Big Cypress National Preserve

We  spent a few late-season days in Big Cypress country and the Glades last week.  Late-season means  less traffic and campgrounds that have plenty of space, but also means that it was very hot outside (just as it is here  at the Canal Cottage this time of year.)  We camped for a couple of days in one part of the Preserve where we'd never been before and I'll post more about that later.    

 Green Heron on Loop Road, Big Cypress 

The pictures in this post though are from last week's repeat of  two of our all-time favorite nature drives, in more familiar parts of the Preserve.   It was a good getaway before we settle down to the business of getting ready to close up the Canal Cottage for the summer.    

Turner River Road, Big Cypress 

We drove Turner Road on our last day.  It was really hot, so that day was a "sit-and-see" -- no walks and using the van as a blind.  There really wasn't a whole lot of wildlife to see  anyway because of the heat and how late in the season it is.  But we did see more dragon-flies  than we've ever seen in one place before.  Every reed and grass stem was a perch.   

 

Even the antennae on our van! 

We saw this sign on Turner Road but no alligators on that day.  This is your Alligator  warning though -- we did see several a few days earlier when we drove the Big Cypress Loop Road.  And of course as a bona-fide Florida snowbird, I am required to include Alligator pictures every year.  These gators are the first  ones we've seen this season (and almost certainly the last of the year).    If you didn't ever go out exploring you really could live here for a whole season and never see one.  But that would be a shame.  

 

 There's another dragon fly in this picture too!  Not afraid to land on the alligator's head.

 All of the Alligators we saw were nearly fully submerged because of the heat.    The swamps and cypress forests along the Loop Road are better wildlife viewing areas earlier in the season.  It's the route we call the "Last Chance Turn Around Road" and it really was very rough as a recent rainstorm had left some pretty deep ruts.  (See here for an earlier year's visit.)  Here's the sign:

 

 

It was lovely to see the most dragon-flies ever in one place, but perhaps not as lovely to see the most Black Vultures ever at once as we also did on our way home: 

 

 

About half of them were dining on road-kill that looked like it might be an alligator, while others waited in the greenery just above.   They're really un-lovely birds, but they are just doing their assigned  clean-up job so we should be grateful I suppose.  

Here's a more charming picture --  the setting sun peeking through the palms at  Orton Locks Campground on the first night of our week's trip:

 

 

And some wildflowers along Loop Road:

 

 

Grateful we were able to get away for a few days.  Nature trips are my favorite way to re-charge and re-fuel.  

 

 

LINKING to the following sharing opportunities.  Thank you to the hosts:

SATURDAY CRITTERS ;  NATURE NOTES; MOSAIC MONDAY;  THROUGH MY LENS;   MY CORNER OF THE WORLD; SIGNS SIGNS;  THANKFUL THURSDAY;  and SKYWATCH FRIDAY   

 

 

Comments

[Michelle Nature Notes]

Lovely captures Sallie. My grandson would love to see the alligators...like dinosaurs....Michelle

[Michelle Keltner]

Nature trips are a favorite of ours as well. Always so much to see. Thank you for linking up!

[Traude "Rostrose"]

Dear Sallie, these beautiful red dragonflies in such large numbers, the sight is really a reward! And the one on the alligator's head - what a photo! There is certainly no need to be worried in this place - the gator has no teeth on its forehead ;-)) I once drove in the car towards Lake Neusiedl (a large nature reserve in Austria) and it was apparently the mating season for the Emperor Dragonflies (Anax imperator) - there were millions of them out and about and they literally brought car traffic to a standstill because it was impossible to drive faster than walking pace. (At first I thought it was a swarm of locusts on a biblical scale ;-)) But it was so fascinating, I will never forget the sight! As for vultures, they really aren't pretty, but I confess that I once "fell in love" with a female griffon vulture called Vroni (short for Veronika) at a bird flight show. Vroni was extremely charming, and my hubby and I came to the conclusion that vultures could be beautiful birds if they didn't have such a posture problem (humpback) ;-)) If you want to see the old post with Vroni, here is the link and it is collage no. 13:
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2014/06/flugel-zum-fliegen.html

All the best, Traude
https://rostrose.blogspot.com/2024/06/weltreise-2024-5-station-neuseeland.html

[hena]

Looks like a nice day out.. you got some good pictures.

[Photo Cache]

Lovely captures. I'm quite wary of the vultures.

[magiceye]

Marvelous captures all!

[Peter B.]

Wow, they are serious about not feeding the alligators! Thanks for sharing this beautiful part of the country with us!

[Amy]

While you have heat, we have drizzle and cold days and nights. I'm not a tent camping fan but if it was in a campervan I think I'd be happy.

[Yogi's Den]

Nice to get out in nature even if it is hot.

[Cloudia Honolulu]

Thanks! I needed this! Aloha Dear

[Debbie]

i would imagine things clear out a lot because of the heat, will they pick back up when schools let out?? that is a beautiful heron and an amazing number of dragonflies!! what a funny sign and a unique picture of a beautiful sun set!!

