Way back in 1996 we began counting butterflies for the North American Butterfly Association’s Fourth of July Butterfly Counts. This was prior to Kissimmee Prairie Preserve becoming a state park. This count actually began at National Audubon’s Kissimmee Prairie Sanctuary, now a part of the Preserve. Over the years, this count has grown into one of the Florida counts with the highest or nearly-highest number of species seen during the all-day event.

Participants are divided into teams — one covers the old Audubon part, one covers the road to the Visitor’s Center and Kilpatrick Hammock, one covers from the hammock to near the Kissimmee River. We even have a team that covers the roads outside the park. When you consider that Florida has 41 summer counts you can see how productive the prairie habitat is for butterflies. In good years we expect 55 to 60 species here and a large number of them are skippers.

By now you are saying…“but I can’t identify skippers.” Don’t worry, you will be with a team that has experienced leaders. It is a long, hot day, but very rewarding. You will be with enthusiastic people eager to share their knowledge with you. The quietness and beautiful scenery of the prairie contribute to making this a memorable day even when butterflies are few.

As mentioned in February's post, here,  there are many uncommonly seen species that can be found with relative ease at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve. But the Preserve also protects and harbors some species that are not commonly found anywhere in Florida — or even in the world.

The most notable of these is the federally endangered Florida Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum floridanus), a subspecies of grasshopper sparrow endemic to Florida's fire-dependent dry prairie habitat.  Loss of habitat and other stressors (such as exotic, invasive fire ants) have reduced the population of this secretive little bird to where only a few hundred are believed to remain. Kissimmee Prairie Preserve is among the very few places where it is making its last stand.

To learn more about the Florida Grasshopper Sparrow visit the FWC website.

The Preserve's unique habitat harbors more than rare birds. It is also a place where one might find a threatened or endangered plant species, including the rarest of the grass pink orchids, the Manyflowered Grasspink (Calopogon multiflorus), which appears in the prairie shortly after a fire, or the aptly- named Bog Torch, AKA Snowy Orchid, (Habenaria nivea).

Not to forget reptiles and amphibians — the Preserve is habitat for the extremely rare South Florida Mole Kingsnake, for instance (no photo of that!). Florida Panther tracks have been seen there as well. Rarely seen butterflies and other arthropods also have been recorded in the Preserve (some of which may be covered in a future post from Linda Cooper).

Way back when Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park was a brand new addition to our state park system, manager Parks Small saw large numbers of Zebra Swallowtails and wondered what other species this new park harbored. He contacted us because we were doing the North American Butterfly Survey’s Fourth of July Butterfly Counts at the property next door — Audubon’s Kissimmee Prairie Sanctuary. What began as a simple butterfly survey in 2001 expanded to two years of surveys and after a brief hiatus, another year was done beginning in May 2005. My name is Linda Cooper and along with husband Buck and a cadre of enthusiastic volunteers, we put this park ‘on the map’ for butterflies especially skippers.

I will be doing a guest blog post here occasionally and am excited to tell you about KPPSP’s butterflies, a few at a time. Let’s start with the most obvious butterfly --Zebra Swallowtail.

Zebra Swallowtail is the most numerous swallowtail at the prairie and is a true harbinger of Spring. Though it begins to fly in January in small numbers, by March there is a large flight when Spring pops out prairie flowers such as thistle. This large white and black swallowtail is unmistakeable and easy to see as it flies across the prairie. Its host plants are paw-paws Asimina species. Flight time is January through October. 

Other swallowtails seen regularly here are Black and Palamedes (shown at left on thistle flower) mostly in the open prairies. Giant Swallowtail is mostly restricted to hammocks with citrus trees. Spicebush Swallowtail can be found in open prairie and hammocks. Tiger Swallowtail is the least common of the six swallowtails regularly seen at KPPSP. Polydamas and Pipevine Swallowtails are very rare and are never expected in a visit to the prairie.

Though the yearly butterfly surveys are finished, we are still at KPPSP each year for the NABA Fourth of July Butterfly Count. In 2012 the count is on Saturday, July 14. We welcome anyone interested in butterflies. It is a long, hot day but we usually end up with one of the top counts in the state. If you are interested in participating or have any questions about butterflies you can email me at LCooper298@aol.com.

Looking for a reliable place to see a Crested Caracara or Bachman's Sparrow?
Do you thrill at the sight of a Zebra Swallowtail, have a thing for Skippers, or wish to add lep species to your life list? Or perhaps you are a long time Floridian, nostalgic for the days, years ago, when Northern Bobwhites used to frequent your neighborhood. You have come to the right place.

Kissimmee Prairie Preserve harbors and supports a vast number of species of both fauna and flora that have been overrun or pushed out by development and the loss of habitat in Florida. A few examples:

Northern Bobwhites, Eastern Meadowlarks, Eastern Towhees and Wild Turkeys are abundant here. Common Yellowthroats and Common Ground Doves live up to the name "common". Even Bachman's Sparrows—a species of conservation concern throughout its dwindling range—can often be heard and seen from the main road during their spring breeding season and into the summer. Most visitors will be lucky enough to see one or more of the Preserve's resident Crested Caracaras, a rare Florida specialty that breeds in the Florida prairie habitat.

The Preserve is known by lepidopterists everywhere as a place to find a wide variety of butterflies—even the casual observer can't miss the spectacular Zebra Swallowtail (photo on our Home page) in the late spring and summer months—at times it is the most common butterfly around.

Non-native, exotic (and sometimes invasive) plants—sold in vast quantities in the big box stores and now ubiquitous in Florida subdivisions—have supplanted many of "La Florida's" (flowery land in Spanish) true wildflowers in much of the state. Our unique and beautiful flowers can still be found and appreciated in the "Real Florida" habitat of Kissimmee Prairie Preserve.

Shown here—brilliant purple/magenta Blazing Star and Florida Paintbrush flowers in the fall season put on a display that cannot be adequately described or photographed.

Threatened Gopher Tortoises and small, beautiful Rough Green Snakes are a frequent sight on and alongside the road, and very careful watching, especially at dusk, may offer a view of a legless Glass Lizard. (please see the Road Rules post below — they are much more beautiful and interesting if not flattened under car tires).

While the rare truly is commonplace in Kissimmee Prairie Preserve, it is also a refuge for some species that are not commonplace anywhere. Stay tuned.