Bear Pond Trailhead

Lower Wekiva Loop Trail via Bear Pond Trailhead In Seminole State
The Lower Wekiva Loop Trail in Seminole State Forest can be accessed at the Bear Pond Trailhead, located north of State Road 46, approximately 5 miles west of Interstate 4. It is a popular hiking and biking trail located in the Seminole State Forest, Florida.
Seminole State Forest is situated in central Florida, in Lake County, near Eustis. This beautiful forest area offers a variety of recreational opportunities and is a favorite destination for outdoor enthusiasts.
The Lower Wekiva Trail, also known as the “Wekiva Wilderness Preserve Trail,” takes you on a scenic journey through some of Florida’s natural beauty. The trail is well-maintained and offers hikers and bikers a chance to explore the area’s diverse ecosystems, including pine flatwoods, hardwood hammocks, and wetlands.
Here are some key features and highlights of the Lower Wekiva Trail:
Length and Difficulty: The trail stretches for 10.4 miles, making it suitable for beginner and intermediate hikers and bikers. It’s a relatively flat and easy trail, making it accessible to a wide range of fitness levels.
Scenic Beauty: As you venture along the Lower Wekiva Trail, you’ll be surrounded by lush vegetation and a variety of plant and animal species. Keep an eye out for wildlife, including birds, deer, and other critters commonly found in Florida’s forests.
River Views: The trail takes you close to the banks of the Wekiva River, providing opportunities to enjoy the serene beauty of the water and possibly spot some aquatic wildlife.
Wildlife Viewing: The forest is home to various bird species, such as woodpeckers, hawks, and warblers. There’s also a chance to see other wildlife, including turtles, alligators, and even the occasional black bear.
Recreational Activities: The Lower Wekiva Trail is popular among hikers, bikers, nature enthusiasts, photographers, and birdwatchers. It’s a great place to immerse yourself in the peacefulness of nature.
Trailhead and Facilities: The trail has designated trailheads with parking areas, restrooms, and informational kiosks. These facilities make it convenient for visitors to access and enjoy the trail.
As with any outdoor activity, preparing before embarking on the Lower Wekiva Trail is essential. Bring plenty of water, wear comfortable hiking or biking shoes, and protect yourself from the Florida sun with sunscreen and a hat. Additionally, be sure to follow Leave No Trace principles, respecting the environment and wildlife as you enjoy this beautiful trail in the Seminole State Forest.
Photo Credit: Andy Waldo
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Savannah Sparrow

Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis) have an extremely wide range. Canada and the northern parts of the United States are their breeding grounds. During non-breeding times, they migrate to parts of the central and southern United States and Mexico.
These little sparrows live in grasslands with few trees, such as meadows, pastures, and cultivated fields planted with cover crops. They also inhabit tidal salt marshes and estuaries as they are near the ocean. In colder regions, Alaska and northern Canada, they will live among the shrubby willows of the tundra. During breeding seasons, they will eat insects and invertebrates; in their winter range, their diet will consist primarily of small seeds from grasses and forbs. Along coastal areas, they may eat tiny crustaceans.
During the nonbreeding range, Savannah Sparrows will gather in large flocks and become increasingly restless until they depart.
Savannah Sparrows are widespread and abundant and are of low conservation concern. These sparrows benefited from the human-changed landscape as pasturelands opened up, but some of their range has been lost to the urbanization that followed and the shift in agricultural practices. Due to their foraging behavior, they are vulnerable to some crop pesticides and may eat granular pesticides that are scattered in cornfields.
Cool Fact, the Savannah Sparrow’s name is not named because of its fondness for grassy areas but is named by a famous nineteen-century ornithologist Alexander Wilson for collecting specimens in Savannah, Georgia.
Photo Credit: Andy Waldo, Lynn Marie
Author: Destiny Alvarez – Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Oregon
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Fort Island Trail Park

