floridensis
janson jones
Category: REGIONS
Gastrophryne carolinensis, 14 September 2012
Gastrophryne carolinensis, the Eastern narrowmouth toad; Lake county, Florida (14 September 2012). The Eastern narrowmouth toad is Florida’s loan representative of Family Microhylidae, a chonky clade of amphibians. Not quite true toads and not quite true frogs, narrowmouth toads sport robust, smooth, round bodies… Continue Reading “Gastrophryne carolinensis, 14 September 2012”
Sistrurus miliarius barbouri, 04 September 2016
Sistrurus miliarius barbouri, the Dusky pigmy rattlesnake; Volusia county, Florida (04 September 2016). This is the typical posture/position of a Dusky pigmy rattlesnake going nowhere in the plenty of time, to borrow a phrase from N. Scott Momaday. Such a patient, calm, yet extremely-attuned… Continue Reading “Sistrurus miliarius barbouri, 04 September 2016”
Pelidnota punctata, 19 June 2013
Pelidnota punctata, the Grapevine beetle; Lowndes county, Georgia (19 June 2013). If you live in the eastern U.S. and have never had one of these fly/crash into your face on a summer evening, you’re probably in the minority. At least it feels that way.… Continue Reading “Pelidnota punctata, 19 June 2013”
Basiliscus vittatus, 11 June 2016
Basiliscus vittatus, the Brown basilisk; Miami-Dade county, Florida (11 June 2016). Check out that fantastic crest! This is a good-sized Brown basilisk, a non-native species now well-established throughout portions of the Florida peninsula, photographed in Miami-Dade county. This is a fairly speedy species, and… Continue Reading “Basiliscus vittatus, 11 June 2016”
Micrathena sagittata, 25 October 2015
Micrathena sagittata, the Arrow-shaped orbweaver; Volusia county, Florida (25 October 2015). Registering fairly high on the OMFG scale of arachnid excellence, this is an Arrow-shaped orbweaver, a species that ranges throughout much the eastern United States. This individual is a female; female Arrow-shaped orbweavers… Continue Reading “Micrathena sagittata, 25 October 2015”
Hyla chrysoscelis, 12 April 2014
Hyla chrysoscelis, the Cope’s grey treefrog; Gilchrist county, Florida (12 April 2014). Cope’s grey treefrog (or gray treefrog, if you prefer it with an “a”) is a damn fine species. Unfortunately, it doesn’t quite range to my home territory in Volusia County. Fortunately, however,… Continue Reading “Hyla chrysoscelis, 12 April 2014”
Kinosternon subrubrum, 19 April 2013
Kinosternon subrubrum, the Eastern mud turtle; Lowndes county, Georgia (19 April 2013). Though I’ve relaunched Floridensis with a decent jumpstart of lizard and snake biodiversity, I feel I’ve under-represented our anapsid inhabitants of the region thus far. With that in mind, allow me to… Continue Reading “Kinosternon subrubrum, 19 April 2013”
Anolis cristatellus, 27 December 2013
Anolis cristatellus, the Puerto Rican crested anole; Miami-Dade county, Florida (27 December 2013). Probably in need of a good meal, this is a non-native Puerto Rican crested anole poised and ready to spring to action in Miami-Dade county. Rarely do I encounter an anole,… Continue Reading “Anolis cristatellus, 27 December 2013”
Acris gryllus gryllus, 12 January 2013
Acris gryllus gryllus, the Southern cricket frog; Lowndes county, Georgia (12 January 2013). The almost-electric colorplay of some Southern cricket frogs never ceases to amaze. This subspecies, also regionally known as the Coastal Plain cricket frog, is extremely variable in coloration and patterning, but… Continue Reading “Acris gryllus gryllus, 12 January 2013”
Nerodia floridana, 01 March 2015
Nerodia floridana, the Florida green watersnake; Lake county, Florida (01 March 2015). A mid-sized Florida green watersnake poised on a picnic table in Mount Dora, Florida. Usually, this species would be situated a bit offshore, likely basking on a matte of reedy, aquatic growth… Continue Reading “Nerodia floridana, 01 March 2015”
West Summerland Key, 26 September 2005
West Summerland Key; Monroe county, Florida (26 September 2005). I don’t do too many environmental/landscape-style shots, but occasionally the wider angle of life catches my attention. This was one such moment while trekking about West Summerland Key in the Florida Keys. An immeasurable and… Continue Reading “West Summerland Key, 26 September 2005”
Coluber constrictor priapus, 22 July 2016
Coluber constrictor priapus, the Southern black racer; Volusia county, Florida (22 July 2016). Ever reactive and extremely agile (and fast!), this is the typical pose of a Southern black racer in front of my camera — poised and ready for what’s next. Despite its… Continue Reading “Coluber constrictor priapus, 22 July 2016”
Libellula axilena, 29 May 2013
