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Post by willyomt on Jan 19, 2020 2:01:07 GMT -8
Hi all,
I'm planning on taking a trip to the Fort Lauderdale area of Florida to do some collecting this year. I plan on doing both day hunting and night lighting. Does anyone know what would be considered the best month to go? I live in Arizona, where there seems to be something flying every month of the year, but July is usually the best month overall. I assume Florida is much the same, but I'm not sure. Anyone?
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Post by exoticimports on Jan 19, 2020 5:12:00 GMT -8
Believe it or not, Florida actually has “seasons” at least so far as various species are available as adults. True, many species, such as the Palmedes swallowtail, May be found year round, but there are times when they are far more common.
I’ve found May- July to be the best. After that Florida dries out and many species become less common. The exceptions are helicons and the like which appear in late July and August. Of course location in FL also plays a large factor.
Chuck
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Post by bandrow on Jan 19, 2020 10:49:41 GMT -8
Greetings,
Will you be looking for leps, beetles, others or all of the above? It's been a while since I was in Florida - I collected the Fort Lauderdale area in March 1984, but I would guess that all my "spots' are now under asphalt or houses. The best locality was a clearing for a housing development, so I got the last beetles from that habitat!
All of my experience in Florida from the panhandle to the Keys has involved beetles and I've found they start as early as mid-March and continue through early June. There is decent activity on through the summer if they get rain, although the heat and dryness can limit the diversity. And then there is another "season" in the fall with new things out, but it's not nearly as pronounced as one would see somewhere like south Texas.
Within the March-to-June period, some taxa are more diverse than others. For example, a lot of scarabs, especially Serica and Phyllophaga, are earlier, as are a lot of buprestids. Cerambycids start in March and trickle out, peaking in late April to early June. I've taken Dynastes in southern Georgia as late as the end of August, but never in the spring. If you'd want to send me a PM with some species you are particularly interested in hunting, I may have localities/dates for some of them...
Cheers!
Bandrow
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Post by foxxdoc on Jan 20, 2020 11:49:00 GMT -8
I'm just the north of Tampa. Chuck is right. end of summer. there is certainly a difference between north florida and Miami. yesterday the high temp was mid 70s. tonight will be in the teens. at this time of year the temps are up and down. plenty of flowering plants. saw a P. cresphontes yesterday.
TOM |
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