Fakahatchee strand royal palms.

[Zeeth]

I'm on spring break from medical school, so I've been trying to pump as much activity into the week as possible. Today I went to the Fakahatchee strand to find the native population of Roystonea elata. 

 

You start seeing the royals from the street once you get to Copeland

 

 

 

 

There's a coconut growing in here for some reason

 

 

 

 

 

It looks like it just washed up and hit a dry spot and started growing

 

 

 

[Zeeth]

More royals on the drive

 

 

Some of them are pretty tall

Getting close to the park

There are some houses on the way

I wonder if these royals are wild or were planted...

 

[RedRabbit]

Very cool, thanks for sharing Zeeth! 

I wonder what that coconut is doing there, it doesn't look like it would have been easy for anything to just wash up there.

[Zeeth]

Arrived!

The first part of the trail takes you through this area that's almost a swap version of a prairie. 

Then the scene changes

The forest gets thicker as you go further in

Some royal palms start appearing

We saw lots of alligators

This alligator was a monster

[Zeeth]

We reached the parking spot.

Started out on the K2 trail. 

 

[Palmaceae]

Cool pictures, thanks for sharing. I will be going go right by there tomorrow on my way to Miami for work.

[Zeeth]

Parts of the trail consisted of planks of wood on-top of cinder blocks. 

Some of the royals were hosts to orchid species. This one looks like it might be a species of Encyclia.

This looks like an Epidendrum

 

[Zeeth]

This one had it's roots growing out into the water

This is definitely a jungle

[Zeeth]

This one was FAT! This is the fattest royal I've ever seen.

Crown of the fat royal

The trail ended before the fat royal, but I decided to check it out.

Cypress roots made it possible to walk over to the royal without getting wet

Checking for seeds

There weren't any seeds, but there were some small seedlings.

 

[Zeeth]

There were epiphytes everywhere

We next decided to check the east trail out. There were less royals, but a few of them were super tall.

 

[Zeeth]

The alligators made the trail a little nerve-wracking to walk.

Curvy royal

Alligator #2 on the trail. This one hissed when we were passing it...

We gave up here. There didn't seem to be a good way around this guy. (We still had to walk past the first two alligators again)

That's it! Hope you enjoyed.

[Zeeth]

19 minutes ago, RedRabbit said:

Very cool, thanks for sharing Zeeth! 

I wonder what that coconut is doing there, it doesn't look like it would have been easy for anything to just wash up there.

No idea. It's behind a really big fence too, so it doesn't seem like a place I would expect someone to plant it (it's hard to tell from the pictures, but there's a 10 foot wide canal between the fence and the road). I was very surprised when I spotted it. We even pulled off to the side of the road to check it out.

[Danilopez89]

Cool pics man.

Thanks for sharing! 

That curvy royal is wayyyyy cool! I didn't know that they could do that. 

The fat royal...

[Josh-O]

this is a very cool thread.

Thanks for posting so many wonderful pictures of your adventure.

I hope you nabbed a seedling to plant in your garden?

[Kostas]

Awesome photos Keith, that sure was a great trip worth every minute!!!

[User00]

Awesome photos Keith , great pics Florida's native habitat . are there any  american crocodiles 

[Mandrew968]

Very cool! How much did it cost to enter the park? Looked like there was no one else there--lot of traffic in this park? I get so impressed with how lush and dynamic original South Florida swamp was--those shots depict a seasonal rainforest in my mind.

[Zeeth]

2 hours ago, Mandrew968 said:

Very cool! How much did it cost to enter the park? Looked like there was no one else there--lot of traffic in this park? I get so impressed with how lush and dynamic original South Florida swamp was--those shots depict a seasonal rainforest in my mind.

Thanks! There's a $3 entrance fee based on the honor system. We passed by 3 cars on our way out, but no one on our way in. We passed by one other couple walking on the east main trail, but no one on the K2 trail (which was the nicer of the two trails, in my opinion). There's probably more traffic during blooming season for the orchids though, which would probably be pretty cool to see. The park was super cool though, the K2 trail felt like a total jungle.

3 hours ago, User00 said:

Awesome photos Keith , great pics Florida's native habitat . are there any  american crocodiles 

They're in the park, but we didn't see any. There are also Florida panthers in there too, but they're also very rare. We passed by one car on our way out that told us that they had seen a panther crossing the main road a few days ago. 

