Longleaf forests and Florida Springs...

Pictorial account of a recent trip to Tallahassee, Wakulla Springs, and the Wade Tract (old growth longleaf pine forest) with Mike and Mary:

Wakulla Springs- bald cypress


Eastern Redcedar @ park lodge










manatees


cardinal flower



Wade Tract- one of the largest (and only) remaining stands of Longleaf Pine (Pinus palustris) in the world- this near Thomasville, GA








flowers and fruit of the longleaf understory




What a great trip and it was so amazingly nice to be able to catch a [brief] glimpse of the remaining old growth longleaf in south Georgia. I surely hope to return and explore more... these trees once dominated the coastal plain from Texas to the Carolinas to Virginia and now only a few thousands acres of old growth remain.