Visitors and staff observe flora and fauna from the boardwalk on a daily basis. Below are some of the highlights reported since October 9, 2024!

To find out what to expect in this season, check out our Seasonal Nature Viewing Opportunities page. Click here to download a checklist of birds around the seasons.

Birds:
Black -bellied Whistling Duck
Anhingha
Great Egret
Little Blue Heron
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Red-shouldered Hawk
Limpkin
Mourning Dove
Common Ground Dove
Barred Owl
Eastern Screech Owl
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-headed Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Pileated Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Acadian Flycatcher
Eastern Phoebe
Great-crested Flycatcher
White-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Tufted Titmouse
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Swainson's Thrush
Veery
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
Ovenbird
Worm-eating Warbler
Louisiana Waterthrush
Northern Waterthrush
Black-and-White Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Yellow-breasted Chat
​American Redstart
Nashville Warbler
Northern Parula
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Bay Breasted Warbler
Pine Warbler
Palm Warbler
Yellow-throated Warbler
Blue-winged Warbler
Prairie Warbler
Black-throated Green Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Painted Bunting
Common Grackle
Common Gallinule



Butterflies:
Cloudless Sulphur
Orange-barred Sulphur
Dainty Sulphur
Black Swallowtail
Palamedes Swallowtail
Giant Swallowtail
Ruddy Daggerwing
Zebra Longwing
Gulf Fritillary
Phaon Crescent
White Peacock
Viceroy
Tropical Checkered Skipper
Least Skipper
Fiery Skipper
Delaware Skipper
Brazillian Skipper
Ocola Skipper
Longtailed Skipper
Monk Skipper



Other Invertebrates:

Dragonflies
Damselflies
Grasshoppers
Apple Snails
Slough Crayfish

Reptiles and Amphibians:

Carolina Green Anole
Cuban Brown Anole
Five-lined Skink
Black Racer
Peninsula Ribbon Snake
Yellow Rat Snake
Banded Watersnake
Diamondback Rattlesnake
Red-bellied Turtle
Alligator and Babies
Pig Frog
Leopard Frog
Cuban Tree Treefrog


Mammals:

Raccoon
Gray Squirrel
Cottontail Rabbit
White-tailed Deer

 

Blooming Plants:

Sugarcane Plumegrass  (Saccharum giganteum)
Whitetop Sedge (Rhynchospora colorata)
Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata)
Alligatorflag/Fireflag (Thalia geniculata)
Swamp Lily  (Crinum americanum)
Lanceleaf Arrowhead  (Sagittaria lancifolia)
Skyflower (Hydrolea corymbosa)
Carolina Climbing Aster  (Symphyotrichum carolinianum)
Moonflower/Tropical White Morning Glory  (Ipomoea alba)
Saltmarsh Morning-Glory  (Ipomoea sagittata)
Virginia Saltmarsh Mallow (Kosteletzkya pentacarpos)
Bretonica Peluda (Melochia spicata)  
Musky Mint (Hyptis alata)
Spurred Butterfly Pea (Centrosema virginianum)
Beggartick  (Bidens alba)
Tall Elephantsfoot  (Elephantopus elatus)
Clamshell Orchid (Prosthechea cochleata)"

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