7 hours ago, Josh-O said:

this is a very cool thread.

Thanks for posting so many wonderful pictures of your adventure.

I hope you nabbed a seedling to plant in your garden?

Thanks! I may accidentally have picked up a few seedlings 

8 hours ago, Danilopez89 said:

Cool pics man.

Thanks for sharing! 

That curvy royal is wayyyyy cool! I didn't know that they could do that. 

The fat royal...

Thanks! I'm curious to see if the curvy royal stays curvy like that once it gets really tall. What was interesting was that all of the young royals had very thin trunks, but they obviously got thicker after they reached a certain height. There are some growing wild in a park near my garden that are all really thin, but the tallest ones only have 8 feet of trunk, so now I know they'll get thicker as they age. 

4 hours ago, Kostas said:

Awesome photos Keith, that sure was a great trip worth every minute!!!

Thanks! It was really awesome! I only wish there weren't so many alligators on the east main trail, because I'd like to see what's back there. Hopefully next time I go, I'll be able to go a little further!

[palmfriend]

A great thread! Awesome pictures and a nice (story)telling - it felt like taking part personally 

while discovering the park and watching and being scared about its inhabitants....

(I have never seen an alligator in the wild...)

Zeeth, thank you very much!

best regards

palmfriend

 

 

 

[Silas_Sancona]

..Alligators on the trail, tons of Epiphytes, and some sweet Royals, in their world ..Great thread Keith You make it further south that week?

[Zeeth]

2 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

..Alligators on the trail, tons of Epiphytes, and some sweet Royals, in their world ..Great thread Keith You make it further south that week?

Yep. My fiancee and I drove down to Sugarloaf key and camped there the rest of the week with her family. There were tons of healthy Jamaican talls down there. 

 

I think my next trip around the state will be to the crystal springs to see the wild monkeys. 

[DoomsDave]

Whoa!

That's a helluva park! I went to Collier-Seminole back in 2007 - 2008, but Fakahatchee looks much better, though I suppose I could live without the gators. Collier didn't have as much of a swamp, but you can't have too many Roystoneas, not even in Florida.

Hmm. If, for some strange reason, a few Roystonea seeds make their way to you and there's a few too many, shoot me a PM and they'll find a home . . .

 

[Zeeth]

9 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

Whoa!

That's a helluva park! I went to Collier-Seminole back in 2007 - 2008, but Fakahatchee looks much better, though I suppose I could live without the gators. Collier didn't have as much of a swamp, but you can't have too many Roystoneas, not even in Florida.

Hmm. If, for some strange reason, a few Roystonea seeds make their way to you and there's a few too many, shoot me a PM and they'll find a home . . .

 

It was super fun! It was seriously like trekking through a tropical jungle (well, that's what it actually was). 

No seeds this trip, just a few seedlings. They got sunburned a bit taking them home and putting them in pots, but they should come out of it. I'll let you know next time though!

[JLeVert]

Wonderful pictures and nicely presented.  Any mosquitoes?  Snakes?  Cannibals?

[Zeeth]

Mosquitoes weren't too bad this time of year, but I've heard they're pretty bad in summer.

We didn't see any snakes or cannibals though!

[Yunder Wækraus]

On 3/1/2016, 8:19:23, Zeeth said:

The alligators made the trail a little nerve-wracking to walk.

Curvy royal

Alligator #2 on the trail. This one hissed when we were passing it...

We gave up here. There didn't seem to be a good way around this guy. (We still had to walk past the first two alligators again)

That's it! Hope you enjoyed.

I really want to go now!

[Yunder Wækraus]

On 3/1/2016, 8:13:18, Zeeth said:

This one was FAT! This is the fattest royal I've ever seen.

Crown of the fat royal

The trail ended before the fat royal, but I decided to check it out.

Cypress roots made it possible to walk over to the royal without getting wet

Checking for seeds

There weren't any seeds, but there were some small seedlings.

 

Florida is so amazing. I feel blessed to have deep roots here. Do you think we could get royals to naturalize in the tropical hammocks of Brevard's barrier islands? I suppose salt spray and hurricane surges might be the biggest long term barriers.

