Lyonia Preserve is another rare instance of the once-common Florida scrub habitat. And unlike the other scrub areas we’ve visited on this journey, it actually had scrub jays. But first, a photo of its general character. (Photo by zanna.)

And now the Florida scrub jays. These curious and inquisitive birds are only found in Florida, and are endangered. (Photos by quoderat.)

Here’s a few more of Blue Spring State Park, with better weather. Some manatees were in the spring run the last day we visited. (Photo by zanna.)

The water has a much different character in the sunlight. (Photo by quoderat.)

This was one of the neatest state parks that we’ve been to so far. The only access to the park is by your own boat or a very short ferry ride.

“In 1955, a dragline operation recovered a large wooden owl carving from the St. Johns River in the vicinity of the parking lot of Hontoon Island State Park near a burial ground that had been established more than 3,300 years ago.” [Florida State Parks] The Timucua owl totem that was uncovered “is the largest pre-Colombian wood carving found in Florida, and the only totem of its kind in the eastern United States.” [wiki] Replicas of this and a second totem are near the visitors center. (by zanna)

We watched and heard several hawks, woodpeckers and flitty birds. This pileated woodpecker landed somewhat close by. (by zanna)

The nature trail along the west side of the park mostly stays in stands of palm with occasional huge old oaks, all covered in mosses and lichens (both by quoderat)

Before the nature trail ascends a shell midden, a wide hill created by shells discarded by Native Americans which the forest has now grown over the top of, the trail provides a view of the Hontoon Dead River. (by zanna)

It remained fairly cold for this region all day, but this lone gemmed satyr hid in a palm frond near us briefly. (by quoderat)

Today we visited Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. The park is zoo-like, but not quite a zoo. It contains an odd mix of truly wild/uncaged and captive animals. Many of the wild animals are Florida natives or regular migratory visitors lured in by free food and the relative safety of the enclosures, while other parts of the park have cages with red wolves, birds in an aviary, and even a hippopotamus.

One of our favorite parts of the park was the underwater viewing area that just teems with fish. These are wild, non-captive fish that swim up into the spring. (Photo by quoderat.)

The day was grey and it rained a little as we were leaving. This is a shot of the Homosassa River. (Photo by zanna.)

The park had a flock of flamingoes with other birds flamingling in. (Photo by quoderat.)

And here’s Lu the hippopotamus. (Photo by zanna.)

Apparently the pelicans feel safe enough here to make a small rookery. It’s the first time we’ve ever seen a brown pelican chick. (Photo by quoderat.)

We saw a caracara. (Photo by quoderat.)

And a burrowing owl. (Photo by quoderat.)

This bobcat was pacing its cage. (Photo by quoderat.)

These wood ducks (female and male) are migratory visitors and are not caged. (Photo by quoderat.)

The conditions must have been good for prescribed burns in the last few days, because another of the parks we visited was partially closed due to burning. We arrived early at Hickory Lake Scrub to find smoke drifting through the trees and across the road. The second entrance, that we’ve never walked around and wanted to try out, was closed due to the burn, so we took the smokey but open short loop that we walked a year or two ago. It was too early and cool to see any scrub lizards, but there were many birds flitting around. The scrub is an interesting, desert-like habitat, identified by “the absence of a tree canopy; the absence of a continuous vegetative ground cover; and the absence of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), wiregrass (Aristida beyrichiana), and turkey oak…. Most scrubs occur on white sand and patches of bare sand with or without scattered clumps of ground lichens.” (pdf) (by quoderat)

There are lots of prickly pear along this trail, with all of their spines intact. (by zanna)

Continuing on to Lake June-in-Winter Scrub State Park, we found a lovely, but short nature trail that crosses a small creek. While there was some scrub oak away from the lake and creek, the parts we walked weren’t what I associate as true scrub. (by zanna)

Near the stream, we found an ebony jewelwings (by quoderat)

And a frog (also by quoderat)