Exceptional Adventures in Paradise
What a lovely hike Buck Island Pond Trail offers. We are just beginning to learn about State Forests, and Goethe State Forest is a spot we definitely want to explore. On our first visit, we went to a trail recommended by my friend Sharol because she was able to find a small stand of pitcher plants, and I didn’t want Steve to have to wait another year to see them.
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Another of the Lake County Water Authority preserves, Sawgrass Island is not far away but feels remote. Steve and I recently hiked the North Loop Trail and enjoyed a pleasant hour or so on a mostly shaded trail through an upland forest of mostly slash pine with some oaks for variety.
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Sabal Bluff Preserve is a nice surprise, tucked in between two communities of manufactured homes and with a lovely trail along Lake Griffin. A property of the Lake County Water Authority, the 55-acre preserve is located at 2582 Lakeside Dr, Leesburg, FL 34788-8260.
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When you’re in remote and wild areas, the right equipment can be the difference between a day of jubilant discovery and miserable slogging with wet feet and welts from biting insects. I was exposed to two new pieces of gear on this trip and I want to quickly mention them. Neither is necessary on every outing, and yet they could really save the day under the right conditions.
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On a recent trip to the Apalachicola National Forest, my friend Sharol and I were determined to find blooming pitcher plants. These carnivorous beauties are part of what make the panhandle region of our state special, and the 2020 spring bloom did not disappoint! The pitcher plants are the showiest of the carnivorous plants, and sport specialized leaves with tubular throats into which insects wander to their doom. The bog environment where the plants thrive is surprisingly poor in nutrients, so these plants have become carnivorous to supplement their diet.
Sharol’s photographer friend gave us directions to the general vicinity of some blooming plants, and on our first afternoon we drove north on SR 65. I’ll give you the same directions we were given . . . just look on the roadsides north of Sumatra. It sounds vague, but it was enough to get us where we needed to be! Once you see the first few plants, the next ones are easier to find. I saw one pitcher within 10 feet of the road, then a cluster of three just a bit farther back. Then suddenly it was as if they were EVERYWHERE!
Continue reading “Carnivorous Plants in the Florida Panhandle”