Spring in Florida is one of my favorite times of year. Azaleas begin to pop in town and country alike, followed by violets, dogwood, jessamine, and a long list of others.
The gray-brown and faded green of a Florida winter brightens almost daily into evergreen punctuated by bright colors of every hue, with none of the mud and slush of colder climates.
It’s the perfect season for hiking, kayaking, walking the beach or driving through the countryside in search of signs of spring. Nights are cool, even chilly, but the days are sunny and breezy. Who wants to work indoors if you can possibly be outside?
I’ve been having my morning coffee on the back porch, and taking a break from the intensity of trying to keep on top of Florida news, Jacksonville news, environmental news. I recently ran across southern nature writer Janisse Ray’s beautiful words from her book, “Pinhook.”
“[It] was one of those tentative March days, before spring arrives in lustful earnest, when everything has a secret it bursts to tell. Some of the flora, unable to wait, has crept out of the tamped-down place it has been all winter, and in the calmness of a risk successfully executed, skips and dances bright colors across the land. Clouds of yellow jessamine float among the tops of sampling trees, flame azalea sweep pink through the floodplains, fields are washed in sheep sorrel burgundies and toadflax lavenders.”
Here in North Florida, the scenery changes almost daily. Luckily, there’s a lot going on here in the spring. Here are a few places to get out and enjoy the season:
Ravine Gardens in Palatka has lots of hiking trails and is filled with azaleas. It’s the perfect time of year to see it. (Note: The road around the ravine is closed to driving due to Hurricane Irma damage, but the whole area is still walk-able. The parking lot is open for cars.)
Guana Reserve has beach-to-intracoastal trails and also offers ranger walks and activities, like seine-netting. You might even spot a mother right whale and calf off the coast. (The official name is Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, or GTNMERR, but that’s a mouthful, so most folks just say “Guana.”)
The Amelia Island Omni Resort Nature Center has birding, kayaking, nature tours, and even crabbing classes. You don’t have to stay at the resort to participate, but you do need to RSVP.
To our surprise, the beaches – Atlantic Beach, Neptune Beach and Jacksonville Beach – are not slammed this year. Great time to hike the beaches or the shops and restaurants.
That’s a start, and of course, there are many, many more great places to get out and see Real Florida. Let us know your favorite places here on our website or post on our Facebook page.
Enjoy – and drop us a line about your journeys!
Lisa Grubba, Editor
