What to look for in nature in Florida this April

Are sea turtles nesting on Florida's beaches in April?

• Loggerheads, the season opener

  April through September; the first nests are usually dug in April or May on Gulf and north Florida beaches · All of Florida's sandy beaches, with the heaviest nesting on five Atlantic counties running south from Brevard to Palm Beach

  A loggerhead crawl is a wide, scuffed track that runs from the water up to the dune and back, and a nest shows as a patch of disturbed sand near the vegetation. Do not mark it, dig it or dress it up. Volunteer permit holders and local turtle groups monitor and mark nests, so if you find fresh signs, tell them rather than the beach crowd.

• How close is too close?

  Every night of the season, especially the hours after dark · Any dark beach, public or private

  FWC's seasonal advice is to stay at least 50 feet from a turtle on the sand, because a nesting female that is disturbed may abandon the nest. Flash photography, flashlights and phone screens count as disturbance. Beachfront homes and hotels are asked to turn off lights that reach the sand, or shield them so they are long in wavelength, low and pointed down. Before dusk, flatten any sandcastles and fill the holes you dug, and take chairs, toys and umbrellas home. For a turtle in trouble, the FWC Wildlife Alert Hotline is 888-404-FWCC (3922).

Is April the peak of spring bird migration in Florida?

• Dry Tortugas National Park

  Early April to mid-May is the peak, according to NPS and Audubon · Garden Key and Fort Jefferson, west of Key West; reach it by ferry, seaplane or private boat

  Audubon names hooded warblers, yellow-throated vireos and summer tanagers among the April arrivals, along with rarities such as white-tailed tropicbirds. It also puts the breeding colony of sooty terns on Bush Key at about 80,000 birds. NPS says the terns nest from late January through early July, and that part of Bush Key is closed to people seasonally to shelter them. Seats on the ferry and seaplane can sell out months ahead, so reserve early and check the park's operating hours.

• St. George Island State Park

  Spring migration, with the best days after a front · Franklin County in the Panhandle; open 8 a.m. to sunset, with an entrance fee

  The trail's own page describes oaks and pines that shelter migrants fresh from crossing the Gulf, and counts more than 30 warbler species on the park's list, among them cerulean and Cape May. Indigo buntings are a common sight. It calls the number of songbirds in a fallout spectacular, and notes that snowy plovers, least terns and American oystercatchers nest on the beaches.

• Honeymoon Island and Fort De Soto

  Migration weeks of April, plus osprey and plover nesting · Pinellas County, on the Tampa Bay side of the Gulf

  The trail's page on Honeymoon Island State Park lists warblers, vireos, flycatchers, and indigo and painted buntings among the migrants, and calls the Osprey Trail probably the best place in the world to see ospreys nesting. Snowy and Wilson's plovers nest on the beach there, and closed areas must be respected. Nearby Fort De Soto Park has more than 330 recorded species and posted nesting areas that are off-limits to people.

Which Florida birds are raising young in April?

• Swallow-tailed kites

  Arrivals run from late February through April; nesting is March through June · Tall pines and cypress across Florida

  Audubon Florida says these raptors return from South America and nest in loose colonies, laying two or three eggs, with both parents helping to raise the young. Its account counts the round trip at 10,000 miles a year, and notes the species was listed as vulnerable in 2019 after its range shrank from 21 states to seven. Kites are protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. If you find an injured one or a fallen chick, call a licensed wildlife rehabilitator; Audubon lists the Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland at 407-644-0190 for central Florida.

• Florida sandhill cranes

  Late winter and spring nesting; eggs hatch after about 32 days · Wet pastures, prairies and the edges of marshes in the peninsula

  FWC says the resident Florida sandhill crane builds its nest as a floating platform of vegetation roughly two feet wide, set in shallow water. Chicks, called colts, can follow their parents away from the nest within 24 hours of hatching. The state lists the species as threatened. FWC estimates 4,000 to 5,000 resident cranes, plus roughly 25,000 migratory greater sandhill cranes in winter. If a pair crosses a road with young, slow down and wait.