[Zeeth]

2 hours ago, Yunder Wækraus said:

Florida is so amazing. I feel blessed to have deep roots here. Do you think we could get royals to naturalize in the tropical hammocks of Brevard's barrier islands? I suppose salt spray and hurricane surges might be the biggest long term barriers.

I believe that it could be done, but I'd have to explore the area a bit more to tell you exactly where. The limiting factor is the salt spray and moisture, as the barrier island tends to get less rain than the mainland (my analysis of the data from Patrick AFB that has data going back to the 50's shows an average yearly rainfall of 33"). Hurricane surge may be important, but I don't have enough data to tell you exactly how important it is.

They naturalize at Emerson point preserve here, which has tropical hammock vegetation dominated by gumbo limbo and Ficus aurea, with Psychotria nervosa, papaya, and Hamelia patens being the main understory plants. The area is an old Indian shell-mound, and the palms are found in the low spots where the water tends to pool in the summer (though it's not quite swampy). On cursory glance through your pictures of the park with gumbo limbo in Brevard, I would say that it's very similar.

I have also successfully transplanted seedlings from the Fakahatchee into a preserve near my parents house that has an area that's swamp like all year. The closest ecotope I know of in your area is at FIT in the swamp area where the boardwalk goes through and where the Elaeis guineensis are naturalizing. 

 

If you really wanted to make the experiment genuine, I would visit the Fakahatchee in summer when the royals are dropping ripe seed and collect a few hundred. Sprout about 20 of those to grow to 5 gallon size, and disperse the rest of the seeds in any areas that are similar to the two ecotopes that I listed. Once the 5 gallon ones are big enough, plant those in the best spots that you can find and wait. You could also collect seeds from local royals, but I feel that it's somehow more "genuine" if you get the seeds from habitat. We can meet up the next time I'm in the area and explore the area a bit to see exactly where would be a good place to start. I'll try collecting seed the next time I'm in the Fakahatchee to start some palms for experimentation here, and maybe over there too.

[Yunder Wækraus]

27 minutes ago, Zeeth said:

I believe that it could be done, but I'd have to explore the area a bit more to tell you exactly where. The limiting factor is the salt spray and moisture, as the barrier island tends to get less rain than the mainland (my analysis of the data from Patrick AFB that has data going back to the 50's shows an average yearly rainfall of 33"). Hurricane surge may be important, but I don't have enough data to tell you exactly how important it is.

They naturalize at Emerson point preserve here, which has tropical hammock vegetation dominated by gumbo limbo and Ficus aurea, with Psychotria nervosa, papaya, and Hamelia patens being the main understory plants. The area is an old Indian shell-mound, and the palms are found in the low spots where the water tends to pool in the summer (though it's not quite swampy). On cursory glance through your pictures of the park with gumbo limbo in Brevard, I would say that it's very similar.

I have also successfully transplanted seedlings from the Fakahatchee into a preserve near my parents house that has an area that's swamp like all year. The closest ecotope I know of in your area is at FIT in the swamp area where the boardwalk goes through and where the Elaeis guineensis are naturalizing. 

 

If you really wanted to make the experiment genuine, I would visit the Fakahatchee in summer when the royals are dropping ripe seed and collect a few hundred. Sprout about 20 of those to grow to 5 gallon size, and disperse the rest of the seeds in any areas that are similar to the two ecotopes that I listed. Once the 5 gallon ones are big enough, plant those in the best spots that you can find and wait. You could also collect seeds from local royals, but I feel that it's somehow more "genuine" if you get the seeds from habitat. We can meet up the next time I'm in the area and explore the area a bit to see exactly where would be a good place to start. I'll try collecting seed the next time I'm in the Fakahatchee to start some palms for experimentation here, and maybe over there too.

Sounds like a plan :-)

[DCA_Palm_Fan]

Thanks for sharing Zeeth!   Fantastic shots.  Great post. I love seeing wild / natural Florida.  The royals are impressive there, as is the botanic / biodiversity as a whole.   I've seen most other types of environments that you can find in the United States and Canada.  All are just as important but it's the tropical and sub tropical that have always been my favorites. 

