The busier my schedule becomes, the more I appreciate the wonderful outdoor opportunities Florida has to offer. In a few short hours, I can find myself in a different world. Great expanses, abundant wildlife, a place where cell phone signals are mercifully weak. Two of my favorite places are Big Cypress National Preserve and Corkscrew Swamp, both in South Florida. We recently took advantage of a weekend without obligations and hit the road. It was a short but welcomed and refreshing break.
Our first morning was spent at Corkscrew Swamp. It has a 2 1/2 mile boardwalk that weaves through several habitats including a magical Cypress Swamp. The trees are littered with epiphytes including a number of endangered orchid species. We arrived early and were the first people on the boardwalk. I loved the quiet. Being the first, we also had the honor of clearing the path of the spider webs crafted overnight by tireless arachnids (I felt a little guilty). Typically, there’s standing water under the boardwalk. On this trip, it was bone dry due to the drought. The ponds that normally teem with alligators and wading birds were eerily dry and quiet. It seems each time I visit, Corkscrew offers a whole new experience.
Boardwalk-Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary
Next, we headed a little further south to Big Cypress. It too was much dryer than usual. While alligators are always easy to spot along the swamps and canals, this time they were concentrated into the few remaining areas of standing water. At one spot along a canal, we counted 27 alligators-not exactly an inviting swimming hole.
On our last day, storm clouds formed bringing the promise of much needed rain to the dry marsh and Swamp Lilies.
Before long, the sky darkened and the showers arrived and it was time to head home.
by LME
no comments