For me,
the one sure sign of spring is the appearance of wildflowers. It was in January
of 1986 that I opened a book in a Connecticut
library and saw photographs of Garden in the Woods located at the New England
Wildflower Society in Framingham ,
Massachusetts
That
spring I went on my first spring wildflower hunt, visiting over twenty state
parks, nature centers and preserves. At the end of those six weeks, I had
developed a strong passion for day tripping, so I just kept going, eventually leading to
my day tripping, picnicking, and recipe book, Cruising Connecticut
Last week,
when I spotted a notice in the Venice ,
Florida
Curry
Creek Preserve, is an 82 acre preserve purchased by the Sarasota County Natural
Resources - Preserve Management in 2002. The native habitat includes a mangrove
forest, tidal marshes, and scrub and pine flat woods. Their website also lists
wildlife: gopher tortoises, alligators, river otters, eastern indigo snakes,
and an assortment of wading birds, such as roseate spoonbill and wood stork. Oh
yes, there is a creek, separating the Pinebrook parcel and the Albee Farm
parcel, including a canoe and kayak launch located near the preserve's west
entrance.
When I
got home and deciphered my scribbled notes, I was surprised to count over 20
varieties of wildflowers, including Carolina jessamine, four-petal St. John's
Wort, Chapman's Goldenrod, Yellow star-grass, Hoary pea, rose rush, and several
clumps of hatpins.
A few looked somewhat familiar to me, but I surmise they are just different varieties in this state. Oh, if only I had thought to bring my wildflower
identification book and journal to Florida
For more information on Curry Creek Preserve: www.scgov.net
Happy Spring!
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