[Gattina]

You are so lucky to still be able to travel around and make nice photos ! There are days I think my life is finished now I am hanging only in front of the TV and play with my "inmates" When I am away I want to go home and when I am home I want to go away. This cold and rainy weather doesn't lift my meed either ! I hope that next month perhaps we will have some summer temperatures, then it would be nice to drive around and postpone my travel plans til autumn ! I want to go to Turkey, but there are more than 40°C now !! Heatwaves everywhere except here, where we are under polar wind or whatever !

[tomthebackroadstraveller]

...did you turn around?

[Stewart M]

Vultures, alligators, bad roads and scary road signs: what's not to like!

Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

[Fun60]

Great photos of the butterflies. So much to see and be wary of with those alligators. Vultures fulfil a needy role by being the clean up guys. No doubt you will have lots to show us of your trip back. Thanks for visiting my blog and commenting.

[Lorrie Orr]

What a beautiful trip. Those alligators and vultures are really something. Love all the flowers and the dragonflies. Safe travels across the country.

[Linda Walcroft]

I enjoyed your pictures and text. I certainly would not feed alligators.

[🌷🌷🌷 Heidrun]

The alligators look like prehistoric creatures. Very impressive. And I freely admit that I am afraid.

The beautiful dragonflies come flying much more harmlessly. Oh, these iridescent creatures, how wonderful to follow them with my eyes.

Thank you for your lovely contribution to MosaicMonday. Hugs from Heidrun and I wish you a pleasant week

[Shiju Sugunan]

Sounds like a fantastic trip! Love the photos, especially the sea of dragonflies and the wildflowers.

[Michelle Nature Notes]

Hi Sallie...People feed alligators? Really, really bad idea for them to regard humans as possible having food. People don't think when regard to wildlife and don't care to learn about them properly...Lovely photos....Michelle

[tomthebackroadstraveller]

...good for you, I find dragonflies to be so difficult to photograph, they are just too fast! Sallie, enjoy your week.

[somewhereinireland]

Some fantastic photos, thanks for sharing. I've never seen an alligator and I'm ok with that. :)

[Bill]

I have been to Florida years ago and had the opportunity to visit Wakula Springs during a weekend off. I day alligators there along with snapping turtles and lots of mossies trying to eat you

[Life Images by Jill, West Australi]

I guess that is the problem when it is hot - too hot to walk and explore and too hot for birds an animals. No submerging though in the alligator pool! Enjoy your week. I am joining you at Mosaic Monday.

[Linda P]

Another interesting blog post Sallie. I like to see your photo record of the wildlife in your corner of the world.

[Lydia C. Lee]

That alligator would make me turn around!! #Naturesnotes

[veronica lee]

Hi Sallie, what a fantastic adventure!
Your photos are stunning, especially the dragonflies and the Green Heron.
Thanks for sharing your beautiful trip with us.

Have a great week ahead.

[Beatrice]

Thanks, Sallie, for sharing your get-away nature pics. The dragonflies and heron were my favorites, the alligators and vultures not so much. I have been reading about thedreadfully hot temps in FL and other parts of the country, thankfully only in the 80s in NH now. We will get warmer but not in the 100s. I am glad that my funnies gave you a smile today!

[JBig - Kentucky]

Nice pics of your visit to the park. Especially love the dragon flies and the one of the alligators!

[Green Comotion]

Scared of Gators, so I am glad I only have to see them in your pictures. The birds are brilliant!
Thank you for sharing all your beautiful photographs with the rest of the world. Be well!!

[RedPat]

It must be so hot and humid there at this time of year. You were smart to stay in your vehicle. Love the dragonflies.

[Suzan Batz]

Love your trip saga. What an amazing country we live in. Variety at every turn.
Thanks for sharing.
Sue

[Lavender Dreams]

The wildflowers have been spectacular this year! How nice to get out on those roads in a van! Hhhmmmmm! I love the 'van life'! And it's HOT here already so I'll have to pick and choose days to get out. Enjoy your weekend!

[ellen b.]

What fun to see so many dragonflies! Hope your recharge gets you all the way through getting things all closed up and ready for your summer away from the canal. I was just wondering when you'd be heading back to Oregon. Happy end of Canal season to you and safe travels!

[Eileen]

Hello Sallie,
Wow, that is a lot of dragonflies. I like the dragonfly on the gator too. The Green Heron is one of my favorite birds. The Vultures do a great job of cleaning up. Pretty sunset and lovely flowers.
Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great weekend.

[mae]

Florida looks beautiful, but the heat does appear very off-putting. The fact that you don’t see many alligators on all the nature walks you take surprised me. Have a great cross-country trip back to the cooler part of the country.

best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com

[Dina Johnston]

Looks like a lot of fun! Those vultures are really cool birds.