Spanish Needles, Devil’s Pitchfork, and Bidens alba are one and the same – and humans have bestowed this plant with several other common names. This plant is scientifically known as Bidens alba. “Bidens” refers to the two sharp “teeth” usually found at the tip of each spine associated with a seed. The teeth are sharp and point backward such that an animal that passes by will get “hooked” and carry the seed away until it is pulled off or brushed off – and there a new Bidens plant may grow. The species name “alba” means “white” and refers to its white petals.

Killdeer numbers and distribution have grown greatly in the past 200 years to include most of mainland North America – including most of Florida. The bad news is that their success has been due to our clearing of the land and “salting it” with patches of gravel in parking lots, yards, and rooftops – and many other species have declined as their preferred habitat disappeared.

The Cabbage Palm – Florida’s State Tree is found throughout Florida – in the wild, in our yards, along city streets, and from coast to coast. It’s tolerant of the coastal influence of salt spray and the seasonal wet and dry times of inland areas. It was these characteristics and its long history with Floridian culture that finally won over the legislators who chose it over other trees that may be more impressive, but limited in their state-wide distribution.

Downy Woodpeckers are resident birds that are about the size of a House Sparrow – and the smallest of woodpeckers found in the United States and Canada. They occur in most forests, forest edges, and in cities and towns of the continental U.S. and southern Canada.

The most intimate life of Ospreys is often on full display for bird-watchers. They hunt for fish over open water and their large nest is usually in the open near water and may be used in multiple years. It dominates their social life. Males bring most of the nest material and females do most of the “furniture” arrangement. Osprey plumage and eye color differ with sex and age of birds so that it is easy to recognize Ospreys in their daily saga. Males have a white breast often with only a single line or spot of black dead center. Females have several lines of black – often arranged much like a necklace on their chest. Both adults have crisp brown plumage covering their back; juveniles also have brown plumage, but their body feathers are each neatly edged with light tan – giving them a scale-like appearance. The female is larger than the male – allowing her to defend her chicks against a hungry male. After all, he is a predator!

Brown Pelicans are a common sight along Florida coasts and are often seen perched on stubs of trees, dock supports, and utility poles near water. They are large birds -- each with a beak that can be more than a foot long, the lower jaw of which is supported by flexible bones with a very thin, but tough and flexible skin that stretches between them. When a Brown Pelican dives into the water, water pressure on the opened lower bill stretches the skin essentially into a scoop net. Water and creatures in it are sucked in by the pressure of the pelican’s dive – and -- as the bill closes -- the water escapes and whatever creatures are left are swallowed.

Raccoons are mammals – warm-blooded, hairy creatures (like us!) that are easily recognized by the mask of black hair on their face and a variable number of black rings that circle their densely haired long tail. Males and females are similar in appearance. Both sexes can vary in the number of rings on the tail, although most have about six rings. Raccoons are basically nocturnal animals. They are out and about at dawn and dusk as well as in the darkness of night, but by day they are usually sleeping comfortably in a hollow log, hole in the ground, or in some other cavity – sometimes even in an abandoned building. Males move about by night over much greater distances than females – they are not only searching for food, but also for additional mates.

The Brown Anole – sometimes known as the Cuban Anole – is an exotic invasive lizard that likely arrived in the Florida Keys as a stowaway from Cuba. Its movement northward and across the Gulf States has also likely been as a result of individuals deliberately taken as pets or hidden in vehicles or eggs hidden in soil of plants being moved. It has been here for more than a century and its populations across the Southeast are sometimes enormous.

Of course you can recognize a Northern Cardinal when you see one. They are among the most common of backyard birds. But you may be overlooking their tremendous seasonal and age diversity. Unlike many birds, they do not molt into bright breeding plumage – they come into it by wearing away of gray-brown edges of feathers attained by their fall molt – leaving them with frayed, but brighter colors just in time for attracting a mate.

Our Snail Kite is recognized as a subspecies (known as the Florida Snail Kite). It was also previously called the Everglades Kite because of its intimate relationship with the Everglades ecosystem. The Florida population is considered endangered because of its low numbers and draining of the wetlands that it depends on for its primary food – apple snails. In the past the food of the Florida Snail Kite was almost exclusively the 2-3-inch long Florida Apple Snail -- which our kite deftly removed from its shell with its curved upper bill.