• Scrub-jay and burrowing owl families

  Scrub-jays breed March to June; burrowing owls February 15 to July 10 · Scrub preserves for the jays; open prairies, pastures, airports and golf courses for the owls

  This is the stage after the nest-building you could watch in March. FWC says scrub-jay eggs are incubated about 18 days and nestlings fledge about 18 days after hatching, and that young birds from earlier years stay in the family territory as helpers. Burrowing owl chicks stay underground for roughly two weeks after hatching, begin trying to fly at about four weeks, and are competent fliers by six. Both species are state-listed and protected, so watch from a respectful distance.

• Beach-nesting birds

  Spring through summer · Posted beaches, spoil islands and dunes

  FWC lists four state-threatened beach nesters: the American oystercatcher, snowy plover, black skimmer and least tern. The agency's advice is simple: do not enter posted areas, keep dogs leashed and away from the colonies, keep cats indoors, do not fly kites near nests, and carry out your trash. One dog passing near a seabird colony can cause the whole colony to panic. A good rule is that if the birds are agitated, you are too close.

What are alligators and wading birds doing as the dry season ends?

• Alligator courtship

  FWC says courtship begins in early April, with mating in May or June · Lakes, canals, marshes and slow rivers statewide

  Males bellow and slap the water, and a still evening on a lake can produce a low rumble you feel as much as hear. Nesting follows later: FWC says females lay about 32 to 46 eggs in late June or early July, the average clutch is 35, and incubation lasts roughly 60 to 65 days. The state's record is a 14-foot, 3.5-inch male. Female alligators typically stay under 10 feet long. Keep your distance and your pets away from the water's edge.

• Wading birds of the Everglades

  The tail end of the dry-season feeding bonanza · Everglades National Park and its trails and ponds

  NPS counts 16 wading bird species in the park and more than 360 bird species overall. The white ibis is the most common wader, and the wood stork, which finds fish by touch, was moved from endangered to threatened in 2014. The park's page on roseate spoonbills says the spoonbills nest from November through March on islands in Florida Bay, with more than 200 breeding pairs, so that nesting season is over by April. Check the park for current trail conditions.

What is blooming in Florida in April?

• Pitcher plants

  Late March through April, according to FWC · Wet savannas and flatwoods in the Panhandle, including Blackwater River State Forest and Apalachicola National Forest

  FWC describes bogs full of pitcher plants in bloom, with yellow, purple or red dangling flowers, and says some can be seen from roadsides. The pitchers can reach nearly three feet and are colored yellow-green, reddish with white splotches, or purple; the tubes are really specialized leaves. A WFSU report on the Apalachicola National Forest describes at least five species there. Many carnivorous plants are endangered and protected, so stay on boardwalks and trails, and if you buy one for your yard, choose a nursery-grown plant.

• White tupelo bloom

  Typically mid-April to the end of May; the Riverkeeper says it begins around the second week of April · The Apalachicola River floodplain, Dead Lakes and nearby wetlands

  The tupelo gum, or Nyssa ogeche, supports one of the most famous honeys in the country. UF/IFAS Extension in Franklin County describes the bloom as running from about mid-April to the end of May, and the Apalachicola Riverkeeper says it begins around the second week of April. Beekeepers hope for foggy mornings, daytime highs around 70 to 75 °F, nights above 60 °F and winds from the west or southwest; heavy rain keeps bees in the hive. The Riverkeeper adds that the trees are in decline because altered river flows have affected the floodplain. Dates shift with the weather, so treat these as typical.

• Coreopsis, the state wildflower

  Spring is the main bloom, though some species flower much of the year · Roadsides, flatwoods, prairies and sandhills

  Florida adopted coreopsis as its state wildflower in 1991. Alachua County counts 15 species in the state, 12 of them native, and mows only a narrow strip beside the pavement between Valentine's Day and Memorial Day to let flowers go to seed. The Florida Native Plant Society says Leavenworth's tickseed, a yellow annual 1.5 to 3 feet tall, flowers all year in moist flatwoods and prairies. Never pick wildflowers on public roadsides.

• Live oaks changing their leaves

  Leaf drop peaks in late winter and early spring; at Florida State University it was expected to last through March · Tallahassee and across north and central Florida

  The old leaves are hardly the sign of trouble that some people think. FSU facilities staff describe live oaks as semi-evergreen trees whose leaves last no more than a year, and they say some trees shed all their leaves before new growth appears, while others change gradually as buds form at the base of the leaf stem. New leaves and yellow-green catkins arrive together, and the wind-borne pollen can trigger allergies. By April most trees are finishing the change.

