12/5 Marie Selby Gardens

Marie Selby Gardens are located close to downtown Sarasota on the bay.  It focuses heavily on air plants--plants that do not root on soil, but attach themselves to trees or other objects and get their water from rain and humidity.  

I purposely rented a car for a few days because I knew that they had major construction around this botanical gardens, and that I would almost certainly not be able to park my big motorhome.  It was a good decision.

Below is a map of what the gardens look like now.  It may not mean much to you if you have not been here, but basically, the original gardens have been the 15 acres occupied by two homes on the old estate of Marie Selby.  They have owned the land across the road for several years and used it as a parking lot, but they have now also acquired and removed several homes next to the old parking area. 

On that land, they are building a new multi-level parking garage, which they have almost finished, but since it was not quite done, they had mandatory complimentary valet parking.  They have also almost finished the new visitor center next to the parking garage. (I tried to take photos but there were too many big pieces of equipment in the way.) When the parking structure and new visitor center open in a few weeks, they will begin tearing down the old visitor center and building several brand-new greenhouses, which will give them more space to house their collections.  That new area may take another year or two, but I am looking forward to sometime returning to see it when it is finished. 

So, after parking and walking a long block, you enter the current visitor center.

 

As usual, after paying my entrance fee, I immediately headed for the greenhouses.  Here are some photos of the orchids in bloom. 

 

 

 

Lots of ferns here. Many ferns attach themselves to trees, so they also quality as air plants.

 

Another category of air plants are the ones that collect rainwater and unsuspecting insects in cups or other receptacles, and live on those.  The next few photos show these insect-eating plants.

Some cycads.  These are the ancient plants that dinosaurs ate before there was grass or flowering plants.  Cycads are either male of female and produce very large cones with seeds in them.  They are NOT air plants, but the gardens have a very large and interesting collection. Here are some examples. 

This is a cone I found in the above plant.

I was told these were developing leaves, not a cone.

Back to the main garden, this is a candle tree.  The fruits are very waxy and resemble candles.

 

 

This one of two very large banyan trees that were planted by the Selbys.  

 

Last trip in December 2021, I took photos of the main house on the estate, but this is just a secondary house on the property. It is now used as a cafe and ice cream shop.

The estate was facing Sarasota Bay, but behind the house, they have a large river with homes and boat docks for each.

Several of us watched this great white egret for about 10 minutes.  He/she was not very shy, and tolerated us as he found and ate three small lizards and one bug.

Down the hatch!!

 

 

Nice, cool breeze off Sarasota Bay. 

 

And the walkway back to the visitor center.

There was still more to see, but I was tired and needed to pick up some groceries and get back to my campsite before the sun set. 

12/2 Myakka River SP Tram Tour

Myakka River State Park is one of the oldest and wildest of Florida State Parks.  It is also one of the largest, consisting of 58 square miles of wetlands, prairies, and hammocks, along with two large lakes.  (No swimming in these shallow lakes, by the way, not even any wading, because they are filled with thousands of alligators.)  The Myakka River, which feeds these lakes has been designated a wild and scenic lake, so its entire length, whether in or out of the park is protected.  

Myakka River SP is located about 8 miles east of I-75, as it bypasses Sarasota, and is well worth a couple of hours detour if you are in this area. 

Normally, Myakka River State Park offers two types of tours--a boat tour on the lake and a tram tour that takes you into the back country of this park.  However, because the lake level is currently low, the boat tours have been suspended.  It has been several years since I took the tram tour, so I decided to give it a try this visit.  (After thoroughly spraying myself with mosquito spray!)

The tram tour leaves at the far end of the park entrance road, next to the bike rental place and across the road from the store.  

 

 

The tram was not full today because the main bunch of travelers to Florida will not arrive until after the holidays. 

To the west of the entrance road is a large area that is either dry prairie or wet swamp, depending on the time of year and rainfall.

About halfway to the entrance booth, the tram headed down a gated power road into the area that was owned by Bertha Palmer from 1910-1918, and used as a ranch for her and her husband, who owned the Palmer Hotel in Chicago. 

 

 

You cannot drive down this area, but you can walk and ride a bike here. 

