Species Identification Quiz

Sand Pine (Pinacea)

• 2 needles per bundle

• very short needles

Pinacea

• Thin, needle-like leaves

• Almost always trees

• Reproduces with cones

Longleaf Pine (Pinacea)

3 long needles per bundle

Light colored meristem or branch tips

Fire adaptations : few to no low lying branches, distinct, juvenile stage (grass and bottlebrush stage), burn scars

Pond Pine (Pinacea)

3 needles per bundle

Dark meristem

No fire adaptations, low lying branches, indistinct life stages, often found near water, often grow crooked, needles can grow directly from trunk

Chapman’s Oak (Fagaceae)

• “Duck foot” leaf

• Short, shrubby

• Less than 6cm

Fagaceae

• Acorns (just Quercus)

• Spirally arranged or alienating leaves, often with lobed edges

• Leaves may have different color or texture on bottom

• Multiple terminal buds

Myrtle Oak (Fagaceae)

Shrub

Ocular leaves, usually curled in

Common in arboretum

Sand Live Oak (Fagaceae)

• Large branches, more tree-like-growth (as opposed to shrub)

• Curled leaves

• “Ugly bark”

• Pointed the “tine” at the end of leaves

(Southern) Live Oak (Fagaceae)

• Just call it “live oak” on your quiz

• Thick branches, tree-like growth

• Flat, uncurled leaves

• Pointed “tine” at the end of the leaves

• “Smooth” bark

Cabbage Palm (Arecaceae)

• Costapamate leaf

  • Still palmate, aka fan-shaped, but with a well defined midrib

  • Juveniles look like SAW PALMETTO but adults look like standard palm tree

    • Because they are your standard palm tree

Saw Palmetto (Arecaceae)

• Palmate leaves

• No midrib

• Fire adaptations : Horizontal stem that usually grows underground

American Beautyberry (Lamiaceae)

• Fuzzy Leaves

• Simple, opposite, serrated

• Brightly colored berries grown in clumps

Lamiaceae

• Mint family (Rosemary, thyme, spearmint, lavender, sage, basil, etc.)

• Square stem

• Simple, opposite leaves

• Usually hairy

• Very aromatic

Gallberry (Aquifoliaceae)

• Look similar to oaks but have black berries instead of acorns

• Short shrubs, less than 3 cm

Aquifoliaceae

• Holly family

• Evergreen trees, shrubs, and climbers

• Simple, alternate, glossy leaves

• Fruit looks like a berry

Winged Sumac (Anacardiaceae)

• Large compound leaf

• Wings along the petiole in between leaflets

  • Petiole - part of the leaf the connects to stem, think of it as a leaf-stem

  • For simple vs compound leaf, look for a small bud or Stipule at the base. Stipule , if present, always marks the base of the leaf

Anacardiaceae

• Cashew/mango family

• Alternating leaves, imparipinnate (compound leaf with one leaflet at the end) but sometimes simple

• May smell like mango or turpentine

Rusty Staggerbush (Ericaceae)

• Shrub

• Red tips at the end of branches

• Flowers/berries connect directly to the branches

• Downward facing, vase-like flowers (Indicative of buzz pollination)

Fetterbush

• Very similar to rusty staggerbush

• Shrub

• Look for yellow ring/highlight around leaf margins

• Buzz pollinated flower

Shiny Blueberry (Ericaceae)

• Tiny, shouldn’t come past knee height; leaves are also tiny

  • You usually shouldn’t trust size when IDing, but this is an exception

• Buzz pollinated flowers

• Fruit is blueberry; not commercial blueberry but still one

• Do not eat unless confident in IDing!

Chalky Bluestem (Poaceae)

• Blueish in color

• Chalky to the touch

• Thicker leaves than wiregrass

• Looks like a standard tall grass

Poaceae

• Grass family

• Jointed stems with hollow internodes

• Narrow leaves that sheathe around the stem

• Veins run parallel down the length of the leaf

Wiregrass (Poaceae)

• long, wifey, needle-like leaves

• Easily confused with grass-stage long leaf pine

• Fire adapted : structure helps catch flammable debris

Prickly Pear Cactus (Cactaceae)

It’s a cactus

Muscadine Grape (Vitaceae)

• Palmately lobed leaf

  • Veins fan out from base , large serrations

  • Tendrils always 180

Cactaceae

• Succulent Photosynthetic stem

• Leaves are modified into thorns

  • This means no true leave

Vitaceae

• Grape family

• Vines

• Tendrils strictly opposite to leaves

• Always 180 °

Greenbrier (Smilacaceae)

• Thorny vines

• Simple leaves with entire margin

• Can have tendrils

Smilacaceae

• One genus, Smilax

Eastern Mosquito Fish

• Small

• Upwards facing mouth

• Distinct black spot on back of abdomen

Bluefin Killifish

• Mouth in middle of face

• Black line going the length of the body

• Colorful fins; dorsal fins towards the back of the body

Golden Topminnow

• Golden with red dots

• Fins also towards rear of the body

• Mouth in middle of the face

Swamp Darter

• Downward facing mouth

• Dorsal fins towards the front of the body

• Blue(ish) dots down the side of the body

Least Killifish

• Small vertical bars and black line running the length of the body

• Upwards oriented mouth

• Tiny

Ironcolor Shiner

• Biggest “small” fish

• Black line down the length of the body

• Forked tail

Bluegill

• Wide body

• Blueish green spot behind gills

• Juveniles can have stripes

Blue Tilapia

• invasive

• Very large adults

Warmouth

• Upwards facing mouth

• Usually more colorful than bluegill

Florida Largemouth Bass

• Classic game fish

• Long body, large mouth

• Mouth goes well past eye

• Adults are big

Turkey Vulture

• Big, bald

• Redhead

• White wing tips that go all the way to the body

American Crow

• Medium sized, jet black

Black Vulture

• big, bald

• Look for white wing tips

Red-Shoulder Hawk

• Reddish orange in color

• Black wings with tail bar

• Hawk shaped?

• Flaps to fly rather than soar

White Ibis

• Long , J-shaped beak

• Black wing tips

• Juvenile can be brown

Great Egret

• S-shaped neck , bow out when they fly

• Yellow beak, black legs and feet

Great Blue Heron

• Blue body, orange beak, brownish legs

Woodstork

• White body; black legs; black, naked face

• Black wingtips

Sandhill Crane

• lOOK FOR RED MASK

• Big, angry

• Most likely seen when going to school

Little Blue Heron

• Yellowish gray legs, blue beak with black tips; always check the legs

Anhinga

• Easiest scientific to learn, common name twice

• Snake bird

• Bright yellow beak, long and pointed

• Black males, brown females

Double Crested Cormorant

• hooked beak is a dead giveaway

• All black body, yellow face

• Wings carve at the tips

Hooded Merganser

• Large head crest, even in females

• Duck shaped

Mallard

• Classic duck

• Often hybridizes and can be hard to distinguish between other ducks in the woild

• Look for green head in males

Northern Mockingbird

• Large for a perching bird

• Black and gray

• Lots of wing bars

• Will mimic other birds

Northern Cardinal

• Males are easy to ID and Females still have the Mohawk

Eastern Bluebird

Blue body, orange belly

Pileated Woodpecker

Red head crest, white wings with blue wing tips

Palm Warbler

• Little round thing

• Brown with yellow belly

• White wing bars

Gray Catbird

• All gray body with black hat

• Call sounds like a cat

• Brood parasites

Mourning Dove

• Loud fliers

• Call sounds like a person crying

• Distinctive head shape

  • The only pigeon/dove you need to know

Gopher Tortoise

Gopherus polyphemus