Tarkiln Bayou Preserve State Park

This is a species of pennant dragonfly I think. Any help on the identification of the insects on this post (or others) would be greatly appreciated. 

My brother in the pine flatwoods of
the park.

I have no idea what kind of spider
this is. They are big; over an inch
 in diameter (including the legs).

I thought nothing of it at the time. I knew there where wild pigs in the park, and I also knew they could be aggressive. But I always wandered away from the guys, veering off the trail and encountering creatures that none of the others would ever know about. I didn't expect to encounter anything so shocking. Then I heard it. A shuffling noise in the undergrowth. I stepped into that strip of land between the beach and the trail, but it was to thick to make out what was rustling. Then it squealed. Like a boar in a tussle with another, it squealed. At first I was apprehensive and stepped back. But my enthusiasm for wildlife consumed me and I pulled out my camera. Then they started really rustling, moving about in the thicket. Sounded like a whole herd, and I couldn't tell which way they were going. Fearing a charge, I called to the others, "Wild pigs! Wild pigs!" I continued to bellow emphatically as I moved toward the noises until it spoke. "Umm...actually, it's just a man in here." Some poor bloke had been trying to take a dump off the beach and there I was standing in front of him with a camera. I don't know who was more embarrassed. "I could have sworn you were a wild pig!" I exclaimed. He sure sounded like one! The poor man just mumbled and made his way back out to the beach. How embarrassing!

Oak toad on the white sands of Florida's trails.

This is the salt marsh that runs between the flatwoods and the bay. Tarkiln Bayou is so near geographically to West Campus that it reminded me of places since destroyed.

This is meadow where I first spotted
 the cottonmouth. I see them on
 every hike in Florida it seems.

The spanish moss grows thick.

Besides wild pigs I caught a common garter snake and nearly had a cottonmouth, but it moved into thick bush. At first I crawled in after it with snake tongs in hand, but visibility was so limited in that dark thicket and it struck me that, if I did find the snake, I would be to close. Army-crawling through the bush like I was, it would have bit me right on the face if it saw fit. Needless to say, I decided not to pursue. The hike came out to about 8 miles and covered sections of pine flatwoods, salt marsh, and white-sand beachfront.

Six-lined racerunner.

Toothpick grasshopper.

The two most common creatures in the flatwoods that I encountered (besides cricket frogs) where oak toads and six lined racerunners. I also encountered leopard frogs and plenty of dragonflies and damselflies. The six lined racerunners are a joy to try and catch. It's humanly impossible to do so, I'm convinced. The three of us had one cornered on many an occasion. At one point we thought for sure we had it. Luke threw the net down and, as far as anyone could see, the lizard was under there. I thought I saw something flash over the horizon, but I didn't think it was the lizard at the time. It must have been because that net was empty. So fast our eyes couldn't even pick it up.

Wasp attacking caterpillar.

I might as well have out with it. I am a camouflage fanatic. One of the best examples of this in florida is the toothpick grasshopper. It looks just like some little twig (or a toothpick, he, he). They are very common in many of the areas I was at in Florida including West Campus. And no wonder! If they didn't move, a predator might never spot them. However, it seems that have sacrificed some of the energy and agility that the other grasshoppers possess to diversify into such a perfect camouflage. It's worth it though, since there are so many of them around. And I can't help but wonder how many I never even noticed. A whole lot, I'll warrant. Many other grasshoppers were seen as well, but I didn't photograph any of them. It's kind of sad, but all the most common usual species are usually neglected by my lens.

Brown pelican. Proud parent.

INCOMING!!

Another insect encountered was a sort of paper wasp. One of the ones my friend Luke spotted was devouring a small caterpillar, mashing up it's head into a pulp and slurping up the guts and fluid. A lot of people are not aware of the predatory nature of wasps. We tend to picture them ruining picnics or pollinating wildflowers (which they seldom do). The truth is, wasps are one of the top predators to many creatures, including caterpillars. In fact, some species feed almost exclusively on caterpillars. It reminds me of a time when I was out door-knocking. Under the porch light was a little hole. I watched with much amusement as a wasp arrived with a paralyzed caterpillar and stuffed it into the hole. I imagine that the hole was full of such caterpillars, all paralyzed, waiting for the egg, laid on the back of one of them, to hatch. Then the little grub would begin to devour it's pre-stored food. I'd seen such things on David Attenborough's shows but it was a delight to see the real thing for myself. It is a good example of a caring parent in the insect world. To bad insects are often viewed in such a negative light.

Along the shoreline, I saw a number of birds training or protecting their young. A killdeer was seen first and, classically, it led me away from its mate and nest. It didn't call much but its mate back at the nest, called repeatedly. Unless it was the young in a nest. But judging from where those sounds were coming from, the nest would have had to have been in a tree. Not likely for killdeer.
Further along, I encountered a pelican wheeling and soaring around a patch of coast with its youngster close behind following her every move. It was amazing to see a dedicated parent showing her adolescent how to curve and move in the air. It must be quite an achievement to fly when you're a pelican, especially considering that great big head. Good thing it's as light as bird bone!
Well, that's about the longest post I've ever made! Glad it's over. Next time I'll do it in two parts!

Look at those dudes.