Are you looking for an exciting outdoor adventure? Look no further than Fort Island Trail Park. Located in beautiful Citrus County, this 14-acre riverfront park offers various recreational activities, making it the perfect destination for families, hikers, and nature enthusiasts.
Saunter along the West Fort Island 0.5-mile out-and-back trail. Bring your own kayak or canoe and explore the serene waters of Fort Island Trail Park, beginning at the Nature Coast Canoe and Kayak Trail launch point.
Be sure to bring your binoculars and keep your cameras ready. Fort Island Trail Park is part of the Florida Birding Trail. It is home to many unique wildlife, including migratory birds, songbirds, shore birds, and water birds. The park offers fantastic opportunities for wildlife spotting and photography.
Fort Island Trail Park is the ideal spot for a family outing. Picnic areas and open spaces are perfect for family gatherings, birthday parties, or a relaxing day out with your loved ones.
Photo Credit: Dan Kon
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Domestic Species

Peacock

Peacock

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Peacock

There are three species of peafowls, Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus), Green Peafowl (Pavo muticus), and Congo Peafowl (Afropavo congensis). Indian Peafowl are commonly found in Florida and are nonnative birds that can reach 35 to 50 inches and is the largest bird that can fly. All species are distinguishable from each other as the male Indian peafowl have bright blue heads and necks. Males are peacocks; females are peahens. It is very easy to distinguish between males and females. Males are beautiful, with very bright plumage. The feathers that cover the tail are 5 feet long, which is longer than the body! When the tail is displayed, brilliant colors are visible. They use their tail display to attract a mate. Peahens have much more muted colors with a brown back and a white belly, they do not have long tail feathers, but they have a crest on their head and green neck feathers.
As the name suggests, this bird originates from the Indian subcontinents. They were introduced to other countries for zoos, parks, nature centers, or domestic pets. The Indian peafowls are omnivorous and feed on seeds, insects, fruits, small mammals, and small reptiles.
Cool Fact! The peacock is the national bird of India. Peacock feathers are important to Hinduism as they believe keeping them brings good luck and prosperity.
Peafowl are classified as a domestic species in Florida.
Photo Credit: Dan Kon
Author: Destiny Alvarez – Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Oregon
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White-eyed vireo

The White-eyed vireo (Vireo griseus) is a small songbird that lives in Florida year-round in scrubby areas such as overgrown pastures, forest edges, and mangroves. The diet comprises caterpillars, flies, beetles, moths, butterflies, leafhoppers, lacewings, and spiders. During nonbreeding seasons fruits will be a part of their diet.
Males defend territories from other males by wing flicking, fluffing, sleeking their feathers, and will pecking at the other male. Courtship will start as soon as the female arrives and they will maintain a monogamous bond during the breeding season. The White-eyed vireo will return to the same breeding area year after year, sometimes with different mates.
It takes a mating pair 3-5 days to complete a nest. They will use insect silk and spiderweb to make a shell, then collect stick leaves, bark, plant fibers, rootlets, and bits of paper and add them to the shell. They will use lichens, moss, or leaves outside the nest to camouflage the nest. Usually, 3-5 eggs are laid in a clutch with only 1-2 young being hatched; the eggs are white with some spotting. Incubation is 13-15 days; they can leave the nest after 9-11 days. Both parents contribute to incubating the eggs and feeding the young. However, there are times when the nest can be parasitized by the Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus after), which results in the unknowing parents caring for another bird’s young while their young do not survive.
This species is common with a stabilized population, so it is not of conservation concern.
Photo Credit: Sheri Douse, Lynn Marie
Author: Destiny Alvarez – Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Oregon
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3rd Grade on Identifying Wildlife Species in Florida

Click on links below:

LESSON PLAN

POWERPOINT PRESENTATION DOWNLOAD

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Pioneer Trail at Kings Park on Merritt Island

