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North Central Florida Butterfly and Insect IdentificationBryan Lindenberger2020-11-28T07:06:41-07:00
  • Eastern Black Swallowtail - black and blue butterfly with white spots

Identify Butterflies and other Insects in North Central Florida

Butterfly and Insect Identification for Marion, Putnam and, Alachua Counties, Florida

While far from an exhaustive list, this list is growing and specific to the region and I hope provides a strong start in helping you identify butterflies and other bugs in the region near Ocala National Forest. Hiking Florida, I found myself taking picture of butterflies I could not identify. I depended on google and other searches to identify them, using very basic terminology of coloration. I have provided those very basic descriptions thinking others may search similarly. After arriving here to discover the name of the butterfly or other insect in question, with insect name in hand, I hope I have made searching for further information much easier!

Butterfly Identification

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail male is a large Florida butterfly, yellow and black wings with a few blue spots

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (male) is a large Florida butterfly, yellow body, and yellow and black wings with little blue spots

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (female) is a large Florida butterfly, yellow and black striped wings with more blue on the wings than the male

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (female) is a large Florida butterfly with yellow and black striped wings and more blue on the wings than the male

Palamedes Swallowtail butterfly, dark brown or black wings with orange, blue and white spots

Palamedes Swallowtail butterfly, dark brown or black wings with orange, blue, and white spots

Gulf Fritallary butterfly in North Central Florida with orange body, orange wings, black stripes and spots

Gulf Fritallary butterfly in Florida with orange body, and orange wings with black stripes and spots

Eastern Black Swallowtail - black and blue butterfly with white spots

Eastern Black Swallowtail – a butterfly with darks wings, black and blue with white spots on edge of wings

Zebra Longwing Butterfly black and yellow striped butterfly with light yellow spots

Zebra Longwing Butterfly – large black and yellow striped butterfly with light yellow spots on its wings and body

Monarch Butterfly - large orange and black butterfly with white spots in Florida

Monarch Butterfly – large orange and black butterfly with white spots on the wings with dark edges in Florida

Horace's Duskywing - tiny brown butterfly with white spots in Central Florida

Horace’s Duskywing – tiny brown butterfly with white spots and black spots on its wings and body in Central Florida

Pearl Crescent - tiny butterfly, orange and black in Florida

Pearl Crescent – tiny butterfly, only the size of a quarter with orange and black wings and a gray edge  in North Florida

Pipevine Swallowtail is a dark butterfly with gray or black forewings and darky dusky blue hindwings with white spots

Pipevine Swallowtail is a dark butterfly with gray or black forewings and darky dusky blue hindwings with white spots

White Peacock Anartia-jatrophae is a small, dusty white butterfly with orange fringe appearing in autumn

White Peacock Anartia-jatrophae is a small, dusty white butterfly with orange fringe appearing in autumn

Identify Dragonflies, Spiders, and Other Insects and Bugs in North Central Florida

Blue Dasher Dragonfly - blue dragonfly with long wings, and its face or head may be bright green

Blue Dasher Dragonfly – blue dragonfly in Florida with long wings, and its face or head may be bright green

Needham's Skimmer Dragonfly near water in Florida is a dragonfly with orange wings, orange abdomen, and a brown thorax

Needham’s Skimmer Dragonfly near water in Florida is a dragonfly with orange wings, orange abdomen, and a brown thorax

Eastern Pondhawk is a green dragonfly on the head and thorax a black and white striped abdomen

Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly (female) has a dark blue body and midnight blue or black wings with a white spot at the tip

Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly (female) has a dark blue body and midnight blue or black wings with a white spot at the tip

Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly (male) has a dark blue body and midnight blue or black wings but no white spot as the female has

Ebony Jewelwing Damselfly (male) has a dark blue body and midnight blue or black wings but no white spot as the female has

Zipper Orb Weaver – a black and white spider in Florida with long legs and a web that looks like a zipper

Arrowhead Orb Weaver is a tiny brown spider with a yellow triangle on its abdomen, shaped like an arrowhead

Arrowhead Orb Weaver is a tiny brown spider with a yellow triangle on its abdomen, shaped like an arrowhead

Golden Silk Orb Weaver spider (top male vs female bottom) has a patterned, gold-yellow abdomen and long, spindly legs, common in Florida woods

Golden Silk Orb Weaver spider (top male vs female bottom) has a patterned, gold-yellow abdomen and long, spindly legs in Florida

Spiny Orb Weaver spider has a white and black or yellow and black body with red spiny points around its abdomen

Spiny Orb Weaver spider has a white and black or yellow and black body with red spiny points around its abdomen

Florida Scrub Millipede< is a fat, shiny brown millipede about 4-6 inches long with black antennae

Florida Scrub Millipede is a fat, shiny brown slow-moving millipede about 4-6 inches long with black antennae

Elephant Beetle or ox beetle is a black, lumbering beetle with three horns, two short horns and a long middle horn

Elephant Beetle or ox beetle is a black, lumbering beetle with three horns, two short horns and a long middle horn

Eyed Click Beetle is a black beetle with two white circles on its head that look like eyes found on forest floors in Florida

Eyed Click Beetle is a black beetle with two white circles on its head that look like eyes found on forest floors in Florida

Red Io Moth has wings brown to red, with a fuzzy head and an eyespot is visible on each hindwing when open

Red Io Moth has wings brown to reddish in hue, with a fuzzy head and an eyespot is visible on each hindwing when open

Hiking Trails

Hiking, biking, and riding trails with maps

flowering dogwood
Down South
tree in field
Live Florida Beauty
Organ Mountains
Mountain Time
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