata)
- Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia)
- Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum)
- Ballmoss (Tillandsia recurvata)
- Barred Owl (Strix varia)
- Bella Moth (Utetheisa ornatrix)
- Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)
- Black Racer (Coluber constrictor)
- Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger)
- Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus)
- Black-bellied whistling duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis)
- Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus)
- Bobcat (Lynx rufus)
- Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolia)
- Brown Anole (Anolis sagrei)
- Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis)
- Buckeye Butterfly (Junonia coenia)
- Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia)
- Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
- Cabbage Palm (Sabal palmetto)
- Caesar Weed (Urena lobata)
- Cane Toad (Rhinella marina)
- Cardinal Airplant (Tillandsia fasciculata)
- Carolina Wren (Thryothorus ludovicianus)
- Cattle (Bos taurus)
- Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
- Cogon Grass (Imperata cylindrica)
- Common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
- Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis)
- Corn Snake or Rat Snake (Pantherophis guttatus)
- Cucumberleaf Sunflower (Helianthus debilis)
- Dogfennel (Eupatorium capillifolium)
- Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)
- Eastern Lubber Grasshopper (Romalea guttata)
- Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna)
- Feral Pig (Sus scrofa)
- Fetterbush (Lyonia lucida)
- Firefly (Lampyridae)
- Five-lined Skink (Plestiodon fasciatus)
- Florida Butterfly Orchid (Encyclia tampensis)
- Florida Cooter (Pseudemys concinna floridana)
- Florida Harvester Ant (Pogonomyrmex badius)
- Florida panther (P. c. couguar)
- Florida Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens)
- Florida softshell turtle (Apalone ferox)
- Giant Katydid (Stilpnochlora couloniana)
- Giant Leather Fern (Acrostichum danaeifolium)
- Giant Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio cresphontes)
- Golden Polypody Fern (Phlebodium aureum)
- Goldenrod (Solidago)
- Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus)
- Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)
- Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
- Great Egret (Ardea alba)
- Great Southern White Butterfly (Ascia monuste)
- Green Anole (Anolis carolinensis)
- Green Iguana (Iguana iguana)
- Greenbrier (Smilax)
- Gulf Coast Tick (Amblyomma maculatum)
- Gulf Fritillary Butterfly (Agraulis vanillae)
- Indigo Snake (Drymarchon couperi)
- Julia Butterfly (Dryas iulia)
- Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
- Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla)
- Laurel Oak (Quercus laurifolia)
- Lightning Whelk (Sinistrofulgur perversum)
- Limpkin (Aramus guarauna)
- Loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta)
- Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris)
- Love Bug (Plecia nearctica)
- Magnificent Frigatebird (Fregata magnificens)
- Mangrove Buckeye (Junonia genoveva)
- Mangrove Tree Crab (Aratus pisonii)
- Marsh Rabbit (Sylvilagus palustris)
- Mexican Prickly Poppy (Argemone mexicana)
- Narrow-leaved Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium)
- Needham’s Skimmer (Libellula needhami)
- Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus)
- Northern Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus)
- Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius)
- Nuttall’s thistle (Cirsium nuttallii)
- Oak Toad (Anaxyrus quercicus)
- Orange Milkwort (Polygala lutea)
- Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
- Painted bunting (Passerina ciris)
- Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum)
- Pickerel Weed (Pontederia cordata)
- Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)
- Pine Lily (Lilium catesbaei)
- Pond Cypress (Taxodium ascendens)
- Pop Ash (Fraxinus caroliniana)
- Prickly Pear (Opuntia)
- Primrose Willow (Ludwigia)
- Purple Thistle (Asteraceae (Compositae))
- Raccoon (Procyon lotor)
- Railroad Vine (Ipomoea pes-caprae)
- Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
- Red Imported Fire Ants (Solenopsis invicta)
- Red Maple (Acer rubrum)
- Red Shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)
- Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)
- Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens)
- Resurrection Fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides)
- River Otter (Lontra canadensis)
- Rosary Pea (Abrus precatorius)
- Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja)
- Rough Horsetail (Equisetum hyemale)
- Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
- Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis)
- Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis)
- Savanna Iris (Iris savannarum)
- Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens)
- Sea Grape (Coccoloba uvifera)
- Sea Oats (Uniola paniculata)
- Sensitive Pea (Chamaecrista)
- Shoestring Fern (Vittaria)
- Slash Pine (Pinus elliottii)
- Snowy Egret (Egretta thula)
- Southern leopard frog (Lithobates sphenocephalus)
- Southern Live Oak (Quercus virginiana)
- Southern Needleleaf (Tillandsia setacea)
- Southern Wax Myrtle (Myrica cerifera)
- Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides)
- Spiny-backed Orb-Weaver (Gasteracantha cancriformis)
- Star Jasmine (Jasminum multiflorum)
- Starrush Whitetop (Rhynchospora colorata)
- Streaked Rattlepod (Crotalaria pallida)
- Sundew (Drosera)
- Swallow-tailed Kite (Elanoides forficatus)
- Swamp Hibiscus/Rosemallow (Hibiscus grandiflorus)
- Sword Fern (Nephrolepis exaltata)
- Tickseed (Coreopsis)
- Turkey Oak (Quercus laevis)
- Virginia Iris (Iris virginica)
- Virginia Opossum (Didelphis virginiana)
- Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes)
- West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus)
- White Mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa)
- White Peacock Butterfly (Anartia jatrophae)
- White Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
- Wild Coffee (Psychotria)
- Wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)
- Willet (Tringa semipalmata)
- Wood Storks (Mycteria americana)
- Zebra Longwing Butterfly (Heliconius charithonia)
- Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly (Protographium marcellus)
Mangrove Tree Crab (Aratus pisonii)
You can see these crabs on the mangrove trees, especially when paddling through mangrove tunnels it Lido Key.
Mangrove Buckeye (Junonia genoveva)
These hang out among the mangroves and look very much like the common buckeye.
Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla)
These birds are quite common in Sarasota, and can often be seen with non-breeding colors with the head less black and more mottled gray.
Prickly Pear (Opuntia)
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
Pine Lily (Lilium catesbaei)
September & October are the blooming months for the beautiful native Pine Lily, which can be seen in the dry prairie and other damp areas around Sarasota. This flower is a perennial secret kept from snowbirds because it would be very unusual to see it after the month of October. Most recently, I have seen […]
Painted bunting (Passerina ciris)
Felts Preserve is perhaps the only place near Sarasota where you can consistently see these birds in season (winter).
