J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge

Sanibel, Florida: Thousands of native and migratory birds call the 6,400 acre wildlife refuge located on Sanibel Island their home. J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge has been a well known spot for bird lovers, photographers and biologist to observe many species of birds that flock to this unique ecosystem each year.

The refuge got started in 1945. Developers look to purchase the mangrove property in an attempt to develop it into a tourist hot spot similar to Miami Beach on the east coast. Knowing how environmentally important the land was to the ecosystem, political cartoonist Jay Norwood “Ding” Darling led an effort to protect the land. The successful effort led to an executive order by President Harry Truman that created the Sanibel National Wildlife Refuge and spared the land of any development.

Following the death of Darling in 1967, the refuge was renamed J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge” in his honor.

The 6,400 acre refuge consists of several ecosystems. The estuarine habitat has open water, sea grass beds, mud flats and mangrove islands. The interior freshwater habitats consists of open water, Spartina swales and hardwood hammocks. These habitats provide home for 238 species of birds, 51 species of reptiles and 32 species of mammals. Some of these animals include:

• Bald Eagles
• Ospreys
• Roseate Spoonbills
• White Pelicans
• Great Blue Heron
• Wood Storks
• Peregrine Falcons
• Eastern Indigo Snakes
• American Alligators
• American Crocodiles
• Manatees
• Loggerhead Turtles

The refuge is part of the Darling Wildlife Complex that also contains the Pine Island National Wildlife Refuge, Island Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Matlacha Pass National Wildlife Refuge and Calooshatchee National Wildlife Refuge. The other refuges are islands that are not easily accessible, providing a place for the birds to nest without interference from man or predators.

The refuge hosts more than 850,000 visitors a year. The visitors can take a drive down the four mile Wildlife Drive and stop and observe the animals at their pace or ride a narrated tram that will inform you of the animals and history along the way. There are also 4 hiking trails and a observation tower to enhance the wildlife view. In addition to wildlife viewing, the refuge offers fishing in both fresh and salt waters, canoe and kayak rentals and bike rentals. There is also an educational center to learn more about the animals and history of the refuge.

For more photos, visit my Ding Darling NWR photo page.

Historic Spanish Point

Osprey, Florida: This thirty acre peninsula on the edge of Little Sarasota Bay has been home to humans for over 5,000 years. From early prehistoric natives in 3000 B.C. to the wealthy Palmer family in the 1900’s, much of their way of life has be preserved in this living museum.

Through careful excavation of the middens on the property, it has been determined that life on the point dates back to around 3000 B.C. The site was occupied prehistoric natives from the Late Archaic period through the Late Woodland period. Excavations indicated that the prehistoric natives lived on the land until around AD 1100.

The point remained vacant until 1867 when John Webb moved his family here from New York. Webb learned of the area from a Spanish trader he met in Key West. IN honor of the trader, Webb named the land Spanish Point. They began to grow citrus and built a packing house to shop the fruit to markets in Cedar Key and Key West.

The Webb family marketed Spanish Point as a getaway from the cold weather of the north. In 1885, they opened the Webb’s Winter Resort, which was the first resort in the area. This was the beginnings of seasonal residents that are the staple of Florida travel today.

Spanish Point continued to develop into the late 1880’s. In 1881, a post office was requested. At this time, the Postal Service indicated that they could not use the name Spanish Point, so Webb had to come up with a one word name for the area. Then result was the present day name of Osprey, Florida.

By the 1900’s the family decided to sell parcels of Spanish Point. In 1910, Bertha Palmer purchased thousands of acres in Sarasota County, including Spanish Point. She intended to use the land for cattle, citrus groves and development. Spanish Point was part of the 350 acres she sought for her estate.

Palmer added her touch to Spanish Point and transformed the Pioneer’s homestead into her “Osprey Point” estate. She added lovely gardens throughout the property while continuing to preserve the history of the Webb family.

Bertha Palmer passed away in 1918 and the estate was taken care of by her family. In 1959, her grandson endorsed the excavation of the site by archeologists. Then in 1976, family members lobbied for the site to be added to the National Register of Historic Places, becoming Sarasota County’s first entry on the list.

The Palmer Family donated Spanish Point to the Gulf Coast Heritage Association in 1980. Today the site can be toured and guests can take a look back into what life was like. The current historical preservation consists of several original and reconstructed buildings and gardens. The tour consist of:

