Observations by carleymoran

Spotted in sunny conditions in Tampa, FL. Its fur was light gray in color with a white undercoat. Its tail was about 6 inches long. It was spotted crawling around a large tree. Due to it’s coloration and body structure it is most likely an Eastern Gray squirrel. They inhabit a variety of habitats, mostly in areas with lots of vegetation, on the eastern side of the U.S. Many forage for food in trees.
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Sciurus_carolinensis/

This brightly colored insect was spotted in sunny conditions at Lettuce Lake Park in Tampa, FL. It was only about half an inch in size, had six legs, and 2 long antennae. Due to it’s distinct orange/black color and presence of wings it is a banded net-winged beetle. They are common in western florida and other parts of North America in moist wooded habitats.
http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/misc/beetles/banded_net-winged_beetle.htm

The fern was found in sunny conditions at Lettuce Lake Park in Tampa, FL. The leaves were about 3 inches long and the plant as a whole was about 6 inches tall. The plant was light green in color. Because of the shape of the leaves and lack of cones or fruit, it is thought to be a Virginia Chainfern. The seedless vascular plant is common in wetland habitats with lakes or ponds in the south eastern states, from Texas to Florida, and as far north as Canada.
https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=wovi

This small lizard was spotted in sunny conditions at Lettuce Lake Park in Tampa, FL. It was brown in color with a unique spotted pattern on its back. It was about 3 inches long, including its tail. Due to its pattern and color it could possibly be a brown anole. They are very common in most parts of Florida and and live amongst different plant species in a variety of terrestrial habitats including urban/suburban areas.
https://srelherp.uga.edu/lizards/anosag.htm

This small flowering plant was spotted in sunny conditions at Lettuce Lake Park in Tampa, FL. The flowers were light purple in color and congregated in a spherical shape. The stems were narrow with lots of short leaves, and were about 4 inches tall. Florida Pennyroyals are very common in southern Florida in dry sandy habitats among other shrubs.
https://www.fnps.org/plants/plant/piloblephis-rigida

Spotted in sunny conditions at Lettuce Lake Park in Tampa, FL. The moss is light green in color with small spike shaped appendages. Because of it’s round shape it could be white moss. The specific type of moss is common in many southeastern states, including western Florida. They can be found in wetlands, but are more commonly found in forests.
http://wildflowersearch.org/search?&tsn=16847

Spotted in sunny conditions at Lettuce Lake Park in Tampa, FL. The lichen covered the trees in a bright red color. It formed in groups and had a unique ring-like pattern. Due to it’s distinct color and crust-like shape on the tree it is a Christmas lichen. They are usually found in warm tropical habitats growing on trees in various states.
http://friendslaarb.org/tree/christmas-lichen

Spotted in sunny conditions in Tampa, FL. Had two long back legs, and four shorter front legs. It was brown in color and had two antenna. Due to its cone shape, brown coloring, and presence of wings it could be characterized as a Broad-tipped Conehead. Broad-tipped Coneheads are mainly found on the east coast from New Jersey to Florida in grassy/wooded areas and turn brown during the winter months.
http://texasento.net/triops.htm

Spotted in rainy conditions in Tampa, FL. The insect appeared to be about the size of a quarter and was black in color. It had five legs visible and two antennas. Due to it’s hard exterior and larger size, it is believed to be a earth-boring beetle, which are commonly found in eastern regions of the U.S. It was found in the morning while it was still dark out, and they’re often found at night. They are most active underground in dry habitats including urban areas such as USF where they burrow and lay eggs.
https://bugguide.net/node/view/52600
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geotrupidae

Was spotted in a small tree in Tampa, FL. Coloring is light gray and were organized in small spherical-shaped groups about 3 inches wide. The shape of the groups suggest the plant is ball moss. Ball moss is a species of flowering plant commonly found on trees in habitats including urban areas such as USF in southern regions of the U.S, including Florida.
https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=TIRE

Found in Tampa, FL in sunny conditions. Its size is about 2-3 inches tall with light grey feathers. The bottom of the tail feathers is a yellow color and also had dark coloring around the eyes. The Palm Warbler usually is found during spring, fall, and winter in the Eastern part of North America from Canada to southeastern United States. They're often found inhabiting areas with lots of shrubs and plants such as forests, since they look for food mainly on the ground.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Palm_Warbler/overview