Florida Manatee

On one of our coldest days in years (today) I decided to go to Blue Spring State Park to visit the West Indian Manatees. Blue Spring is about 4 miles (6.5 km) to our north but only accessible by driving through some of Florida's worst urban sprawl (Orange City).



Blue Spring maintains a constant, year-round water temperature of 72° F. (22° C.). The West Indian Manatee (Trichechus manatus) cannot survive when water temperatures fall below 66° F. (18.8° C.). . . so on days like today when the air temperature never got above 45° F. (7.2° C.) the manatees in our area seek shelter from the cold in Blue Spring. Over 200 manatee now live in and around Blue Spring November - March.



There were at least 100 manatee gathered in the spring today. Above a group rests near a submerged log.



These warm-looking images belie just how cold it was in the wind this afternoon. The closer I got to the open areas around the St. Johns River, the colder I got. There was a stiff wind blowing down from the north. I was fascinated with the large gar jumping and creating sun-splashes in the water (above). There is very little oxygen in the water near the spring boil (where it emerges from the ground) so the fish have to surface frequently for air.



The manatee at left (above) is outfitted with a floating tracking device. These two appeared to be resting near the boil of the spring, deep in the woods.



Below is a good shot of the boil of Blue Spring. The park encompasses 2,644 acres. The spring is the largest on the St. Johns River flowing at a rate of over 100 million gallons per day. The spring was first visited by Europeans in 1766 when botanist John Bartram "discovered" the area. I like this image because I can clearly see the trees laying across the spring boil that were there when I was a kid. Due to the very low oxygen content of the water these submerged trees have changed little in 40 years.



Its ironic to me that this beautiful spot exists in the middle of some of the worst urban sprawl in Florida. One has to travel through rundown, downtown Orange City, Florida to get to the spring. Once there it is crawling with obnoxious tourists, even on a very cold day like today. I thought it quite sad that such a natural wonder is not better protected from humans.

To read a description of why our winter is so cold go to PHILLIP'S NATURAL WORLD. . . the other photos.

To see more images of cold weather go to PHILLIP'S NATURAL WORLD III.