This morning, we left the watery landscape of the Gulf Coast and headed east to the dry prairie region of central Florida. Following Florida 72, we crossed I-75 and entered a landscape of cattle ranches, flatwoods, dry prairie, freshwater swamps, canals, meandering rivers and citrus groves. Sandhill cranes were very common (most often seen in pairs or small flocks) and certain birds, including cattle egrets, wood storks and anhingas, were far more common than they are near the coast. East of Arcadia, now on Florida 70, we began to see crested carcaras, raptors that are closely associated with the dry, open grasslands; other prairie birds included American kestrels, loggerhead shrikes and numerous turkey vultures.
At Okeechobee, Florida, we stopped to view the great, freshwater lake of south-central Florida, the second largest lake that lies totally within the lower 48 states; since that vast but shallow lake is surrounded by a levee, our view was from the edge of wetlands that rim its northern shore and that image was tainted by littered sloughs and the relentless noise of airboats. Cutting northwest on U.S. 98, we re-entered the dry prairie landscape, broken by hammocks of pine, live oak and cabbage palm. We crossed the beautiful Kissimmee River and stopped for a picnic lunch at a wildlife management area along its western bank; the Kissimmee, which rises near Orlando, is the primary feeder stream of Lake Okeechobee and has been undergoing restoration (from past diversion and channelization) since 1997.
Heading back toward the Gulf Coast, we visited Highlands Hammock State Park, southwest of Sebring. This 9000 acre Park protects an old growth hammock and adjacent cedar swamps and is accessed by nine hiking trails, many of which utilize boardwalks to negotiate scenic wetlands. Resident wildlife includes white-tailed deer, bobcats, raccoons, alligators, aquatic turtles, tortoises, pileated woodpeckers and a host of wetland songbirds. Florida panthers and black bear visit the Park on occasion and, as we observed today, feral pigs have taken up residence; since the pigs threaten the welfare of this rich yet fragile ecosystem, efforts to remove them via hunting and trapping are underway but, to date, have met with limited success.