When I finally move there (within the next 10 months)  I plan on doing lots of the same type of exploring.   Need a hiking buddy?   Lol.   No one I know likes doing that kinda thing, and I'll need some peeps to show me some cool spots.     Thanks again for sharing! More more more!   Lol  

 

[Zeeth]

20 hours ago, DCA_Palm_Fan said:

Thanks for sharing Zeeth!   Fantastic shots.  Great post. I love seeing wild / natural Florida.  The royals are impressive there, as is the botanic / biodiversity as a whole.   I've seen most other types of environments that you can find in the United States and Canada.  All are just as important but it's the tropical and sub tropical that have always been my favorites. 

When I finally move there (within the next 10 months)  I plan on doing lots of the same type of exploring.   Need a hiking buddy?   Lol.   No one I know likes doing that kinda thing, and I'll need some peeps to show me some cool spots.     Thanks again for sharing! More more more!   Lol  

 

I've been trying to schedule two separate weeks during the year where I travel the state to look for interesting things (usually during winter and either during summer or spring). It helps me get through school when I have something to look forward to when I finally get a break. Let me know when you move down and we can try to schedule a meet-up somewhere interesting!

[DoomsDave]

And, if you happen to liberate a lot of seed from habitat, and have a surplus, some will be happily received out here . . .

[Zeeth]

8 minutes ago, DoomsDave said:

And, if you happen to liberate a lot of seed from habitat, and have a surplus, some will be happily received out here . . .

I'll keep you in the loop. Would you prefer seeds from one of the extra fat ones or one from one of the extra tall ones? 

[DoomsDave]

16 minutes ago, Zeeth said:

I'll keep you in the loop. Would you prefer seeds from one of the extra fat ones or one from one of the extra tall ones? 

ANY!

We have a thing about habitat palms out here, since we don't have much habitat . . . .

[Zeeth]

8 minutes ago, DoomsDave said:

ANY!

We have a thing about habitat palms out here, since we don't have much habitat . . . .

I'll try visiting again when seeds are ripe/falling and I'll let you know 

[NorthFlpalmguy]

Nice pictures! The gator should be okay before he turns around facing you, then it's time to runnnn.

[Prinpalms]

I recently visited the Fakahatchee Reserve on a cold February morning. It’s only 90 minutes from Miami, naturally depending on traffic. It was 54 degrees F when I arrived around 10 am. Practically empty, which I always like. At dawn it had been 46 degrees F. It’s unbelievable to me that as a Miami native I’d never visited. Yes, the palms are abundant and spectacular. The pictures above are excellent and were a further incentive to make the drive. The road in is blocked for resurfacing maybe 2 miles in from US 29 in Copeland. Hopefully my pictures will post. The cold weather made the local reptiles stuporous & one could walk by without them showing the least interest. Quite a few palms had huge clusters of ripe seed, but I wasn’t keen on wading through mud etc. Additionally, it is a State Park and collecting is prohibited. As a bonus, Everglades City is very close by, and one can pick up stone crabs if so desired. A GREAT little journey.

[palmsOrl]

Amazing pictures of the wildlife Zeeth!

I am sorry to hijack the thread but can anybody identify that fern pictured in a couple of the photos in the last post.  I am pretty sure it is the same species as this fern I have that volunteered in a pot for me in a pot where I had a Microsorum thailandicum growing and it died and the pictured fern grew in its place.

I haven't seen this fern growing in the wild here, so I can figure that the spores routinely make it this far north but don't usually sprout due to the "colder" climate or the spore(s) hitched a ride back with us on/in the car or on our clothes during one of our trips down there.

[Sandy Loam]

Zeeth, your Fakahatchee royal palm was really tested this past Saturday night. It was Florida's coldest night in five years, I believe - - especially here in Gainesville where that palm is growing.  I will post updates later.  If the cold killed it, I should know in a couple of weeks.  On the western outskirts of town, we got down to 23F. Meanwhile, downtown Gainesville got as cold as 32 Fahrenheit..... Still pretty chilly though.  

 

Anyways, that Fakahatchee Royal Palm has not suffered any significant cold damage since you gave it to me back in 2017. However, Saturday night was very different and will be the real test. I will keep you posted! I know that it is more cold-hardy than a normal Cuban Royal Palm, but how hardy is the big question to be determined. Prior to Saturday night, I don't think it had ever seen any temperatures below 26 Fahrenheit.  TBD... 

 

Thanks again for the seedling! It isn't a seedling any more. 

Edited February 1, 2022 by Sandy Loam