Libellula axilena, the Bar-winged skimmer; Lowndes county, Georgia (29 May 2013). A Bar-winged skimmer perched with ever-perfect balance and poise. Whereas cicadas often feel like over-sized, drunken pilots bludgeoning and blundering their way through the skies, their dragonfly brethren couldn’t be more opposite. They… Continue Reading “Libellula axilena, 29 May 2013”
Iguana iguana, 04 August 2017
Iguana iguana, the Green iguana; Monroe county, Florida (04 August 2017). Nothing quite like cruising through the Florida Keys and finding a juvenile iguana scampering about some green foliage hanging over crystal blue-green water, right? Though the non-native Green iguana can be quite the… Continue Reading “Iguana iguana, 04 August 2017”
Latrodectus geometricus, 21 June 2013
Latrodectus geometricus, the Brown widow; Lowndes county, Georgia (21 June 2013). Though they don’t carry quite the reputation as their Black widow relatives, Brown widows are adequately bad ass in their own right. They can also look very, very similar to one another, complete… Continue Reading “Latrodectus geometricus, 21 June 2013”
Neotibicen lyricen virescens, 15 July 2013
Neotibicen lyricen virescens, the Coastal lyric cicada; Lowndes county, Georgia (15 July 2013). Nothing quite as bizarrely perfect as a cicada’s face head-on. What a fantastic product (or rather stage) of evolutionary progression, right? All those fantastic eyes doing their respective jobs in that… Continue Reading “Neotibicen lyricen virescens, 15 July 2013”
Rabidosa rabida, 28 June 2013
Rabidosa rabida, the Rabid wolf spider; Lowndes county, Georgia (28 June 2013). Ah, yes, the infamous “Rabid” wolf spider. Fear not, human, for they are not actually, you know, rabid. In fact, their bite isn’t really dangerous to humans at all. Sure, it may… Continue Reading “Rabidosa rabida, 28 June 2013”
Pantherophis guttatus, 23 September 2016
Pantherophis guttatus, the Red rat (corn) snake; Volusia county, Florida (23 September 2016). Here’s a profile mugshot of a fairly young Red rat snake, also known as the Corn snake. This is a modest, understated species abundant throughout much of the eastern United States,… Continue Reading “Pantherophis guttatus, 23 September 2016”
Dolomedes triton, 28 May 2013
Dolomedes triton, the Six-spotted fishing spider; Lowndes county, Georgia (28 May 2013). Anybody who’s spent any time near the freshwater systems of the American southeast knows this species, though perhaps not by name. Though they range across most of the United States and even… Continue Reading “Dolomedes triton, 28 May 2013”
Anolis distichus, 02 September 2011
Anolis distichus, the Bark anole; Miami-Dade county, Florida (02 September 2011). Know the Fremen of Arakkis by their blue-within-blue eyes, and know the Bark anole of South Florida by their key-lime-green dewlaps. Heh. Of all the non-native anole species currently vying for a place… Continue Reading “Anolis distichus, 02 September 2011”
Osteopilus septentrionalis, 28 April 2017
Osteopilus septentrionalis, the Cuban treefrog; Seminole county, Florida (28 April 2007). Undoubtedly the Beetlejuice of our treefrogs, this is the troublesome and invasive Cuban treefrog. Sure, it looks cute squatting like that, but this species has wreaked havoc on our local treefrog communities. Since… Continue Reading “Osteopilus septentrionalis, 28 April 2017”
Cemophora coccinea copei, 28 May 2013
Cemophora coccinea copei, the Northern scarlet snake; Lowndes county, Georgia (28 May 2013). A bonus to being in Valdosta for a few years was this little one. This is a young Northern scarlet snake, Cemophora coccinea copei, that had been discovered by local Grand… Continue Reading “Cemophora coccinea copei, 28 May 2013”
Anaxyrus terrestris, 10 November 2018
Anaxyrus terrestris, the Southern toad; Miami-Dade county, Florida (10 November 2018). The Southern toad is our big, native toad species throughout the Florida peninsula. We also have the tiny Oak toad and the fairly behemoth (and invasive) Cane toad, but the Southern toad is… Continue Reading “Anaxyrus terrestris, 10 November 2018”
Sistrurus miliarius barbouri, 11 December 2020
Sistrurus miliarius barbouri, the Dusky pigmy rattlesnake; Volusia county, Florida (11 December 2020). A Dusky pigmy rattlesnake giving me quite the stare-down. You can see that this one is approaching ecdysis, the “shedding of its skin” (or, rather, scales). Snakes don’t have eyelids; instead,… Continue Reading “Sistrurus miliarius barbouri, 11 December 2020”
Erythemis simplicicollis, 05 June 2007
Erythemis simplicicollis, the Eastern pondhawk; Volusia county, Florida (05 June 2007). Being one of our more-common dragons in this part of Florida, I’m always delighted to see an Eastern pondhawk searching out adventure and carnage in the summer sunshine, especially the emerald green females… Continue Reading “Erythemis simplicicollis, 05 June 2007”