• Visitor’s Center; housed in the old Osprey School built in the 1920’s, contains the starting point for the tour and an informative video.
• Burial Mound; remains of prehistoric natives from 300 A.D to 1000 A.D.
• Duchene Lawn &Classic Portal; Palmer’s formal lawn with a classic portal.
• Lychee Field; site of Gordon Palmer’s nursery in the 1950’s.
• Butterfly Garden
• Fern Walk
• Guptill House; home of Frank and Lizzie Webb Guptill built in 1901.
• Pioneer Boatyard
• Archaic Midden; oldest on property, dates back to 3,000 B.C.
• Jungle Walk & Aqueduct
• Cock’s Footbridge; built over Webb’s Cove in 1890’s, connected the north and south ends of the property.
• Lizzie G; replica of 1890’s sailboat.
• Point Cottage; built in 1931 by Potter Palmer III.
• A Window to the Past; museum inside a Midden showing the excavation process, the layers of the Midden and what is found during the process.
• Shell Ridge Midden
• Sunken Garden and Pergola; formal garden built by Palmer between 1912-1915.
• White Cottage; built in 1884 by Webb and became the Webb’s Winter Resort.
• Webb Packing House; reconstruction of the citrus packing house used by Webb for prepping fruits for transport to market.
• Magic; replica of Webb’s sailboard used to entertain guests of the resort.
• Mary’s Chapel; reconstruction of the chapel named for Mary Sherrill, contains stained glass from the original building.
• Pioneer Cemetery; final resting place for the Webb family and other area residents.
• Palmer Water Garden; added to estate in 1910-1918, contains native ferns, plants and trees.

Historic Spanish Point offers guided tours, educational programs and special events throughout the year that enhance will your experience.

For more photos, click the photo above or visit my Historic Spanish Point photo page.

Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park

Homosassa, Florida: In the midst of dense tropical foliage lies home to many of Florida’s residents. Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park provides a walk into the habitats of the animals that call Florida their home. The park is home to bobcats, panthers, bears, birds of prey, manatees and many more Florida natives.

The vision of the park began in the early 1900’s when the train that traveled through Homosassa would stop at the springs. Guests would disembark the train and marvel that the clear waters and abundance of fish that called the springs home. In 1940, the site was purchased and operated as a petting zoo style attraction.

In 1964, the land was bought by the Norris Development Company. Although the master plan of the company was to build a city here, the beginning of the project led to what is now present day Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park. The project began with the dredging of the creek, which exhausted much of the money that was set aside for the project.

Then on a trip to the World’s Fair, Bruce Norris was impressed by the pontoon boats he saw there and brought one back to Florida. Exotic animals were added to the island and the animal theme park took off. The guests could ride on the boats and view monkey, lions, bears, hippos and more.

Then they added a floating underwater observatory to the springs. The Fish Bowl, was an underwater observatory that took guests below the surface to come face to face with the marine life that lived in the springs. The park was a hit and attendance grew.

But unlike the park attendance, the plans of the city diminished as the financial market entered into a period of recession. The Norris Development Company went bankrupt and the park was purchased by Canadian Pacific. Eventually Canadian Pacific could no longer maintain the park and it was purchased by Citrus County.

In 1989, the Florida Park service took ownership of the park. A move was made to return the park to its natural state. All non-native animals and plants were removed from the park. Plans called for the exotic animals to be replaced by native animals and the park be operated as a Florida native wildlife park.

The only non-native animal to remain in the present day park was Luc the Hippo. After a protest by citizens, Florida Governor Lawton Chiles declared the hippo a honorary citizen and he was allowed to remain a part of the wildlife park.

Today guests can visit the park and see what Real Florida looks like. Guests board pontoon boats at the visitors center and take a mile ride down Pepper Creek. Now instead of exotic animals, guests can watch turtles, alligators and even ospreys as they enjoy the ride down the creek through the dense Florida vegetation.

Once the boat arrives at the west boat dock, guests cross over Fish Bowl Road, site of the old railroad tracks. From here, the journey begins on foot. An elevated boardwalk takes visitors past Luc the hippo, deer, alligators, bobcats, Florida panthers, snakes, black bears, Birds of Prey, waterfowl and shorebirds, red foxes, red wolves and many more.

The southern end of the loop runs along the Homosassa River and goes through the Garden of the Springs and the Children’s Education Center. The highlight of the southern loop is the Underwater Observatory. The floating fish bowl is still in service, allowing guests to go below the surface and watch the manatees and schools of fish that call the river home.

Once the tour of the park is complete, you can either hop back on the boat for a leisurely ride or hike the 3/4 mile Pepper Creek Trail back to the visitor’s center.

For more photos, click on the photo above or visit my Homosassa Springs photo page.

Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park

Homosassa, Florida: This small state park in Homosassa sits on what was once a thriving sugar plantation during the Civil War era. The plantation and mill were owned and operated by prominent Floridian David Levy Yulee. Today the park has what remains of the sugar mill along with picnic facilities.

Yulee practiced law in St. Augustine and became the delegate to the United States Congress for the Florida Territory prior to Florida becoming a state. Once Florida was admitted to the Union in 1845, Yulee became the Democratic representive for Florida in the United States Senate. Yulee served one term in the Senate before being voted out of office in 1850. He was later reelected in 1855 and served until 1861 when Florida seceded from the Union.

Once he was voted out of the Senate, Yulee began a 5,100 acre sugar plantation in Homosassa, Florida. The plantation in which Yulee called Margarita, was operated by over a thousand slaves and produced sugar, syrup and molasses.

In 1851, a sugar mill was built on the plantation. Using 69 workers and expensive machinery brought in from New York, the mill was put into operation and remained in operation until 1864.

