Grasshoppers and Dragonflies and Butterflies, Oh My!

7 insects to look for in the Everglades.

1. Southeastern Lubber Grasshopper

• This brightly colored insect may seem to possess large wings but is actually flightless. They can however hop far distances with their strong back legs. This insect was the most prominent on the everglade trails. It emits a horrible odor when bothered. The grasshopper is unpalatable and visual unappealing to predators. 

2. Golden-winged Skimmer

• This orange insect is fast in flight and easily blends in with branches of shrubs and with leaves. It feeds on other flying insects. 

3. Yellow Garden Orb-Weaver

• This arachnid, spider is common to find in the everglades. It feeds on small insects that get caught in its web. Its web is uniquely golden.

4. Cassius Blue

• This winged bug has blue margins but is mostly white and gray. It has dots on its wings as well. The Ceraunus Blue is often mixed up with this one because of their similar traits. The two types can be distinguished by their differences in shading. Its main food source is leadwort.

5. Common Buckeye Butterfly

• This butterfly is brown with many details include spots of blue and black that make it look like it has many eyes. This is a defensive mechanism commonly used by butterflies and other organisms. This seems to be an effect method and also helps them camouflage from birds in the varied vegetation colors.  

6. Zebra Long-wing Butterfly

• This insect is commonly identified by its three yellow bands on both fore wings and one band on its hind wings. This is the Florida state butterfly. It feeds on the nectar of flowers. Similar to bees and unique for butterflies it also feeds on pollen. This important for the pollination of many flowers and trees.

And of course last, and definitely least, the

7. Mosquito

• These pesky biting insects are usually the most prominent insect in the Everglades but today we lucked out. There very minimal amount and I manage to escape the Everglades with not a single bite...knock on wood. Despite popular belief only female mosquitoes bite for the sole reason of needing protein for their eggs they are going to lay. Both the eggs and larvae need water to survive which is why this bug is common after it rains near bodies of water. 

https://www.nps.gov/ever/learn/kidsyouth/insects.htm

https://bugguide.net/node/view/3825

http://www.aos.org/orchids/orchid-pests-diseases/lubber-grasshoppers.aspx#