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Meet Florida's Wild Neighbors

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Vintage poster style illustration of Florida state symbols: panther, manatee, dolphin, mockingbird and zebra longwing together on a sunny sandbarLearnCornerstone

Florida's State Symbols, Explained for Kids: Every Animal, Flower, and Song, and the Stories Behind Them

Every Florida state symbol explained for kids: the panther, manatee, mockingbird, zebra longwing, and more, with the stories and the flamingo debate.

Watercolor illustration of a Florida panther walking through saw palmetto at golden hourLearn

The Florida Panther: How Many Are Left, Where They Live, and How Kids Can Help

How many Florida panthers are left? Between 120 and 230. Where the state animal lives, why cars are its biggest danger, and how kids can help.

Underwater photo of a Florida manatee mother and calf swimming over seagrass in clear spring waterLearn

Manatees for Families: Where to See Them Near Tampa Bay and the Rules That Keep Them Safe

Where to see manatees near Tampa Bay: the free TECO Manatee Viewing Center opens November 1, plus the look-don't-touch rules families should know.

Vintage poster painting of dolphins leaping in a boat wake on Tampa Bay with the Sunshine Skyway bridge behindLearn

The Dolphins of Tampa Bay: What Your Kids Are Seeing Out There, and the One Rule That Protects Them

Tampa Bay's bottlenose dolphins live here year-round, have names for each other, and are protected by one big rule: never feed a wild dolphin.

Sea turtle hatchlings crossing moonlit sand toward the gulf while a family watches from a distance with a red flashlightLearn

Sea Turtle Season: The Family Beach Rules That Save Nests from May to October

Sea turtle nesting season runs May through October on Tampa Bay beaches. The family rules: fill holes, flatten castles, lights out, and let nests be.

Storybook cutaway painting of a gopher tortoise burrow underground with owl, snake and frog neighbors in their own chambersLearn

The Gopher Tortoise: Florida's Little Landlord and the 350 Neighbors in Its Burrow

The gopher tortoise digs burrows that shelter 350 other species. Where families can see Florida's little landlord, and the never-put-it-in-water rule.

Vintage style painting of an alligator floating in a suburban Florida retention pond at sunset with a white ibis on the bankLearn

Alligator Sense for Families: The Calm Facts Every Florida Kid Should Know

Alligator safety for families, minus the fear: the real numbers, the freshwater rule, why we never feed them, and what to teach Florida kids.

Watercolor illustration of pink roseate spoonbills sweeping their spoon shaped bills through a mangrove flat at sunriseLearn

Roseate Spoonbills: Florida's Pink Surprise and Where to Find One This Week

Roseate spoonbills are Tampa Bay's real pink birds. Why they're pink, how they nearly vanished for hats, and where families can see one this week.

Painting of a flamingo and a mockingbird at debate podiums on a Florida beach with shorebirds watchingLearn

Why Is Our State Bird a Mockingbird? The Flamingo Question, Answered for Curious Kids

Florida's state bird is still the mockingbird, but a 2026 bill would crown the flamingo and name the scrub-jay songbird. The debate, for kids.

Horseshoe crabs gathered at the moonlit waterline of a Florida beach at high tideLearn

Horseshoe Crabs: Living Fossils on Our Sand, and How Your Family Can Count Them for Science

Horseshoe crabs are 445 million years old, have ten eyes and blue blood, and FWC wants your family's sightings. Where to find them around Tampa Bay.

Watercolor illustration of a zebra longwing butterfly with striped wings resting on a purple passionflowerLearn

The Zebra Longwing: Meet the State Butterfly and Plant a Garden It Will Visit

Florida's state butterfly, the zebra longwing, eats pollen, lives for months, and sleeps in family groups. How to plant a garden it will visit.

Painting of a sandhill crane family with a fuzzy colt crossing a suburban Florida street while cars waitLearn

Sandhill Cranes in the Neighborhood: Why They're Here and Why We Give Them the Sidewalk

Sandhill cranes stroll Florida neighborhoods like they own them. Why the four-foot birds are here, why feeding them is illegal, and how families coexist.