Lithobates sphenocephalus, 11 December 2020
Lithobates sphenocephalus, the Southern leopard frog; Volusia county, Florida (11 December 2020). Love it when they go electric-green. Our local Leopard frogs really are something species. They can be extremely abundant in certain areas, casting a wave of leaping frog action as you walk… Continue Reading “Lithobates sphenocephalus, 11 December 2020”
Stilpnochlora couloniana, 20 September 2015
Stilpnochlora couloniana, the Giant katydid; Volusia county, Florida (20 September 2015). The Giant katydid is one of our most-commonly seen katydid species in central Florida, especially in September and October. I don’t know if that’s because they’re the most abundant species, though. It could… Continue Reading “Stilpnochlora couloniana, 20 September 2015”
Hemidactylus garnotii, 22 February 2015
Hemidactylus garnotii, the Indo-Pacific gecko; Lake county, Florida (22 February 2015). A fantastic and vivid (as usual) Indo-Pacific gecko photographed in Lake county, Florida. Of all of Florida’s non-native, introduced gecko species, Hemidactylus garnotii may be my favorite (with all due respect, H. turcicus).… Continue Reading “Hemidactylus garnotii, 22 February 2015”
Perithemis tenera, 28 June 2014
Perithemis tenera, the Eastern amberwing; Lake county, Florida (28 June 2014). To put it simply, this isn’t the greatest photograph I’ve ever taken, but it is the best photograph I currently have of an Eastern amberwing. Years ago, I used to see these quite… Continue Reading “Perithemis tenera, 28 June 2014”
Agkistrodon conanti, 15 March 2019
Agkistrodon conanti, the Florida cottonmouth; Miami-Dade county, Florida (15 March 2019). Here’s a lovely defensive display from an impressively dark and contrasty Florida cottonmouth. Though some people might view this behavior as “aggression,” it is simply and categorically a defensive display. There is absolutely… Continue Reading “Agkistrodon conanti, 15 March 2019”
Pomacea maculata, 22 March 2015
Pomacea maculata, the Island apple snail; Collier county, Florida (22 March 2015). By the early 1990s or so, the Island apple snail, a species native to South America, gained traction in south Florida. It was most likely introduced via people dumping their aquarium contents… Continue Reading “Pomacea maculata, 22 March 2015”
Scincella lateralis, 10 May 2013
Scincella lateralis, the Ground skink; Lowndes county, Georgia (10 May 2013). The Ground skink is a super-small, super-cute, and super-secretive species ranging throughout much of the eastern portion of the United States. With their wee tiny limbs and wickedly smooth scales, Ground skinks spend… Continue Reading “Scincella lateralis, 10 May 2013”
Alaus myops, 17 May 2015
Alaus myops, the Small-eyed click beetle; Volusia county, Florida (17 May 2015). Here’s a chunky little brick of a beetle. This is a Small-eyed click beetle, one of two very similar click beetles we have roaming and clicking about our stretch of central Florida… Continue Reading “Alaus myops, 17 May 2015”
Anolis cristatellus, 02 September 2011
Anolis cristatellus, the Puerto Rican crested anole; Miami-Dade county, Florida (02 September 2011). The resolution of this photo is quite terrible (pixelation!), but my, oh my, I do love it. It’s one of my personal favorite shots of the Puerto Rican crested anole. What… Continue Reading “Anolis cristatellus, 02 September 2011”
Microcentrum rhombifolium, 29 April 2020
Microcentrum rhombifolium, the Greater anglewing; Volusia county, Florida (29 April 2020). The Greater anglewing is one of our impressive katydid species in Volusia county, Florida. Ranging across the most of the United States, this is an impressively resilient and adaptable species. Really, if there’s… Continue Reading “Microcentrum rhombifolium, 29 April 2020”
Anolis sagrei, 01 April 2014
Anolis sagrei, the Cuban brown anole; Lake county, Florida (01 April 2014). A deeply impressive, non-native species, the Cuban brown anole is nearly omnipresent throughout the lower tangles of the Florida peninsula these days. They arrived in the state over a hundred years ago… Continue Reading “Anolis sagrei, 01 April 2014”
Lyssomanes viridis, 17 May 2015
Lyssomanes viridis, the Magnolia green jumping spider; Lake county, Florida (17 May 2015). The Magnolia green jumping spider is a common species widely distributed throughout most of the American southeast. Averaging between five and eight millimeters, this is a wee tiny spider that, yes,… Continue Reading “Lyssomanes viridis, 17 May 2015”
Nerodia floridana, 01 March 2015
