Miami Lead Plant

The Miami lead plant is one of the few federally protected plants in Florida due to the 99% loss of the pine rockland habitat in southern Florida. This deciduous shrub species stands about five feet tall and is found among slash pines and poisonwood. Only six populations of Miami lead plants are known to Dade County. This endangered species is endemic to Miami-Dade County.
The Miami lead plant is most recognizable for its 6”-8” flower spikes, which are either lavender or white and bloom from spring to summer. The “flowers” are one singular petal attached to the glandular calyx.  Seeds are produced in a flat pod. The lead plant’s native pollinators consist of flies and bees but cannot travel far due to spotty growth. The leaves alternate with leaflets and take a scalloped shape with bristled tips. The stalk and stem are hairless.
To bring the Miami lead plant back from extinction, plant conservationists are first focusing on rebuilding the rockland habitat. Prescribed fires are the most useful tool in reconstituting pine rocklands, and the controlled burns are done every 3-7 years. With close management of water sources, containment of exotic plant species, and prescribed burns, the Miami lead plant has a hopeful future on Florida soil.
Photo Credit: Dan Kon
Author: Sarina Pennington IOF Volunteer
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Great-Tailed Grackle

Great-Tailed Grackle
While normally found year-round in the Southwestern United States, great-tailed grackles can occasionally be seen here in Florida. Not to be confused with the boat-tailed grackle or common grackle, this species has unusually long, splayed tail feathers. The males are twice the size of female great-tailed grackles and sport iridescent black plumage. The females have long, slender tail feathers.
Great-tailed grackles are a member of the Icteridae family (New World Blackbirds) but are commonly mistaken for Corvidae. Similar to crows. They eat a wide variety of foods such as insects, grains, fruits, and even small fish. Although incapable of swimming, great-tailed grackles are known to forage in shallow waters searching for tadpoles and crustaceans.
This species of grackle is frequently spotted in rural areas during the day before coming back to urban areas to roost for the night. Great-tailed grackles are a common sight on farms, where they live in symbiosis with cattle by eating the parasites that plague the bovine. All in all, they are a welcome sight to Florida’s coasts and woodlands– as well as the occasional parking lot.
Photo Credit: Lynn Marie
Author: Sarina Pennington IOF Volunteer
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McCarty Ranch Preserve

The McCarty Ranch Preserve, or Port St. Lucie’s McCarty Ranch Preserve, is a 3,100-acre preserve sitting squarely around Lake John and the smaller bodies of water: Lake Dan and Lake Brian. Located in Port St. Lucie, the ranch features 13 rustic campsites with modern amenities such as restrooms, showers, and free wifi, as well as 6 RV campsites, a boat/canoe launch, fishing, trails, and an 18-hole disc golf course, all of which are pet-friendly. The wide range of trails, designed for everything from horses to bikes, to the classic walking stick, is the real draw of McCarthy Ranch Preserve.
There are two hikeable nature trails located near the entrance and campgrounds. The Gopher Tortoise Trail is the longest at about 16 miles and is split evenly by the Palmetto Trail which is 1 mile long. On these trails, you will likely encounter abundant wild flora and fauna, such as bats, alligators, and a variety of predatory birds like the beloved osprey. The local flora resembles old Florida pinelands, which host slash pines, milkweed (a Monarch host plant!), and mulberry.
The McCarty Ranch Preserve can trace its roots to the influential McCarty Family and its patriarch, Charles Tobin McCarty, who used the land for cattle and pineapple farming in the 1880s. CT (Charles Tobin) McCarty’s grandson, Dan, became the state’s 31st Governor in 1953 while his son John managed the ranch. The ranch continued until 2012 when it was purchased and incorporated into city limits for the purpose of storing water and creating a recreational area for the community.
If you are seeking the perfect trailhead on foot or horseback, the McCarty Ranch Preserve is the place to go for your family’s (and pets!) fishing, canoeing, and hiking needs. For more information please go to the https://www.cityofpsl.com/…/mccarty-ranch-preserve…
Author: IOF Volunteer Sarina Pennington
Photo Credit: Courtney Smith
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Abercrombie Park