In addition to agriculture, Yulee had a fond interest in railroad transportation. In 1851, Yulee dedicated federal funds to form the “Internal Improvement Act.” With the grants and public stock, the Florida Railroad was charted in 1853 and a railroad from the Atlantic to the Gulf began construction in 1855. The line ran from Fernandina Beach on the east coast of Florida to Cedar Key on the Gulf Coast of Florida and was completed in 1860.

Yulee joined the Congress of the Confederacy when Florida seceded from the Union in 1861. During the Civil War in 1864, Union troops burned down Yulee’s plantation but the mill escaped damage from the troops. Yulee was later captured by the troops and held captive for aiding the flight of Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his Cabinet.

Although the mill spared damage from the war, it never resumed operations after the war and fell into ruins. The ruins were deeded to the State of Florida in 1953 by the Citrus County Federation of Women’s Club. Work began to excavate the ruins and stabilize what was left of th limestone structure. The ruins were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

Today the ruins and six acre park are part of the Florida State Park system. Visitors can take a self-guided tour of the site with the use of interpretive plaques describing the mill and the processes that took place here over a hundred years ago.

For more pictures, click on the photo above or visit my Yulee Sugar Mill photo page.

Honeymoon Island State Park

Dunedin, Florida: Located on the Gulf of Mexico in Pinellas County lies the picturesque Honeymoon Island. With over 2,800 acres of wildland and 4 miles of beaches, the island is home to many Florida native plants and wildlife.

The island was once much larger, but was split in two by a major hurricane in 1921. The result was two islands, Hog Island and Caladesi Island separated by Hurricane Pass. Hog Island was later purchased by Clinton Washburn, an New York developer in 1939.

Washburn built cottages and marketed the island as a honeymoon getaway for newlywed couples. The island was then renamed Honeymoon Island. The island remained a prominent vacation spot until World War II when the cottages fell into disrepair.

The State of Florida took possession of the island and it became part of the Florida State Park system. The cottages were removed and the island was attached to the mainland via the Dunedin Causeway. This resulted in more than 900,000 annual visitors to the park.

Today Honeymoon Island is home to many native Florida wildlife including many species of shore birds, Bald Eagles, Osprey, Horned Owls, raccoons, gopher tortoise and the Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake. Hurricane Pass is also a great spot for fishing as it is home to snook, trout, redfish, pompano, shark, tarpon, flounder and more.

The island offer plenty of recreations for its visitors. The four miles of beaches offer great swimming, shelling and sunbathing. There is even a pet beach for the four legged member of the family. You can also take a hike on to nature trails that travel through pine forests and mangroves and provides home to many of the islands inhabitant. The park also features a Nature Center and ferry service to neighboring Caladesi Island.

For more photos, click on the picture above or visit my Honeymoon Island photo page.

Oscar Scherer State Park

Osprey, Florida: In a rapidly developing area of central Sarasota County lies a 1,400 acre wildlife habitat that welcomes of 130,000 visitors annually. Oscar Scherer State Park has been in operation since 1956 and is home to many of Florida native wildlife.

In 1955, Elsa Scherer Burrows passed away and left the family’s 460 acre ranch along the South Creek to the state of Florida in the name of her father, Oscar Scherer. One year later the park opened to the public.

The park expanded in 1991 due to an effort to protect the Florida Scrub-Jay by realtor and current Sarasota County commissioner Jon Thaxton. With the efforts of Thaxton and the Nature Conservancy, the park added 922 acres from Palmer Ranch and grew to 1,384 acres. Then in recognition of National Public Lands Day 2008, local developer Lee Wetherington donated 16 acres from the Willowbend subdivision to bring the park to its current day size of 1,400 acres.

Oscar Scherer State Park consist of several Florida landscapes including pine flatwoods, scrubby flatwoods, and hardwood hammock. This provides home to several species of Florida wildlife including:

• Bobcats
• Rabbits
• Foxes
• River Otters
• Alligators
• Snakes
• Gopher Tortoises
• Frogs
• Bald Eagles
• Osprey
• Woodpeckers
• Egrets
• Herons
• Several types of freshwater fish

There are several hiking trails that will take you into the habitats for a closer look at the wildlife that inhabit it. The trails are:

• Yellow Trail; 5 miles explores the remote sections of the park through pine flatwoods, prairies hammocks and scrubby flatwoods.

• Blue Trail; 1 1/2 miles though pine flatwoods and scrubby flatwoods.

• Red Trail; 2 miles through pine flatwoods and scrubby flatwoods along the western boundary of the park.

• Green Trail; 3 miles through scrubby flatwoods and pine flatwoods along with some of the Florida Scrub Jay habitats.

• Lester Finley Trail; 1/2 mile handicap accessible trail through hardwood hammocks along the South Creek.

• South Creek Nature Trail; 1/2 mile one-way trail along the South Creek.

In addition to the trails, Oscar Scherer State Park also houses a nature center, Lake Osprey (3 acre lake for fishing and swimming) and a full service campground. There are also special events throughout the year including a native American festival, music festivals and weekly wildlife conservations events.

For more photos click the picture above of visit my Oscar Scherer State Park photo page.