Florida Roadkill & Fauna

As I drove cross-country to and from Florida, I noticed that the common roadkill changed drastically upon arriving to Florida. Instead of the everyday pets and possum of the midwest and honestly not that much in the roadkill department, in Florida (at least in Kissimmee on the roads I was traveling with frequency) I saw several new armadillos a day and on ocassion the tortoise or alligator. Fortunately I wasn't responsible for the death of any of them, in fact I saved at least one armadillo by stopping for him to cross and stopping traffic in the process (although I was just in a parking lot). No other state was quite like Florida.

The roadkill does reflect upon the fauna of Florida and unfortunately also attracted the frightening turkey vultures to feed upon the dead carcases. Gross and a bit disturbing. In addition to these animals there are quite a few long legged birds, like heron and sand crane. In addition, there were a plethora of frogs, many both in number and in type, and lizards, both of which I am a huge fan. And while not an animal, there are an abundance of water lilies (and many growing in the sometimes not so pretty swamps).