Secret Woods Nature Center

 

 Secret Woods is a city park consisting of a cypress strand and tropical hammock edged by mangroves along the river floodplain.

Blue land crab hole.

We headed to the Pollinator Pathway. 

But like most places I've been, you look around the sign and can't identify what plant they are referring to.  So I found the following photo. 

Wild lime is an evergreen shrub to small tree that occurs naturally in hammocks throughout Central and South Florida. It blooms year-round, with peak flowering in winter and spring. Its dense foliage provides cover, and its fruit provides food for birds and small wildlife. The plant is a larval host for several butterflies, including the Giant swallowtail and Schaus’ swallowtail butterflies

Hamelia patens is a large perennial shrub or small tree in the family Rubiaceae, that is native to the American subtropics and tropics. Its range extends from Florida in the southern United States to as far south as Argentina. Common names include firebush, hummingbird bush, scarlet bush, and redhead. In Belize, this plant's Mayan name is Ix Canaan and is also known as "Guardian of the Forest".

 Bald Cypress is a deciduous conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States. Hardy and tough, this tree adapts to a wide range of soil types, whether wet, salty, dry, or swampy. It is noted for the russet-red fall color of its lacy needles.

Cypress knees

This cypress knee is a little easier to see. 

Since the plant wasn't in bloom when we were there, I found this photo.  

Florida native ironweed (Vernonia gigantea) is a long-lived perennial that reaches 3 to 10 feet tall. This member of the Asteraceae (sunflower) family is found in the eastern United States and in Puerto Rico.
In the wild, ironweed flourishes in moist areas and can be found growing on prairies, grasslands, in old fields, along roadsides, in savannas and woodlands, and along the banks and exposed sand bars of streams. From July to October dark purple flowers can be seen flowering in large masses. Flowers bloom at the tops of the plants, so if you encounter a 6 foot tall ironweed plant, be prepared to look up for blossoms.   Ironweed is a great pollinator plant and nectar source and will attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies. It grows though most of the state—zones 8b to 10b—and can be planted in areas with full sun to partial shade.

Coontie is an evergreen, palm-like plant known as a cycad. Cycads are a general group of plants that produce cones instead of flowers, and the Coontie happens to be Florida’s only native cycad. Unlike Sago cycads, Coontie may resemble a fern having both a soft appearance and a soft touch. Over time, the plant produces suckers to form a mounding shrub. The rusty brown cones provide winter interest, while the bright red-orange seeds produced on female cones further add to this plant’s attractiveness.

Laurel Oak is a tall, broad tree that grows to a height of 60 or more feet with a fairly symmetrical oval canopy spread of 40 to 60 feet. The fast growth rate results in relatively weak wood that is prone to break and decay. Laurel Oaks have a lifespan of 50 to 70 years when grown in ideal conditions. These trees are moderately drought tolerant and have a low salt tolerance.

Then we switched to a boardwalk.

The boardwalk ended after a short distance at a small amphitheater where they probably did demonstrations. 

In the middle of Secret Woods is the Nature Center so we went in to see what we could learn. 

Red Mangrove Propagule

Click on the photo to enlarge it so you can read about the snake skin and skeleton. 

These bugs were huge!!!  The smallest was over an inch long.

If you look closely, you can see the name Fred under Sarah.  So I'm wondering if Fred was replaced or if Sarah was initially identified as male.  Hmmmm.

Now don't mix up Sarah the box turtle and Pebble the cooter. 

Pebble looks a little unhappy but I would be too if I was stuck in a cage. 

Back outside we continued to explore. 

This evergreen shrub is a dense, vertical growing shrub that can reach a height of 15 to 20 feet. Older plants become spreading and woody with numerous trunks. The attractive leaves of this plant are oval in shape and a medium to dark green color. Young, vigorous plants in the nursery have well-spaced leaves along the green twigs, but those on older shrubs tend to cluster toward the ends of the stem. Small inconspicuous greenish-yellow flowers occur in clusters that are found along the branches. Flowers are succeeded by decorative, shiny, black berries; plants of both sexes must be grown close by to obtain fruiting.

The Laural Oak Trail had a natural surface. 

Another Strangler Fig doing what comes naturally. 

Don't know what to call this but it was plant, not animal.

Small Fiddler Crab holes. 

And I happened to catch a photo of one diving into his hole!

Pretty fungi.  

Found this racoon wandering around in the daytime.  It's by the base of the tree. 

Swamp Fern 

The Royal Palm Tree, scientific name Roystonea oleracea, is native to Cuba and North America. Royal Palm Trees are popular in many warm, coastal landscapes, particularly in southern Florida and parts of California.

Now we are off on the New River Trail.  Some of it was closed but we were hoping to get one more look at the river before we left Fort Lauderdale. 

Oh, this was a dreary place 

Mangroves loved it. 

What we can see with black mangrove trees though, is something called
“pneumatophores ”. Pneumatophores (also called “knees” or “peg roots”) are specialized root structures designed for gas exchange. These dark, finger-like projections stick out of the ground, often clustered in high densities around the parent plant.  We never found the river so our Fort Lauderdale explorations ended here.