OCLS - Virtual Galleries - Florida Nature

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Traveling on the St. Johns River | Library Online Resources | Library Materials
Web Sites | Destinations

If you are viewing the Virtual Gallery from home, you will need your Orange County resident library card to access some of the resources.

Traveling on the St. Johns River

Little Talbot Island State Park
The island is made up of maritime forests, desert like dunes, and undisturbed salt marshes. The diverse habitats inside the park are home to river otters, marsh rabbits, bobcats, and a variety of native and migrating birds. Little Talbot Island remains one of the few undeveloped barrier islands in Northeast Florida.

Ravine Gardens State Park
The park features a ravine that was created over thousands of years by water flowing from the St. Johns River. In 1933, the ravine was transformed into a dramatic garden. For the most part, the original landscaping remains as formal gardens and an extensive trail system.

Welaka State Forest
A series of foot trails offers the public an opportunity to walk and observe wildlife. Mud Spring trail leads the visitor on a two mile self-guided looped walk to Mud Spring Picnic Area. John's Landing trail meanders along old road beds to the St. Johns River.

Hontoon Island State Park
The park is an island in the middle of the river and is reached via a ferry that runs every few minutes. Hammock Hiking Nature Trial offers an approximately 3 mile round trip to the large Indian shell mound at the southwest corner of the island.

Blue Spring State Park
Blue Spring encompasses 2,644 acres and is a popular winter home to many endangered manatees. Temperatures in the spring remain a constant 72 degrees, creating a safe haven for the manatee during the cooler months and a cooling swim for humans during the long hot days of summer.

Source: www.floridastateparks.org

Library Online Resources

Research nature and ecosystems with Science Online. Science Online includes illustrations, diagrams, and videos on various subjects.

Take a peek at General Onefile, our largest database of full text articles and find comprehensive articles on Florida environment, nature, and photography.

Use the Southeastern Regional Newspapers database to search regional papers such as the Orlando Sentinel, St. Petersburg Times, Daytona Beach News Journal, and others.

Web Sites

The Great Florida Birding Trail has 445 sites in Florida. In some places you can even borrow binoculars for bird watching.

Kayak Guide
Submit paddling reviews or scroll down on the page, to explore trips in Florida.

Lake Wales Ridge

Florida was once an ancient archipelago, after the waters receded, unique plant communities remained. See it before it is gone!

Clear Sky Chart
Look out for current weather predictions and sky conditions for astronomical observing.

Sky and Telescope magazine also has a great Interactive Sky Chart that helps you find your way in the sky quickly and easily. [Registration is required but it is free].

Central Florida East Coast Fishing Information for fishing the local coast. Current fishing reports and lots of how-to information.

Florida Native Plant Society
Find out how you can help preserve, conserve, and restore native plants of Florida.

Florida Yards and Neighborhoods

Make your own nature preserve in your yard.

Florida Hiking Trail

Find detailed information on 1,400 miles of hiking trails from the Florida Trail Association.

Library Materials

The Library has collected some excellent books on Florida Nature. A good starting point is Priceless Florida a book that covers every ecosystem in Florida with lots of photographs. It is equally suited for students doing a report or as an informative coffee table book.

The St. Johns River

Learn about the longest river in the state of Florida, and browse the recreational guides.

Florida's Natural History

Read about Florida's environmental history and explore the wild side of Florida.

Florida Parks

Get a comprehensive list of guides to the nearest Florida park and find out about the activities around your area.

Florida Outdoors

Read about outdoor recreation, including trails for hiking, biking, and other activities.

Destinations

Natural lands in Florida are administered by many agencies, including federal, state, local, and private. Here are some of the more comprehensive Web sites to start your exploration:

Federal Lands

Visit Canaveral National Park and rent a canoe for island camping or just do the Shipyard Island Canoe Trail.

There are several other National Parks in Florida.

There are some great National Wildlife Refuges in Florida. These are the best places to see certain species such as the Key deer and the Florida crocodile.

Explore the three National Forests in Florida: the Apalachicola, the Osceola and the Ocala, through the USDA Forest Service site.

The National Forest closest to Orlando is the Ocala National Forest. It features large springs, spring runs, the Florida Trail, and an important black bear population. This is one of the largest tracts of natural land in the state and this site provides useful maps.

State and County Lands

Florida State Parks have more development and facilities than other areas listed in this Virtual Gallery and are very popular.

Florida Greenways and Trails Guide Hiking, biking, and paddling trails in free downloadable PDF files!

Explore Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission lands by area or activity. You can select the activity of “viewing wildlife” to access lists of where to see each species in Florida and what you can see in each region in Florida. If want to see a Crested Caracara or a Pitcher Plant, check here first.

St. Johns Water Management District In addition to all of the great boating and fishing there are large tracts of land that are good for hiking and mountain biking.

Blue Spring State Park

In colder weather, the manatees are always present and are easily observable.

Private and Local Lands

Florida Nature Conservancy
A private group that buys and protects environmentally sensitive lands. They specialize in preserving unique ecosystems that might escape the notice of other agencies.

Orange County Parks and Recreation
Check to see if there is a park nearby that you have not discovered yet.