Abercrombie Park is a small but mighty park located on the western end of St. Petersburg, with a main paved trail leading to the waterfront area. A combination of sand and boardwalk trails that wind through a small preserved ecosystem and sites of historical significance. This beautiful park is also packed with a lot of shade!
The park contains remnants of the pioneer Abercrombie family homestead, a historic mound, and shell midden that have been traced back to Native American settlements that resided in the area from 140 to 565 AD. The city also purchased the house on the north end and placed boardwalks and other amenities to expand the park further. There is a picnic table at the top of the Mound.
Don’t miss this great gem for a serene walk, contemplative meditation, and a brief reminder of the area’s human and environmental history. Abercrombie Park is a beautiful site for a quiet and shaded evening stroll while enjoying a Florida sunset over Boca Ciega Bay.
Amenities:
Wildlife Viewing
Native American Midden
Information Kiosk
Waterfront
Parking Area
Interpretive Signage
Nature Trails (paved, sand) and Boardwalks
Picnic Area
Dogs on Leash
Seating/Teaching Area
Address: Park St N 38th Ave N, St. Petersburg, FL 33709
For more information:
Author and Photo Credit: Bobby Putnam
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Eared Grebe

Eared Grebes, Podiceps nigricollis, are small water birds with a distinctive bright, red eye that gather in large flocks at the Great Salt Lake in Utah, Salton Sea, or Mono Lake in California during the fall. Here, the most abundant grebes in the world enjoy a bounty of brine shrimp, alkali flies, and aquatic invertebrates before migrating to their winter home in the islands in the Gulf of California. Breeding takes place in the wetlands of western North America.
Fun Fact: While fattening up in the fall, the Eared Grebes’ pectoral muscles and hearts shrink rendering them flightless while their digestive organs grow to accommodate enough food to double the Grebe’s size. Before it’s time to migrate, the process reverses, and the grebes will begin their nocturnal journey to their wintering grounds.
Photo Credit: Lynn Marie
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Spruce Bluff Preserve

Spruce Bluff Preserve
Locating in Port St. Lucie on the eastern side of the St. Lucie River, The Spruce Bluff Preserve is one of St Lucie County’s most popular parks. It is home to myriad plant and animal species, making it a popular spot for nature enthusiasts and bird watchers. This 97-acre site has two distinct hiking trails and what makes this preserve so special are the two self-guided, interpretive trails that teach us about how the Ais tribe and a pioneer settlement previously occupied the land.
The north loop trail takes you to the site of the 1891 pioneer settlement and cemetery along the banks of the St. Lucie River. Created after the Second Seminole War, little remains but a cemetery marker. This trail takes you through a beautiful Sand Pine Forest. While walking, keep more than your eyes and ears open, for you don’t want to miss the smells of the fresh pine and wild rosemary that can be found in large patches of the main trail on your way to the pioneer cemetery. Watch out for the random prickly pear cactus, and maybe you will be lucky enough to spot a land crab along the trail.
The south trail is found across the street from the parking area and rakes you to one of the largest AIS Indian mounds in South Florida that dates back to pre-ceramic time! This trail can be tricky as it goes into wetter terrain. A short boardwalk is surrounded by saltbush and willow. Keep an eye and ear for the multitude of songbirds. As you wander deeper into this “urban wilderness, ” remember the ground might be wet and muddy in places. There are two more boardwalks/bridges that take you over wetland lakes. This is a trail that you really should keep an eye on the plants as well. It is easy to overlook things like the patches of sundews on the side of the trail, patches of lichens, and wild orchids.
County officials ask the public not to climb the mound and only use the trail around it. “The problem is, every time you go up on it, you erode it,” Thompson said. “You cause the sand to slide down.”
Both trails are easy to walk, especially on the north side. It is simply natural Florida at its best. With its mixture of upland and wetlands, including large bodies of water with bridges over them, we can’t see the land as it used to be when the Ais and pioneer people walked there. This site is a place that takes you back to a reminder of what the wilderness must have been like for the early settlers.
“It’s actually my favorite site because it’s been so touched by people and abandoned by people at the same time,” Thompson said. “It’s a vicious cycle of snapshots of who used to be there.” Amanda Thompson is the senior lands stewardship and outreach coordinator for the St. Lucie County Environmental Resources Department.
Amenities:
Hiking Trails
Boardwalks/ Bridges
Wildlife Viewing
Native American Midden
Historic Interests
Information Kiosk
Parking Area
Interpretive Signage
Observation Areas
Canoe Access
Address: 611 SE Dar Lane, Port St. Lucie, 34984
**Also accessible by canoe from the North Fork of the St. Lucie River.
Author and Photo Credit: Bobby Putnam
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UF Bat Houses

Visit the world’s largest occupied bat houses on the University of Florida’s Campus in Gainsville. Between 450,000 and 500,000 bats, including Southeastern bats, Brazilian free-tailed bats, and Evening bats make their homes in the UF bat houses. These bats consume 2.5 billion insects each night.
Bats will leave the houses about 15 to 20 minutes after sunset. When visiting the bat houses, please speak quietly, remain behind the wooden fence, and beware of guano and urine if the bats fly over your head. Bats will not attack humans. However, they may swoop near humans to catch insects attracted to the person’s breath.
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