It’s hard to think of anything that captured my imagination as a child more than fireflies, and summer nights in Maryland were filled with the flashing lights of these remarkable insects. I hadn’t seen or thought about them for years, but now in Goshen, Connecticut, I am again lucky to see them crowd the darkness.
Insects & Invertebrates of Florida
- Apple Snail (Pomacea canaliculata)
- Bella Moth (Utetheisa ornatrix)
- Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus)
- Buckeye Butterfly (Junonia coenia)
- Eastern Lubber Grasshopper (Romalea guttata)
- Firefly (Lampyridae)
- Florida Harvester Ant (Pogonomyrmex badius)
- Giant Katydid (Stilpnochlora couloniana)
- Giant Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio cresphontes)
- Great Southern White Butterfly (Ascia monuste)
- Gulf Fritillary Butterfly (Agraulis vanillae)
- Julia Butterfly (Dryas iulia)
- Katydid (Tettigoniidae)
- Lightning Whelk (Sinistrofulgur perversum)
- Love Bug (Plecia nearctica)
- Mangrove Buckeye (Junonia genoveva)
- Mangrove Tree Crab (Aratus pisonii)
- Needham’s Skimmer (Libellula needhami)
- Red Imported Fire Ants (Solenopsis invicta)
- Spiny-backed Orb-Weaver (Gasteracantha cancriformis)
- White Peacock Butterfly (Anartia jatrophae)
- Zebra Longwing Butterfly (Heliconius charithonia)
- Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly (Protographium marcellus)
Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus)
I don’t often see blue crabs around Sarasota Bay, but I made a video of one in the tidal pond at Selby Gardens.
Great Southern White Butterfly (Ascia monuste)
Giant Swallowtail Butterfly (Papilio cresphontes)
I saw this butterfly in the butterfly tent at Spanish Point, which has a good collection of native butterflies.
Zebra Swallowtail Butterfly (Protographium marcellus)
Giant Katydid (Stilpnochlora couloniana)
Keep your eyes open for katydids, which are all over Sarasota, but are so well camouflaged, you’ll be lucky to spot one.
Julia Butterfly (Dryas iulia)
Bella Moth (Utetheisa ornatrix)
Love Bug (Plecia nearctica)
The urban legends on love bugs are irresistible, especially that they were genetically engineered at the University of Florida!
Florida Harvester Ant (Pogonomyrmex badius)
These native ants can keep the fire ants out of a habitat.
Lightning Whelk (Sinistrofulgur perversum)
Notice the lightning whelk’s unique left-handed opening.
Mangrove Tree Crab (Aratus pisonii)
You can see these crabs on the mangrove trees, especially when paddling through mangrove tunnels it Lido Key.