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South Florida |
Favorite Places | Wildlife | Activities and Interests |
South Florida extends from Lake Okeechobee south to the tip of the peninsula. A hundred years ago most of south Florida was wetlands, and the region was sometimes described as ‘nine-tenths water, one-tenth swamp.’ The topography is flat, and almost all the land in South Florida is less than 8 m (26 feet) above sea level.
South Florida is where most of the state’s population lives, but west of Miami the development stops abruptly. Beyond this line is what remains of the upper Everglades. Sawgrass marshes dotted with occasional clumps of palms stretch to the horizon. Driving across the upper Everglades on a highway known as ‘Alligator Alley’ (I-75), you pass a series of large yellow signs warning ‘Panther Crossing.’ More than 30 underpasses were installed under this highway to allow the Florida Panther to cross under this roadway.
The climate in this region is well and truly tropical; palms, bougainvillea, limes, mangoes, and other tropical plants appear in city gardens, and tree ferns and epiphytes abound. Several important natural areas have been preserved: Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, the Fakahatchee Strand Preserve, ‘Ding’ Darling National Wildlife Refuge, and Jonathan Dickenson State Park to name but a few. After driving through Miami you may doubt that south Florida holds anything of interest for the ecotraveller, but we think you will be surprised.
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Favorite Places |
- ‘Ding’ Darling National Wildlife Refuge
It is easy to see why Sanibel Island is one of Florida’s most renowned natural resort areas. Beautiful beaches, with great shelling, combined with a small town atmosphere make it one of the most attractive vacation sites in Florida.
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- Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
Corkscrew contains the largest remaining stand of old-growth bald cypress in the country. Some of the trees are estimated to be over 500 years old.
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- Collier Seminole State Park
Nearly two-thirds of this park consists of mangrove forest. But there are also Cypress swamps, salt marshes and a tropical hardwood hammock, dominated by trees that are characteristic of coastal forests in the West Indies.
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- Fakahatchee Strand State Preserve
Fakahatchee Strand contains North America’s largest stand of native royal palms, and the area is famous for its orchids, rare ferns and bromeliads.
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- Jonathan Dickinson State Park
Mangrove wetlands flank the wide Loxahatchee River, which in 1985 was, designated a ‘National Wild and Scenic River.’ Birds here include Osprey, White Ibis, and Anhinga.
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- Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
Birding at Loxahatchee is usually excellent, especially in the winter.
Wintering waterfowl, especially Blue-winged Teal, Ring-necked ducks, Wood Ducks and Fulvous Whistling Ducks concentrate here. You may also see Snail Kites, Black-necked Stilts, Spotted Sandpipers, Anhinga, Limpkins, and ibis.
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- Everglades National Park
Everglades National Park is huge. More than 1.5 million acres in area, it is the largest remaining subtropical wilderness in the continental US.
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Wildlife of Florida 2011
Fiona Sunquist
Download $19.99
Wildlife of Florida: Lizards
Fiona Sunquist
Download $2.49
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