Natural Florida

Florida Wetlands

    Wetlands are low, flat lands that are covered with water most of the time. Two major wetlands in Florida are The Florida Everglades in South Florida and Okefenokee Swamp bordering Florida and Georgia.
Swamps are characterized by standing water a few inches to a few feet deep most of the year.
Marshes are usually partially covered by water with grasses or cattails and few trees .

Florida Springs

    Florida has over 300 Springs - 27 are 1st magnitude springs discharging more than 60 million gallons of water every day. Florida has more springs than any other state and discharge more water than any country in the world.

Florida Beaches

   Florida is known for mostly for it's white beautiful beaches, but there are many things about Florida's Beaches that attract visitors every year. The warm waters, shelling, natural surroundings and wildlife, and much more.
   Many of the beaches in Florida are on the barrier islands that run parallel along the coast. Sometimes you do not even realize that you are on a barrier island. Some of the larger barrier islands are Miami Beach, Daytona Beach, Sanibel Island and Marco Island.

Wildlifes in Florida

Florida Spiders

    Generally, spiders attack and subdue their prey by biting them with their fangs (a small group lacks venom glands) to inject a poison. Thus, all spiders are venomous. However, fear of spiders is unjustified since most are too small or possess venom too weak to harm humans. Only a few spiders have bites that are considered dangerous to humans.
    The most dangerous spiders to humans in North America are the widow spiders (Latrodectus spp.), recluse spiders (Loxosceles spp.), and hobo spider (Tegeneria agrestis). Although sometimes considered dangerous, a tarantula bite is rarely severe and does not cause lasting pain. If handled improperly, defensive hairs on the abdomen of some species can be irritating and sometimes causes a rash or blistering of the skin. Rarely, an allergic response to the hairs may cause difficulty in breathing.
    In general, spiders are beneficial organisms because they feed on insects, many of which are pests. Indoors and out, spiders help to control a wide variety of insect pests. Unfortunately, the majority of spiders that are seen and killed by most people pose no threat at all.

    Brown recluse (left) spiders generally occupy dark, undisturbed sites, and they can occur indoors or outdoors. In favorable habitats, their populations are usually dense. They thrive in human-altered environments. Indoors, they may be found in attics, basements, crawl spaces, cellars, closets, and ductwork or registers. They may seek shelter in storage boxes, shoes, clothing, folded linens, and behind furniture. They also may be found in outbuildings such as barns, storage sheds, and garages. Outdoors, brown recluse spiders may be found underneath logs, loose stones in rock piles, and stacks of lumber.
    The brown recluse spider is not aggressive, and it normally bites only when crushed, handled or disturbed. Some people have been bitten in bed after inadvertently rolling over onto the spider. Others have been bitten after accidentally touching the spider when cleaning storage areas. Some bites occur when people put on seldom used clothing or shoes inhabited by a brown recluse.

    Widow spiders(right) (Genus Latrodectus) are the best known and largest of the Cobweb Weavers (Family Therididae). All widows are venomous, though not all can cause injury to humans. Black Widows comprise about six species and inhabit most of the warmer regions of the world to a latitude of about 45 degrees N. The female black widow spider, though it is the most venomous spider in North America, seldom causes death as it injects a very small amount of poison when it bites. Reports indicate human mortality at well less than 1% from black widow spider bites.

Florida Butterflies

Florida Birds

Florida Reptiles