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The White Peacock is one of Florida’s most common butterflies. It is also one of our easiest to identify because of its white wings that are marked with an orange and brown wave-like pattern and a row of black spots, each circled by yellow. Those yellow-circled black spots are referred to as “eyespots” – markings that attract the attention of predators. A predator may see the eyespots as real eyes and a vulnerability for the butterfly, but for the butterfly it is better to lose a piece of wing, than to get eaten. White Peacocks can be seen year round in Florida and adults feed on nectar at a great diversity of native and introduced flowers. Their caterpillars are more specific in their diet, feeding on leaves of Water Hyssop, frog fruit, and wild petunias – all of which grow near water – thus that’s where these butterflies are most common. The caterpillars of White Peacocks begin life as tiny black creatures with scattered black spines. These may deter some predators, but are harmless to humans. As they grow, White Peacock caterpillars develop orange spots among the black spines. Adult Males and females are similar in appearance, but males are significantly smaller.

The Great Blue Heron is our largest Heron and found almost throughout North America. Northern populations have to migrate south or to coastal areas as waters freeze in winter. Although primarily feeding on fish, when opportunity arises, a Great Blue Heron will eat frogs, lizards, small mammals, or even the chicks of other birds.A word of caution is in order: An injured Great Blue Heron can be very dangerous to humans and efforts to rescue one must begin by gaining control of its head and neck – such as by covering it with a blanket or large towel. They are experts at striking at small things that move – such as your eyes!

Hurricanes can be disastrous and Florida sticks out like a sore thumb directly in the path of many hurricanes. It’s the heat of the sun and curvature and spinning of the Earth on its axis that initiate the movement of air over ocean and land. And its summer heat that warms surface water that creates the humid air and water-laden clouds that come with a hurricane. The juxtaposition of Florida’s land mass and the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico – the northern end of which is in a subtropical climate – makes us a target for hurricanes – many of which move north through the Gulf of Mexico, feeding on the warm waters there.

The Loggerhead Shrike is a songbird whose vocalizations are often not musical. It is also a predator that feeds on creatures ranging from small caterpillars to mice, lizards, small snakes, and birds. This is a bird of more open areas, but its nests are typically in a dense tangle of small branches of a tree or shrub. It hunts in open areas, often from a fence or utility wire. Its flight is typically low, direct, and fast. Shrikes often take advantage of insects, birds, and other small animals injured by traffic on our roads and – as a result of their typical low flight, are often highway victims themselves. Pruning of trees and shrubs to “open them up” is a major threat to shrikes (and other songbirds) because it opens their nests to predators. As a result of such pruning, highway traffic, and pesticides, Loggerhead Shrike populations have declined greatly.

The Northern Flicker is a commonly seen bird across North America – and it is a woodpecker – although one more often seen on bare or mowed ground where it feeds extensively on insects and other ground- or rotted-wood-dwelling insects. Flickers in the East have yellow-tinged wing and tail feathers – those in the west have red-tinged feathers. The two color-morphs meet at the edge of the Great Plains and often interbreed – hence they are considered a single species. This is a woodpecker that is often seen in mowed and bare areas of our towns and cities as well as in the countryside. It is a poor cavity excavator, requiring nest sites with well-rotted wood – or such modern materials as Styrofoam used in trim on our homes. Occasionally it will even nest in a hole in the ground – where it may find “bed and breakfast”. Males are easily identified by their black “moustache”; females lack it.

Hurricanes can be disastrous and Florida sticks out like a sore thumb directly in the path of many hurricanes. It’s the heat of the sun and curvature and spinning of the Earth on its axis that initiate the movement of air over ocean and land. And its summer heat that warms surface water that creates the humid air and water-laden clouds that come with a hurricane. The juxtaposition of Florida’s land mass and the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico – the northern end of which is in a subtropical climate – makes us a target for hurricanes – many of which move north through the Gulf of Mexico, feeding on the warm waters there.

Carolina Wrens are resident birds in Florida and seem to be almost everywhere. They feed extensively on insects and spiders on or near the ground – and sometimes even in homes and sheds left with open windows or doors. These small birds will even nest indoors – building their nest of small twigs and bits of debris in space between items stored on a shelf – or even in an empty, topless container. Garages are notorious places for spiders and having a pair of Carolina Wrens nest in your garage helps reduce the spider population. These are birds that usually stay within a few feet of the ground and if you can leave your garage door just a few inches open, these wrens will find a way in and out.

The White Ibis is a year-round resident of south Florida, but its population swells with winter migrants and shifts locations with availability of food in grasslands or shallow wetlands. While we think of it as a wetland bird, the White Ibis is also a grassland bird that is regularly seen along highways and even in our yards -- where it feeds on a diversity of insects and other small creatures. This ibis is a social bird, often seen foraging in small to large groups that are typically composed of birds of the same plumage – adults that are white, or juveniles that are gray-brown above and white below with a streaked neck. Adults and juveniles may be in the same group for a while, but a bird that is of a different color than others in the group makes it more vulnerable to a predator.

The Limpkin is a large bird of wetland – especially swamp – habitats that can be found throughout Florida and only more recently and rarely in other southern states. It is a tropical species also found in Cuba and on other Caribbean Islands and well into tropical South America. The Limpkin is a food specialist – feeding primarily on large Apple Snails, but also taking clams and some insects. The Limpkin has been a game bird in Florida – but is now protected as a troubled species – troubled because of habitat losses and fragmentation of the suitable habitats that remain. Florida has only one native Apple Snail and its populations have also declined. Four additional Apple Snail species now occur in Florida and compete with the native species. All four are invasive exotics most likely introduced through the pet trade.

Doves and pigeons are among the most recognizable of birds – in part because of their close association with humans. Although they are regular patrons at bird feeders, doves and pigeons generally feed on spilled seeds that accumulate beneath feeders.