Nerodia floridana, the Florida green watersnake; Lake county, Florida (01 March 2015). My nickname for this species is The Beefcake. An old friend liked to call it The Blockhead. I think both are apt. This is an adult Florida green watersnake, a very large… Continue Reading “Nerodia floridana, 01 March 2015”
Nemoria lixaria, 12 March 2015
Nemoria lixaria, the Red-bordered emerald moth; Volusia county, Florida (12 March 2015). This is one of many tiny species of moths most people don’t really notice at night in Florida. Our outdoor lights can be major attractors to moth species at night, but most… Continue Reading “Nemoria lixaria, 12 March 2015”
Micrurus fulvius, 27 June 2019
Micrurus fulvius, the Eastern coral snake; Volusia county, Florida (27 June 2019). Though not aggressive and very shy, the Eastern coral snake is not a species to take your chances with. Its neurotoxic venom can wreak absolute havoc on a person’s neurology, ultimately causing… Continue Reading “Micrurus fulvius, 27 June 2019”
Cosmosoma myrodora, 23 April 2015
Cosmosoma myrodora, the Scarlet-bodied wasp moth; Volusia county, Florida (23 April 2015). Though it may at first look a bit like a slightly-radioactive, somewhat-discotheque wasp, this is in fact a moth. More specifically, this is a Scarlet-bodied wasp moth, an entirely benign species of… Continue Reading “Cosmosoma myrodora, 23 April 2015”
Agkistrodon conanti, 22 April 2012
Agkistrodon conanti, the Florida cottonmouth; Lowndes county, Georgia (22 April 2012). A brilliant, juvenile Florida cottonmouth in extreme South Georgia. As kids, cottonmouths start out brightly patterned, but as they age they typically lose most of that patterning and turn quite dark — though… Continue Reading “Agkistrodon conanti, 22 April 2012”
Libellula incesta, 19 June 2012
Libellula incesta, the Slaty skimmer; Lowndes county, Georgia (19 June 2012). Slaty skimmers were about a dime a dozen during my two years in South Georgia. We had soooo many of these in the backyard during the summer months. Though predictable, perhaps, in their… Continue Reading “Libellula incesta, 19 June 2012”
Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis, 22 April 2015
Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis, the Eastern garter snake; Volusia county, Florida (22 April 2015). A do love a narrow depth of field with a slick snake staring down my lens. This is one of our fantastically bluish-green Eastern garter snakes in Volusia county, Florida, giving… Continue Reading “Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis, 22 April 2015”
Dichromorpha elegans, 14 September 2014
Dichromorpha elegans, the Elegant grasshopper; Volusia county, Florida (14 September 2014). The aptly-named Elegant grasshopper is a less commonly noticed species ranging along stretches of the southeastern coastline and throughout much of the Florida peninsula. On iNaturalist, there are also a handful of observations… Continue Reading “Dichromorpha elegans, 14 September 2014”
Lithobates clamitans clamitans, 29 June 2019
Lithobates clamitans clamitans, the Bronze frog; Volusia county, Florida (29 June 2019). Known regionally as the Bronze frog, Lithobates clamitans clamitans is a most-excellent true frog. Volusia county, where I live, is the southern extent of its range on the east coast, but we… Continue Reading “Lithobates clamitans clamitans, 29 June 2019”
Basiliscus vittatus, 11 June 2016
Basiliscus vittatus, the Brown basilisk; Miami-Dade county, Florida (11 June 2016). Native to Central America, the Brown basilisk has steadily been gaining ground within the Floridian peninsula. While this non-native species is still mostly concentrated throughout coastal southeast Florida, they have been observed as… Continue Reading “Basiliscus vittatus, 11 June 2016”
Trachemys scripta elegans, 01 July 2019
Trachemys scripta elegans, the Red-eared slider; Flagler county, Florida (01 July 2019). Native to the midwest regions of the United States, the Red-eared slider is now one of the most invasive species in the world due to people releasing their “pets” into the wild.… Continue Reading “Trachemys scripta elegans, 01 July 2019”
Tramea carolina, 19 June 2013
Tramea carolina, the Carolina saddlebags; Lowndes county, Georgia (19 June 2013). A quick reference shot of a Carolina saddlebags that was hanging out on our back patio light back in Valdosta a few clicks back on the odometer of life. Saddlebags were fairly common… Continue Reading “Tramea carolina, 19 June 2013”
Crocodylus acutus, 21 March 2015
Crocodylus acutus, the American crocodile; Miami-Dade county, Florida (21 March 2015). This was one of the resident American crocodiles often seen near Flamingo at the southern tip of Main Park Road in Everglades National Park. There’s often a group of American crocodiles that loiter… Continue Reading “Crocodylus acutus, 21 March 2015”
floridensis 