This diminutive tropical orbweaver spider was one of many spider species found in my parents' backyard in Mt. Dora in May 2012. I spent several nights patrolling their property late at night and saw dozens of species in the area. Impressive biodiversity!
~ janson jones, http://dusttracks.com
This is a male Argyra orchard spider, Leucauge argyra, photographed one May evening in my parents' backyard. The photo was overexposed a bit to wash out the white privacy sense and to catch a little more lightness to the spider's frame.
~ janson jones, http://dusttracks.com.
My word, the turkish geckos are common in Mt. Dora, Florida these days. My parents' home --just north of Lake Dora and on the Mt. Dora / Tavares border-- is crawling with them at night. When the Cuban brown anoles go to sleep, the turkish geckos come out to play. Between these two non-native species, the bugs of Florida are always kept on their toes.
Please note that color and contrast on these photographs have been exaggerated. I wanted to pull out the texture and coloration a bit. In central Florida they usually appear quite pale. The blue is there, but not quite so contrasted.
~ janson jones, http://dusttracks.com
This is a southeastern five-lined skink observed and photographed in my father's Lake county garden. I was surprised to see it bunkered down under a board. In early April, they're usually out and about in the morning, skulking about the garden.
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
This is (another) wheel bug nymph spotted in my parents' backyard/garden. The little ones were on the move!
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
Southern toads are still nocturnally romping my parents' backyard in Mt. Dora, Florida -- despite the best efforts of their two dogs to erratic all amphibian lifeforms.
Anaxyrus Survivor.
NOTE: Two individuals are represented here.
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
Yet another species of spider hunting and devouring a sample of aquatic midges infesting Lake county in late March and early April 2012. With the ridiculous number of midges, the spiders are out in force right now!
I've seen this species a number of times, but can't identify it. Any ideas? I'd sure love some help with this one...!
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
First up, I'd love confirmation of the identification. I've seen these tiny spiders my entire life in central Florida. We always generically called them "wolf spiders" -- tiny, nocturnal, easily spotted trekking through grassy lawns at night. I believe this is Hogna antelucana, but would like some feedback.
This spider was enjoying a tasty aquatic midge.
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
I'm noticing an increase in easily-spotted long-jawed spiders this week in Mt. Dora. They are out and in force, taking advantage of the aquatic midge infestation happening right now.
After doing some research online, this looks like it should be Tetragnatha laboriosa, the silver long jawed orbweaver. They fall within this range and are reportedly very common -- which vibes with how many I've seen. These spiders are incredibly common (though not always openly visible).
Confirmation or correction, as always, would be appreciated.
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
Though people may be grumbling about the current and epic scourge of midges in Lake county, Florida, you'll hear no such complaints from our resident gecko neighbors. They are loving it.
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
The aquatic midges are out in force right now -- in Lake county, Florida. I've rarely seen them this bad. Layers of them covered parts of my parents' home, especially around the windows.
The morning after, we had to hose the carcasses off. Quite horrific.
Fortunately, though they're often called "blind mosquitos" by locals, these aren't biting mosquitos. Just a nuisance.
After doing some research online, I've figured out this was Glyptotendipes paripes. Turns out there's been a bit of research regarding this bug; one specific project in 2002 actually using Lake Dora (right next to my parents' home) as one of the three sample pools. In that 2002 study, the authors noted that Lake Dora populations had diminished. Well, they're baaaaaaack! http://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/ali/aali_117.pdf
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
Time to formally figure this out. This is a nightmarish horde of ants found under a board in my dad's backyard. They were fairly large ants and what we generically called fire ants when I was growing up. Fairly ferocious little buggers. Now: what species?
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
This little bundle of nightmare is a nymph-stage wheel bug, Arilus cristatus (with thanks to Peter May of Stetson University for helping identify it - http://www2.stetson.edu/~pmay/). The little dude was slinking around on my iPad case outside. It was a surprising find and an absolutely awesome insect.
