Summer bands?

[Three Valves]

Gators in Alaska now??

This Climate change is out of control!!

[Yorkboy]

And the bugs.

Flying cockroaches......!?!?!

[donn]

I haven't been back to Florida since the '50s, but as far as I know alligators aren't common enough in populated areas to hope that one will come to your neighborhood and volunteer to be the guest of honor at dinner. But there are some mighty big lizards that have escaped from the pet trade and are a major ecological problem there - and good to eat, with a little less risk involved than going after alligators but a reasonable quantity - 5 to 12 pounds, 50-60% yield. A fish equivalent also, the "snakehead", which likewise is good to eat. And there's wild hogs.

[bloke]

Neanderthals might be pretty tasty...(??)

[BopEuph]

I haven't been back to Florida since the '50s, but as far as I know alligators aren't common enough in populated areas to hope that one will come to your neighborhood and volunteer to be the guest of honor at dinner. But there are some mighty big lizards that have escaped from the pet trade and are a major ecological problem there - and good to eat, with a little less risk involved than going after alligators but a reasonable quantity - 5 to 12 pounds, 50-60% yield. A fish equivalent also, the "snakehead", which likewise is good to eat. And there's wild hogs.

So a couple of friends of mine moved down here from NYC. The wife was reluctant because she heard about all the alligators and hurricanes, and the husband said, "really though, they're not all THAT common. It'll be okay."

The first weekend they moved here they had an alligator in the front yard and then a hurricane warning.

To be fair, they live in a little more rural area with a creek that runs through the backyard.

The iguana issue happens in South Florida. And apparently they go into a kind of hibernation when it gets cold (Florida can dip below freezing a few days out of the year), and they fall out of the trees. Every winter there's a story of an iguana falling on an unwitting pedestrian's head.

Wild boar is some of the best eating I've ever had. And I drive by a few every day. This is by the international airport's expansive, undeveloped property, so I guess that's where they're coming from. How they get through the barbwire fence, I'll never know.

Never had snakehead; the common Florida eats (which are increasingly hard to find) is gator tail, frog legs, crawfish, heart of palm (usually served in a salad), and turtle soup (which I've never had, and think it's now illegal to eat turtles?). Venison is around, but not amazing to me. And of course, I grew up in what was originally a fishing village, so there's good seafood.

Incidentally, the best frog legs I've had was from a street vendor in Beijing at like 2am. He had some spice shaker sitting there that he loaded on the legs, and it was amazing. Florida's frog legs are usually not heavily spiced and served with hot sauce.

[humBell]

I must be choosing the wrong summer bands, as i know next to nothing about alligators and hurricanes...

I once heard tell of a "sharknado" movie. Anything like that?

[donn]

The iguana issue happens in South Florida.

I was thinking primarily of tegu, Nile monitor, that type. Tegus are not only in various parts of Florida, they're in Georgia too. I bet they are if anything more tasty than alligator.