The Pioneer Trail, inside of Kings Park, could be the trail that you have been missing. Located in north Merritt Island, this 240-acre community park is largely a wetlands preserve. The paved, well-maintained trail is suitable for walkers, runners, or cyclists (mountain, hybrid, cruisers, or road bikes will all work here), perfect for your whole family to enjoy. If you go later in the afternoon or evening, you will find portions of the trail are shaded.
The Pioneer Trail is a straight 1.1-mile trail connecting E. Hall Road and Chase Hammock Road. A straight line without looping makes it not only impossible to get lost but safe and easy for even the most novice trail enthusiasts to use! You will likely cover 2.2 miles round trip unless you turn back early or take a side trail. The trail takes you along two ponds and other water features, with plenty of native Florida vegetation including wildflowers, grasses, palm trees, and more. Keep an eye out for alligators. With the opportunity to see more of this natural Florida scenery, you might want to wander down a side trail.
The small developed area at the northeast corner of the park features a multi-use field and paved parking that accommodates practice games and neighborhood play. A deep freshwater lake adjacent to the parking area offers a natural ramp for non-motorized boats. Another small lake, a canoe trail, and rustic nature trails invite exploration for the adventurous. Don’t forget your sun protection, extra water, and bug spray. There are restrooms, a pavilion, and picnic tables at either end of the trail.
Amenities:
Restroom
1.4-mile Pioneer trail.
Picnic area
1 Multi-use field
Canoe Launch,
Freshwater,
Non-motorized Access
Photo Credit and Author: Director Bobby Putnam
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Wood Thrush

Florida is one of the Wood Thrush’s (Hylocichla mustelina) migration routes; they breed in deciduous and mixed forests in eastern North America. During winter, they will live in shady, broad-leaved, and palm tropical forests.
Wood thrushes mainly eat invertebrates on leaf litter and fruits from shrubs. Their summer diet is primarily invertebrates, though they will occasionally eat salamanders found in trees. Their diet will shift to mainly fruits, particularly fatty fruits, to prepare for migration. In winter, they are omnivorous, eating a variety of fruits and invertebrates. The male Wood Thrush is one of the first songbirds to be heard in the morning and among the last in the evening.
Wood Thrushes are solitary foragers, though they may form mixed flocks on their wintering grounds. They are still common though their population has declined between 1966 and 2019, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. The Wood Thrush is included in the Yellow Watch List for birds most at risk of extinction without significant conservation actions to reverse declines and reduce threats. It is thought that habitat fragmentation in their breeding and wintering grounds contributed to their population decline. Lower food quality choices can result from fragmented habitats along with exposed nests for predators such as raccoons, jays, crows, and domestic or feral cats, and to the nest parasite, the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater).
Fun Fact: Among many alarms calls this bird can make, one is a distinctive, sharp machine-gun-like sound that can be heard from far off.
Photo Credit: Lynn Marie
Author: Destiny Alvarez – Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Oregon
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Giant Leaf-footed Bug

The giant leaf-footed bug (Acanthocephala declivis), is a strikingly large insect found throughout parts of North America. This bug gets its name from its distinctively shaped hind legs, which resemble leaves and are used to camouflage it in its environment. The body of this insect is typically brown or gray and is about an inch in length. This species has a pronotum, a place that covers the thorax that extends to the abdominal region. It also has dull tubercles and rounded nodules in the middle of the pronotum. Giant leaf-footed bugs feed on the sap of various plants, and they can sometimes be a pest to agricultural crops such as tomatoes and citrus. While they may not harm humans, these bugs can be quite a nuisance when they invade homes and gardens.
Photo Credit: Aymee Laurain
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Karst Topography

Karst topography refers to a distinctive landscape that forms in areas where water dissolves soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. Over time, this chemical weathering results in the formation of unique features such as sinkholes, caves, and underground drainage systems. The dissolution of the rock creates irregular surfaces and porous formations, creating distinctive shapes and patterns on the surface of the earth. The topography of karst regions can vary widely depending on the type of rock, the climate, and the amount of water present, but they all share a common characteristic of being heavily influenced by the processes of dissolution and erosion.
Image credit: U.S. National Parks Services
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Green Lynx Spider