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
A double-crested cormorant basking at Palm Island Park in Mt. Dora, Florida. A common-yet-never-boring bird.
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
This was certainly a surprise and a treat today: a brahminy blind snake (non-native to Florida) in my parents' backyard in Mt. Dora, Florida. When I was younger (a few decades ago), this species was reported in south Florida. Nowadays they've made their way up the Floridian peninsula, apparently all the way up and around to Leon county, home of the Florida State Seminoles. This is the first brahminy blind snake I've actually encountered, though I'm sure I've passed by a few thousand individuals in my day.
~ janson jones, http://dusttracks.com
Either Genus Clubiona or Hibana, photographed in Lake county, Florida (25 June 2007). http://dusttracks.com.
Larinioides cornutus, the Furrow orbweaver, photographed in Lake county, Florida (25 June 2007). http://dusttracks.com.
The spider's web was under a gazebo not far from the shore of Lake Dora in Mt. Dora, Florida (Lake county, central Florida).
Heteropoda species, photographed in Lake county, Florida (25 June 2007). http://dusttracks.com.
I lean toward Heteropoda venatoria, but can't confirm that.
Heteropoda species, photographed in Lake county, Florida (25 June 2007). http://dusttracks.com.
I lean towards Heteropoda venatoria, but can't confirm that.
I've got two lead candidates for this one: the hairy woodpecker (Picoides villosus) and the downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescens). Of the two, I'm leaning toward the downy woodpecker for two reasons: this was a diminutive woodpecker and its beak seemed relatively short. From what I've seen, hairy woodpeckers are a little bigger and it seems like their beaks are a little more elongate (judging by photos accompanying descriptions). So, I throw it to you, iNaturalist Folk! What say you? Downy? or Hairy?
Update: I'm tentatively tagging this as a hairy woodpecker, though I concede a definitive identification is pretty much impossible from where I sit.
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
Updated: I'd originally thought this was a bit of a rough and tumble sora, but kueda believes it's a common moorhen (probably a juvenile). I'm down with that, as I don't know soras very well at all -- and can't speak of juvi moorhens.
Thanks kueda!
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
Barred owls are quite common in the Floridian peninsula. I almost always see them in Big Cypress National Preserve (south Florida) and at Palm Island Park in Mt. Dora, Florida. I see them elsewhere and often, also -- but those two locations seem to be barred owl magnets. Very reliable locations in the past.
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
An awesome Neoscona found at lakeside Mt. Dora, Florida. I find these cross spiders to be remarkably awesome. Very, very cool.
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
It's always possible with these guys that this *could* have been an old southeastern five-lined skink, but given the robustness of its head and its overall size, I'm fairly sure this was a broad-headed skink. It was quite large -- larger than I usually see the identifiable southeastern five-lined skinks. A tank of a skink.
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
I have seen god-knows-how-many H. turcicus in residential Mt. Dora, Florida. The Mediterranean gecko is quite abundant in this area, dominating the sides and patios of houses at night. I see more of these in Mt. Dora than I do the smaller H. turcicus, another non-native gecko species now established in Florida.
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
Along with Mediterranean geckos, there is also a decent population of non-native common house geckos in Mt. Dora, Florida (and elsewhere, of course). I don't see the house geckos nearly as much as the larger Mediterranean geckos in this Mt. Dora neighborhood, though in general I believe the house gecko is supposedly more common throughout Florida.
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com
Imagine my surprise when I spotted this Gulf coast spiny softshell turtle, a subspecies of the spiny softshell, Apalone spinifera, in Mt. Dora, Florida. Mt. Dora is smack in the interior of Florida -- nothing remotely coastal about it. I would expect to find this subspecies closer to the Gulf coast (and farther north), but alas -- they have made it to the interior. It's possible this was a pet trade release, but I *have* seen several in Lake Dora since this time. They're nowhere near as common as the Florida softshell, but do same to be somewhat established in this area now.
~ janson jones,
http://dusttracks.com.
