Saturday, October 10 – The weather has been beautiful here at Big Cypress National Preserve in Ochopee, FL. Due to the late rains in this area, most of the hiking trails are underwater.
So, we decided to do the one-mile Kirby Storter Boardwalk hike….They call it a hike, we call it a walk.
Beginning of the walk.
Once we were about 100 yards into the walk, we entered the mature cypress strand without getting our feet wet.
The walk was lovely.
Paul does carvings out of Cypress knees, so this was a treat for him.
There are tons of epiphytic bromeliads growing in the trees.
Marsha wanted to see one in bloom, but we knew the blooming season had just ended. Lucky for us the Park Ranger was on the boardwalk. Marsha asked him if he has seen any in bloom…guess what…he said, “Yes, one.” He took us to the end of the boardwalk, and there it was. She was so happy.
Tiny little flowers on the lily pads.
We actually got to see a little bit of fall color.
We then took a short ride to Monument Lake which has only tent camping. The sites are on the outside of the loop with Monument Lake in the middle.
Thanks to Heyduke, we now no the name of the ducks. No wait…they aren’t ducks at all. John writes that they are common moorhens or common gallinules. What is a common moorhens or common gallinules, you ask…us too. It is a bird that lives around well-vegetated marshes, ponds, canals, and other wetlands in the Americas. Thanks, John.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day.
