Ant Lion (Myrmeleon formicarius)

Pine Flatwoods

Diet: Larva – small insects, especially ants

Adult – nectar or pollen, infrequently The common name of this insect comes from the larva, called an "ant lion," known for its voracious appetite for ants. Larvae hide at the bottom of a small pit trap made in dry sandy soil, patiently waiting for ants and other small insects to tumble down the sloping sides. Adult ant lions, known as owl flies, resemble damselflies, with a longer body and clubbed antennae, but, unlike damselflies, are poor fliers.

Florida Leaf-Footed Bug (Acanthocephala femorata)

Diet: plant juices

A member of the insect order hemiptera, sometimes called the "true bug" order, the leaf-footed bug exemplifies the fact that "all bugs are insects but not all insects are bugs." Members of the hemiptera order are distinguished from all other insects by both adults and nymphs having a specialized proboscis used to suck plant juices. The leaf like expansion on the hind legs is a key identification feature. When disturbed these insects will release a foul-smelling secretion.

Love Bugs (Plecia nearctica)

Diet: nectar and pollen

A recent immigrant from central Florida, the love bug has a dark body, velvety black head and wings, and an orange thorax. Commonly called a "bug," the love bug is really a fly known for its spectacular seasonal mass mating rituals, one in the spring and one in the fall. Often seen mating in the air, over highways, these flies can mate for hours. Fly carcasses stuck on car bodies need to be removed immediately before the fluid in the insect's body discolors the paint.

Green Darner

Swamp, Marsh, River

(Anax junius) Diet: Immature – small fish, tadpoles, water insects; Adult - mosquitoes, other flying insects The green darner, one of our biggest and fastest dragonflies, belongs to an insect order (that also includes damselflies) dating back over 300 million years. Ancient dragonflies had wingspans of more than 2 feet while the modern day darner has a wingspan of about 4". The green darner has clear wings, with the female's tips an amber color. A dragonfly can eat over 500 mosquitoes a night.

Red Fire Ant

(Solenopsis invicta) Diet: young foliage, insects SPECIES ALERT! Exotic Now widespread from Texas to the Carolinas to Florida, the red fire ant was accidentally introduced from Argentina in Mobile, Alabama around 1940 in lawn grass sod. Females excavate nests, which can contain more than 100,00 ants, close to shrubs for protection from burrowing ant eating animals. Look for large mounds of soil on open ground. Fire ants sting and bite voraciously, resulting in burning, itching and a pimple-like bump. Wrapped ice and anti-itch.

Mexican Bromeliad Weevil (Metamasius callizona)

Diet: bromeliads

SPECIES ALERT! Exotic

Originally from Mexico, this exotic has caused much destruction to our largest bromeliads, which take many years to reach that size. Eggs are laid on the plants and hatching larvae tunnel into the growing stem tissue, producing large holes in the base of the plant. This weevil is attacking two species of bromeliads that are on the Florida endangered plant list, the cardinal airplant & the giant airplant. Adults are black with yellow or orange bands on the wings.

Golden Silk Spider (Nephila clavipes)

Diet: insects

One of Florida's largest orb weaver spiders, the golden silk spider builds an orb web measuring 2-3" across with strong silk as thick as horse hair. The cephalothorax, or front body part, is gray with black spots while the abdomen, or back body part, is orange, yellow, or green with white spots. These spiders bite their prey first, injecting them with venom, before wrapping them in silk. Males grow to 1/8" in length while the females can get up to 1" long.

Spiny Orb Weaver Spider (Gasteracantha cancriformis)

Diet: insects

A small (3/8" long) orb weaver spider with a whitish or yellow abdomen with black spots and 6 red spines. This spider builds a vertical orb with a few spiral strands at the center. As with most orb weavers, the web is partially replaced daily, in the early evening, in about one hour. Besides spinning silk for radial web lines and sticky "entrapment" web lines, spiders also spin silk for making cocoons for eggs and for lowering themselves.