A low winter sun makes for some nice reflections on the boundless waters of Big Cypress National Preserve. At noon on November 1 the sun is at an altitude of about 49°. But by 3:00 pm, about the time these images were created, the sun is only 31° above the southern horizon.
Driving west out of Miami take SW 8th St. (also known as US 41 or the Old Tamiami Trail) into the Everglades.
You'll soon start to see signs like these noting that you are entering Miccosukee lands. The Misccouskee Tribe of Indians of Florida is mostly located to the north of the Old Tamiami Trail but there is a casino and indian village on Highway 41.
The Miccosukee were part of the Seminole nation until the mid-20th century, when they organized as an independent tribe, receiving federal recognition in 1962.
During Jeb Bush's reign as Governor of Florida he regularly did battle with the Miccosukee over their lawsuits to stop his relentless campaign of environmental degradation. Read more about this sad chapter in the history of the Miccosukee and Florida at:
There are plenty of alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) in the canals and water control structures all along the Tamiami Trail. The name "Tamiami" is said to be a contraction of "Tampa to Miami." Today, this is the best way to see the Northern Everglades, Big Cypress, Florida Panther, and all the other parks and preserves that have been stitched together across this portion of South Florida to try and preserve something like what the Everglades once were. The northern sections of the Everglades are still mostly drained, ditched and diked by sugar plantation owners who are in the pockets of Florida Republican politicians.
Big Cypress Swamp
Big Cypress Swamp, now Big Cypress National Preserve, was once occupied by the Caloosa (Calusa) Indians and the Spanish, and was the last refuge of the Seminole Indians. The 720,000-acre (2,900 km2) Big Cypress became the first national preserve in the United States National Park System in 1974. The region drains in a north-south direction through creeks, rivers, sloughs and swamps. Abounding in wildlife, trees, plants, shrubs and flowers, most of the area is less than fifteen feet above sea level but fertile hammock forests dot the higher lands. The ever present cypress is called the "wood eternal" and is the oldest living thing on earth.
I like all of the ways that governmental entities try to protect obtuse people from themselves. These are various signs warning of getting too close to alligators, as if anyone should need the advice.
Just about everything in Florida is now in Spanish and English
As I was taking photos of some very large alligators, very close to where I was standing tourists would ask me in Portugese or German or French, "onde estão os jacarés?. . . wo sind die alligatoren?, , , où sont les alligators?. . . I would always point and say, in English, "You're about to step on it." Crazy tourists.
Living in Florida all one's life and spending a lot of time outdoors one learns that these creatures have evolved to blend perfectly with their environment. Camouflage is a part of the natural world many casual observers do not understand.
There are some really spectacular landscapes in Big Cypress, one needs only to stop along the way at the roadside parks and explore.
It is impossible not to notice that a lot of the parking areas are now pretty well trashed. This is the fate of all of Florida. As Florida has become overrun with newcomers garbage has followed. I tried to crop out those images of garbage from these photos but it is heartbreaking to see the degradation that people and their disrespect have wrought on Florida's natural environment.
For a conservationist, naturalist and Florida native it is incomprehensible how someone could throw their fast food garbage into this environment and think that is OK. That, and every other kind of human debris is found everywhere in the parks. There is little money for the parks to remove the trash due to U.S. Federal Government Sequestration which has exponentially affected the operating budgets of the America's National Parks.
One of the most iconic area in Big Cypress National Preserve is the Kirby Storter Roadside Park and boardwalk which crosses Georges Strand and the New River Strand.
Even here, there were signs of human impacts including garbage, tire tracks and missing signs throughout the area. There was not one directional or informational sign remaining in the Kirby Park area. Still, the environment is stunningly beautiful and incredibly harsh.
Its hard to imagine how the Seminoles made this their home considering the wet and inhospitable (buggy) environment.
Above, the low winter sun.
Below, airplants and ferns on alligator apple trees.
Below: Deep in Big Cypress
Below: Bald Cypress Trees
Below: The long sleeves and jeans were to protect against bugs,
not cold. The temperature has not dipped below the balmy upper
80°s - low 90°s (29-34° C) since March in Florida.
Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers (Puma concolor) are the star of Big Cypress and memorialized in bronze sculptures throughout the park. Unfortunately this is probably the closest anyone will ever get to a Florida Panther as they are nearly extinct with fewer than 150 individuals thought to survive in all of Florida.
We would not be surprised if Florida decided to reinstate a Florida Panther Hunt after their recent Florida Bear Massacre. Florida Republicans are notoriously hateful when it comes to wildlife and the natural environment.
There are a lot of signs telling visitors how to look for panthers and what to do if they see one. There are numbers to call and reports to be filed. The easiest way for a novice to find a panther is to find their footprints (below) next to my size 12 boot for scale.
One thing you can still see, especially in winter, are some spectacular
Florida Rainbows. The low winter sun and the frequent showers
are perfect rainbow weather.
We've Read and Watched:
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| Hot temperatures are forecast through at least mid-November for most of Florida |
Precipitation was limited in October 2015 leading to well below normal rainfall totals across much of Florida while temperatures were consistently above normal leading to October 2015 ranking in the top 5 warmest in the 120 year history.
$3 Billion a Year: Cost to Americans
Most agricultural producers in the U.S. do not receive subsidies, as they compete in the open market on the basis of efficiency. Sugar producers, on the other hand, would probably be hard pressed to operate without the high prices guaranteed by government limitations on imports. The result is that the American consumer pays two to three times the world market price for sugar.
No wonder Everglades restoration is forever slowed by Florida Republicans.