“Florida Wildflowers and Wild Habitats to be Explored During a Field Trip on Sun. June 30” Join the Friends of the Wekiva River on Sunday, June 30 at Rock Springs Run State Reserve (RSRSR) for a guided hike to hunt for the early wildflowers of summer! DEP Botanist Alice Bard will help point out and interpret the plants that are in bloom, while naturalist and author Bill Belleville will help guide the hike itself. Award-winning artist Karen Harrod will be along to offer tips to those who enjoy sketching in the field. Harrod, a former editor for the “Florida Naturalist”, illustrated the classic “Time of the Turtle” nature book, and teaches art classes. Amy Conyers, assistant manager of Wekiwa Springs State Park will also help with the hike, which begins at 10 a.m. The Reserve sprawls for 14,000 acres across the Wekiva basin and springshed south of SR 46 and west of the Wekiva River. It’s rich in biological diversity due to the generous mix of habitats---ranging from the rare upland scrub down to the swamps, runs, and river. The Florida black bear does very well here, and because of the dense bear population, two “bear underpasses” have been installed on SR 46 to allow the bears to roam freely between the Reserve and the Seminole State Forest. Hike participants are encouraged to bring along cameras and/or sketch pads to capture the images of the wildflowers, and of the variety of plants and trees of the sand pine scrub, the pine flatwoods, oak hammocks, and more. The RSRSR is about ten miles west of I-4 on SR 46, and three miles west of the Wekiva River bridge. The chain link gate is on the left (south) side of the road. Make the nominal entrance payment at the kiosk there, and then drive atop the old asphalt road of CR 433 until it dead-ends into a gate. Park there to the right, and join others for the wildflower hike, which begins on the other side of the gate. The walk is about two miles long, so participants should be able to handle the four-mile roundtrip distance. In addition to a sketch pad or camera, bring water, sunscreen, insect repellent, and light snacks. The duration of the event will be from two to three hours. Info about the Reserve: floridastateparks.org/rockspringsrun/ and about the Friends of the Wekiva: friendsofwekiva.org/. If you have questions about the field trip, contact Amy Conyers: [email protected] or Phone: (407) 884-2006.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Jun 2013 00:11:33 +0000
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