-- Phil Liff-Grieff <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Dear Conch-L'ers,
Where is there good collecting in the Ft. Lauderdale
area?  Are there good areas within easy driving
distance?  What are the best types of local habitats
(land and/or marine)?  etc.,etc.


Phil,
Just south of Ft. Lauderdale the Frank Lloyd State Park in Dania has a few interesting land/treesnails under the trees and bushes.  The beach there is very rough but washes up some nice material occasionally.  There are a series of offshore reefs if you dive.  The bay environment in the park is nearly sterile, a few common high-tide species, little else. There is a rocky area on the north end of the beach for high tide forms also.
All the canals in the area will have apple snails and the related large planorbid species, as well as a few smaller fresh water species.  Most of the developments have ponds that connect to the canals and have the same.
There a few nearly ubiquitous small species on the ground (even in parking lots) in large numbers.  The forested areas are being bulldozed quickly, but drive west and you will probably spot some before you hit the Everglades.

Allen Aigen
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