HELL is full of Cypress Trees and Lilypads (Brown and occasionally Red)

when I talked last year about the wildness of natural Florida I missed a few places...namely that east bank of the mostly undeveloped Apalachicola River, with the Apalachicola National Forest, a town called Sumatra, and the most unwelcoming-named parkland ever, Tate's Hell State Forest!
When we first arrived the swamp was strangely silent, and the complex network of gravel roads was very confusing with occasional mudholes. But after a night camping under bright moonlight with a shore breeze, we found the forest teeming with wildlife- deer, an eagle, owls just after dawn, however they make themselves scarce so you won't see them unless you're on foot in the woods. Dwarf- cypress trees stand among the pines in some swampier areas, and there are interesting finds in others...and a fountain spring by our campsite, near the slow, dark waters of the New River..

for the story of Cebe Tate and the origin of the forest name...http://www.tateshell.com/ and for official park information...http://www.fl-dof.com/state_forests/tates_hell.html

Florida Springs, Part 2: The (sur)Real Florida

There's a voice that says "just let yourself be..."
Is it a lady or is it a manatee?
You'll have to come down to the spring and see.







Mimimolotov the mullet seems to disagree:
"There's people up there and I have to jump up and see,
and never mind the fishermen down at Steinhatchee."
(but it does sound like an exciting industry)




There are places where the humans don't really get to go
and that's ok with us as long as they know
sometimes we do have to remind them, though
(and sometimes they have to build fences to make sure no boats try to slip through)







my country home,
my lovely, never lonely,
Black Lagoon











where algae and branches are walkways
over floors I don't even know how deep












All photos at Wakulla Springs State Park (Wakulla, FL)
except #2 of the mullet at Manatee Springs
and the above photo is at Sally Ward Spring inside Wakulla Park.