What is running in Florida's waters in April: tarpon, snook and manatees?

• Tarpon

  FWC's Tarpon Genetic Recapture Study describes the spawning season as April through July · Coastal passes, bays and nearshore Gulf and Atlantic waters

  FWC's research newsletter says the peak fishing season for large tarpon in most of Florida usually matches the spawning season. The fish is catch-and-release only in Florida, with a single tag available per person per year for anglers pursuing a state or world record. Tarpon longer than 40 inches must stay in the water. If you are a spectator rather than an angler, the large silver fish rolling at the surface of a pass at dawn are a worthwhile sight.

• Snook, open on the Atlantic and closing on the Gulf

  Atlantic regions are open all April; Gulf regions close on May 1 · Mangrove shorelines, inlets and passes

  FWC lists the Atlantic closures as December 15 to January 31 and June 1 to August 31, and the Gulf closures as December 1 to the end of February and May 1 to August 31. In Charlotte Harbor and southwest Florida the second closure runs May 1 to September 30. The bag limit is one fish, the slot is 28 to 33 inches on the Gulf side and 28 to 32 inches on the Atlantic side, You also need a snook permit and a fishing license, and because rules change, confirm them with FWC first.

• The manatee center closes for the season

  Open daily November 1 through April 15, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. · Tampa Electric Manatee Viewing Center, Apollo Beach

  Tampa Electric's viewing center is free, with trails that close at 4 p.m. It shuts for the season on April 15 each year. By then warmer water has drawn most manatees away from the discharge canal. Confirm the hours before you drive: 813-228-4289.

What is April weather like in Florida, and what are the hazards?

Is the last freeze over in Florida by April?

How much longer are Florida's days by the end of April?

What can you see in the night sky over Florida in April 2027?

• The Pink Moon

  Full on Tuesday, April 20, at 6:27 p.m. EDT (5:27 p.m. CDT); best viewing that evening · Rising in the east around sunset

  The name comes from early spring wildflowers, and the Sea and Sky astronomy calendar lists Sprouting Grass and Fish Moon as other names. In Miami the Moon rises at 7:48 p.m. on April 20, after the full moment has already passed, so it rises full that evening, low and golden over the horizon.

• The Lyrid meteor shower, in a poor year

  Peak around 9:41 p.m. EDT Thursday, April 22 (8:41 p.m. CDT); active about April 14 to 30 · Anywhere with a wide view of the sky and little light

  The shower usually yields about 20 meteors an hour at best, according to Sea and Sky, but this year the Moon, 95 percent lit and three days past full, rises near 10 p.m. (Miami: 9:49 p.m.). The brief dark window after evening twilight and before moonrise is the best bet, and you should expect only a few meteors an hour. Lyrids sometimes produce short bright bursts, which cannot be predicted.

• Venus and Mercury in the morning, Saturn out of sight

  Venus all month; Mercury early in the month only; Saturn is at conjunction with the Sun on April 7 · Low in the east before sunrise

  Venus still outshines everything else before dawn, yet it slips closer to the Sun, rising roughly 75 minutes ahead of it on April 1 and about an hour ahead by May 1 in our central-U.S. calculation. On April 3 and 4 a slim old Moon hangs close to Venus. Mercury shows up about 40 minutes before sunrise early in April and only about 20 minutes before it by the middle of the month, so it is lost in the glow. Saturn is lost in the Sun's glare around its April 7 conjunction and reappears before dawn late in the month.

• Jupiter and Mars in the evening

  The Moon passes the pair on the evenings of April 14 and 15 · High in the south to southwest after dark, in or near Leo

  Jupiter stays bright through the evening, setting nine hours after the Sun on April 1, close to dawn. On April 15 the Moon, about 68 percent lit, passes within a degree of the planet. Mars is fading, at about magnitude 0.0 by mid-month, and the Moon is roughly three degrees from it that same night.

• A Milky Way window before dawn

  Roughly the first half of April and the last few days of the month, in the hours before dawn · Dark sites away from town lights, looking south

  The Milky Way's bright core is a low object from Florida in spring. Computed for 30 degrees north, the window is April 1 to 15 and April 27 to 30, around the April 6 new moon, with roughly two hours of true darkness at best while the core is above the horizon. The peninsula sees it slightly higher than the Panhandle.

What can families do outdoors in Florida in April 2027?

Safety notes for April in Florida