The Green Lynx Spider (Peucetia viridans) is a large, bright green spider that can be found on many shrub-like plants throughout the Southern United States, it is the largest North American lynx spider. It is common throughout Florida and will aggressively attack its insect prey but will very rarely bite humans. Lynx spiders in general, are an essential predator of crop-damaging insects, making them an interest for agricultural pest management. However, their usefulness in controlling pest insects is also contradicted by their willingness to prey on beneficial insects.
The female is large, measuring 12 to 22 mm long; the average is 16 mm. Males are a bit smaller and more slender, with the average length being 12 mm. The cephalothorax is highest in the eye region, where it is narrow but broadens out considerably behind. The body is transparent and bright green; usually, there is a red patch between the eyes and red spots on the body. Numbers and sizes vary between individuals. The eye region is covered with little hairs. The legs are pale green to yellow and are quite long and thin with very long, black spines and numerous black spots. Green lynxes are diurnal hunters; they are very agile and can leap from place to place with great precision. Their keen eyesight can be compared to that of wolf and fishing spiders. Their method of hunting is to pause and wait to catch their prey; they do not use webs to capture prey.
Photo Credit: Lynn Marie
Author: Destiny Alvarez – Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Oregon
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Tiger Bay State Forest

Tiger Bay State Forest is a protected forest in Volusia County, near Daytona Beach and DeLand, and is easily accessible from Interstate 95. The forest offers several recreational activities, including hiking, biking, horseback riding, and fishing in some of the area’s streams and lakes. Tiger Bay State Forest was severely impacted by the 1998 Summer Wildfire Firestorm. Approximately 15,000 acres of forest were burned during these catastrophic wildfires. Restoration included extensive salvage timber removal, and reforestation efforts have been completed.
The forest is named after the nearby Tiger Bay Creek, its primary geographical characteristic, which runs through the area. Tiger Bay is a crucial source of groundwater replenishment for the local region. The hydric swamp forest is punctuated by clusters of pine-covered islands, which make up 40% of the forest area. Additionally, the forest encompasses Indian Lake and Scoggin Lake, as well as several smaller bodies of water, including Coon Pond, a naturally occurring pond, and Rattlesnake Pond, Woody Pond, and Ranch Pond, which are man-made and open to the public for fishing. Additionally, three other unnamed man-made ponds are situated within the forest. The forest covers over 27,000 acres of land and is managed by the Florida Forest Service.
Tiger Bay Forest has many native animals such as white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, alligators, and black bears. It also supports a variety of bird species, including bald eagles, red-shouldered hawks, and woodpeckers. The forest is also an essential habitat for the endangered Florida sandhill crane and gopher tortoise, which are both protected species in the state of Florida. Tiger Bay State Forest is also home to several plant communities, including longleaf pine forests, cypress swamps, and wetlands.
Visitors to Tiger Bay State Forest can engage in a wide range of recreational activities, including hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, picnicking, boating, fishing, hunting, nature study, and photography. However, it should be noted that horseback riding and bicycling are only permitted on forest roads, permanent firelines, and specifically designated trails. Tiger Bay State Forest boasts one hiking trail, the Buncombe Trail, part of the Florida Forest Service’s Trailwalker Hiking Program. Additionally, the forest features one equestrian trail, Rima Ridge Trail, which is part of the Florida Forest Service’s Trailtrotter Program. For those who prefer a leisurely stroll, the forest also offers the Pershing Highway Trail, which covers just over a mile of scenic brick road built in 1917. For visitors who wish to spend the night in the forest, there are semi-primitive campgrounds available, including the Tram Road Equestrian Campground located on the Rima Ridge Tract. This campground includes small corrals for horses and a non-potable water supply.
Overall, Tiger Bay State Forest is an important ecological area that provides critical habitat for various native animals and plant species. Its diverse habitats make it an ideal location for outdoor recreation and a great place to explore Florida’s natural beauty.
Photo Credit: Dan Kon
Author: Renada Hill – Student Valencia State College
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