Florida Part 1
Ever since I started seriously using iNaturalist back in 2022, South and Central Florida have been a top priority trip for me. From the pine rocklands on Big Pine Key, to the sandy Lake Wales Ridge, Florida has hundreds of endemic plants and animals that I’ve been dying to see for a very long time.
The Florida Keys are one of the most fascinating natural areas in the entire country. I began my trip on Key Largo, which is one of the only places in the world to see Sphaerodactylus notatus, or the Reef Gecko. As the only Sphaerodactylus species found in the United States, this species is at the top of my reptile bucket list. Measuring in at only 2 inches long, searching for the Reef Gecko turned out to be a very frustrating experience. After an hour of searching through the forests of Key Largo, I gave up on my search, but not without finding some pretty amazing species along the way. The Golden Silk Spider (iNaturalist Observation) was a common sight, with their webs often blocking the way to prime Reef Gecko habitats. I also saw many interesting plant species, such as the Bahama Strongbark (iNaturalist Observation) and Blackbead (iNaturalist Observation), which are mainly found in the Caribbean but have strongholds in Southern Florida.
My next stop on the drive out to Big Pine Key was the Key Tree Cactus Preserve. These fascinating cactuses have been documented to grow up to 30 feet tall but are now unfortunately facing extinction. Climate change, collecting, and stronger and more persistent hurricanes are all factors to this species' slow demise, causing 6 of the 11 known tree cactus populations to die out. Luckily for me, this species can be easily seen at the Key Tree Cactus Preserve. Five minutes after pulling into the parking lot off of Route 1, I was standing in front of one of the coolest cactus species I’ve ever seen. Pretty much every cactus species found on the East Coast is an Opuntia, or prickly pear, species, so seeing something so unique was quite refreshing.
Key Tree Cactus
While the first half of my day on the Florida Keys was amazing, it all pales in comparison to exploring the pine rocklands of Big Pine Key. With dozens of endemic species, and only four percent of the original habitat remaining, the Pine Rocklands are one of the most threatened and valuable habitats in the country. I spent several hours botanizing along Key Deer Boulevard and the Fred C. Manillo Wildlife Trail. It’s just too difficult to choose only a couple species to talk about for this part of the trip so I’ve listed some of my favorite finds below
Key Deer - Found only in Florida Keys
Big Pine Partridge Pea - Only found on Big Pine Key
Key Thatch Palm - Native to Caribbean
Grisebach’s Dwarf Morning-Glory - Native to South Florida and Cuba
Rocklands Spurge - Native to South Florida and Cuba
Pride of Big PIne - Native to Caribbean
Euphorbia ogdenii - Native to South Florida