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In the past…I’ve covered the pet python invasion of the Florida Everglades…and the subsequent need for an annual competition for the capture of as many of these big snakes as possible…..

*****(Python or Boa Constrictor…I Don’t Know the Difference)*****

Pet iguanas have to be a close second…in terms of their ability to survive and thrive in Sunny Florida when they are set “free”…..

Then there are the fun Fire Ants…..

…..they need a chapter all their own…..

…..small nasty creatures who are all mouth and mean attitudes…..

The No-See-Ums (yes…they’re a thing) are not to be over-shadowed by the welting biting swarming fire ants…..

They have the distinction of being virtually invisible (hence the name) and made up primarily of teeth…..

Sensitive horses go absolutely ballistic the hour before sunrise and an hour after sunset…..

…..(forget what beautiful picturesque-ness is happening for the tourists on the beaches)…..

…..(Florida’s interior is a battleground)…..

Let’s not forget the Love Bug’s annual arrival…..

…..when you can’t see out your car’s windshield because SO many of them are smashed on the glass…(word to the wise…Do NOT use the wipers to attempt removing them)…..

…..(try it once…and you’ll see)…..

…..my suggestion is…use a putty knife…..

Oooh…and the Banana Spiders (Golden Orb)…unsuspecting hikers and horseback riders know what I mean…..

…..they’ll have you clawing at your face trying to detach from the (golden) sticky/indelible threads…..

And it’s not just the Golden Orb spiders in Florida…..

…..my older daughter recently got bitten (WHILE SLEEPING) by SOMETHING (maybe a Brown Recluse?)…..

…..which has left her with a scooped-out divot in her eyebrow…after her face recovered from being swollen and black & blue…..

…..(it actually looks cool now…it adds character)…..

…..(a butt-load of character)…..

…..(I tried chasing her down to take a photo…but she’s faster than I am these days)…(so no luck)…..

Then there’s the run-of-the-mill excessive population of swarming mosquitoes and those weird caterpillars along with their Super-Glued cocoons…..

And let’s not forget………….the excessive population of happy healthy alligators…..

I remember when I was young…those big lizards were considered endangered…..

…..Not So Anymore…they rule the interior of Florida…..

And now…that weird fish carcass I recently took from the hounds…..

Plus…the poisonous snakes…such a variety…..

…..(ohhh…goodie)…..

*****The Ohio of my youth is looking pretty good right now*****

…..even with the snow…(I don’t think hurricanes have ever made it that far)…..

So…why do I stay here?…well…my daughters were born here…they’re used to it all(?)…..

The beaches ARE beautiful…Clearwater Beach’s sand IS gorgeous…..

Florida can be a beautiful state…but there’s more than what meets the eye…as you look over the rim of your daiquiri…..

…..we (the residents of the interior)…are a tough breed…..

We are leathery/welty/wrinkly-skinned survivors…..

…..we have permanent moss on our northern side…and algae between our toes…..

But Wait…There’s More…..

NOW………….THERE’S A NEW ARRIVAL…..

I had to share the latest Florida “Invasive Beastie” which has shown up on the east coast of Sunny Florida…..

These boogers were recently spotted…south of here…in Broward county (which is now partially under quarantine)…..

*****(Monster Snail Description)*****

We all know it’s just a matter of time before they slim and slither this way…..

…..Oh, goodie…..