09 Panhandle Trip Day 2 At St. Marks Wildlife Refuge
Let the Birding Begin
A gator checks us out
Lighthouse at St.Marks
Lots o'crabs
Nathanael Herrera tells us about karst topography
Ancient Tupelo Swamp at Leon Sink
Nancy communing with pine
Looking for salamanders
Looking into a sink hole at Leon Sink
Carol enjoys a quiet moment
Baby longleaf pines
Group shot at Leon Sink
George Weymouth tells us about his gator encounters
Off to get tangled up in a tupelo swamp
Dan's still dry here
Checking out the willows
Crystal gets her paddle sorted out
Into the wilds of Owl Creek
The entrance to Devan Creek
Infinite variety of Tupelo roots
Nice clear trail...
Happy paddlers
In search of the elusive carnivorous pitcher plants
Fresh, unfrozen ones, that is.
Speaking of elusive, the red cockaded woodpecker was a no show despite Dave's amazing Ipod attachment
To pitcher plants and swamps and Sopchoppy, and a great restaurant in the middle of nowhere and drinking wine in styrofoam cups!
Old oak openings at Bluffs & Ravines
Copperhead along the trail
Nathanael uncovers a salamander at Torreya
Crystal ponders pine-ness
Sundews at the bog near Hosford
Venus Flytrap introduced about 30 years ago at a tiny bog just off 20 near Hosford
White Pitchers not quite yet up at same bog
Pat Hill's in heaven at the Hosford Bog -- a long way from Newfoundland!
Florida Caverns - endlessly delightful formations
Apparently the flash doesn't bother them.
Bloodroot pods
Billy Baily helps us ID plants at Florida Caverns -- Florida's sister site to Highland's Nature Sanctuary (I have so declared it to be so!)
In front of Flutes and Vegetables, our guide, Bill Howes' store in Ponce de Leon
Inside the store
Guide Bill Howes at Choctawhatchee River put in
Intrepid paddlers Nancy and Crystal
Stopping to explore little beachy area along the Choc River
Approach to Morrison Springs
Ancient old Cypress as we near the springs
Water gets bluer and clearer as we get closer
Chris Selbe is the first to take a dip in 68 degree year round temp crystal clear water of Morrison Springs
Pic of a video of a gopher tortoise in his burrow, compliments of Bob Walker, from Nokuse Plantation
Bob and Roscoe help keep the gopher tortoise population thriving at Nokuse
Some of the restored longleaf pine woodlands at Nokuse
At the tip of Panama Beach lies an incredible sand dune habitat. I'd say, maybe only about 100 acres preserved but absolutely magical.