Some turkeys along the road.

And a big alligator.

Great blue heron in breeding plumage.

Imagine this as a cattle and pig pasture.

 

 

The dead looking stuff on the trunk of this tree is resurrection fern.  When there is no rain for a long time, it dries up and becomes dormant.  As soon as it rains, it perks up and becomes green again. 

The next couple of photos is where the old ranch home of Bertha Palmer was located.  It is long gone, but I cannot imagine her living here even in winter without air conditioning and window screens!

Just a jumble of branches and swamp growth. 

Done with the tour, and I only got one mosquito bite.

12/1 Myakka River Boat Tour at Snook Haven

The Myakka River is the only river in Florida that is designated as a "Wild and Scenic River."  This means it has no dams on it to restrict flow and new development along its banks is limited.  More information can be found here:  https://www.conservationfoundation.com/properties/the-wild-scenic-myakka-river/

I am camping for a couple of weeks at Myakka River State Park, which is about 10 miles east of Sarasota, FL.  I will write more about this state park later in the week, but it is a place I have stayed at several times.  I like it because it is so large and has a lot of things to see and do here. Most importantly, the state park contains two lakes and a several mile chunk of the Myakka River.  

I discovered Snook Haven and the boat tours available there a few years ago when a cousin and his wife took me there for lunch.  I went there a couple of years ago when I was in this area, but the boat tours were booked, so this year, I made sure I made reservations in advance.  I also rented a car to go there because parking is very difficult at this very popular restaurant, plus I had some other places I wanted to visit on this trip.  

If you have never been to Snook Haven, you really need to go there for a meal, but check in advance when they are open and if they have entertainment at that time, and plan your trip around those things.  (They often close in hot weather, especially when the mosquitos are bad because they have so much outdoor seating.  They also are seldom open after dark.)

Anyway, the drive in is interesting.  Take Venice Avenue from the town of Venice, and drive east.  At one point, you will think the road has ended, but not to worry, just keep going on this recently paved road.  (It used to be dirt.) 

 

 

You are now, as they say, entering "The Real Florida" or the way it was before the big hotels and incredibly numerous subdivisions took over the state.   It's only a couple of miles down this road.

 

I arrived much too early for my noon boat trip, but got a good parking spot and had time to watch the employees and the musicians set up for the day.  Very good food here, by the way, and you MUST go inside the indoor restaurant to check out the big alligator hanging on the wall.

The musicians were setting up for the day, practicing their repertoire of Christmas music.  Really good!! 

The boats are run by a separate company and are located behind the outdoor restaurant seating.  Best to make reservations for this tour.

A view of the restaurant as we were pulling out.

The boat tour goes downstream.  It is a pretty big river though not terribly deep. 

A log full of cooter turtles and a baby alligator behind them.  All are warming up in the sun after a very chilly night. 

We saw 7 or 8 really big bull alligators keeping vigils on the river banks as we went down the river.  These guys are at least 9' long, and can be as big as 12 or 13' long.  These are the guys you do NOT want to encounter if you tip your kayak!!  The one below jumped into the water as we approached.  Mostly the big bulls are guarding a territory along the river against younger bulls. 

He looks a bit bigger as he got closer!  Additional evidence of his age and size, by the way, is the width of his back.  Younger males are long and thin, but put on weight as they age.  This one is pretty chunky--maybe 500-600 pounds of muscle.

 

 

Another one hiding in the reeds. 

 

 

Looked it up and this very pretty white wildflower is a string lily or swamp lily.   We passed quite a few of these blooming along the waterway. 

 

 

 

Several photos of other big bull alligators.   Some of these guys can weigh several hundred pounds. 

 

 

A pretty view of the river. 

 

 

And just because they look lazy and are often seen laying down, even big alligators can move amazingly fast.  Look at how this one has picked himself up.  

 

 

The tour was a little over an hour long and well worth the price.  Note that you can also rent kayaks and canoes here.  (Think I would pass on this, however.)

 

 

Snook Haven had become a lot busier by the time I returned.  It gets really busy on weekends, however, so best to come on a weekday, as I did.