This marker, along with the Dade Battlefield Historical Park and the marker commemorating the Battle of Wahoo Swamp, is an important stop for anyone interested the history of Central Florida or the Second Seminole War.
Fort Armstrong Historic Marker
It’s alligator nesting season! These fascinating ancient reptiles are on the move looking for mates right now, and the males are bellowing loudly to defend their territories. During late April, May and June, females seek out appropriate nesting habitats to build nests of vegetation, sticks and mud, then lay 20 to 50 white-colored eggs, which will hatch in about 65 days. Adult alligators often kill young alligators, so the smaller animals are frequently moving in response to the movements of adults. For these reasons, it is more common to see alligators along and actually ON the Withlacoochee State Trail in April and May. Watch for them and give them wide berth.
How can you help alligators?
View From a Safe Distance. Always remember, if an alligator changes its behavior, hisses, or lunges at you, you are too close. When participating in outdoor activities, always give wildlife space and a route to escape. It is illegal and dangerous to mess with alligators!
Do Not Feed Alligators. We can’t stress this enough. Do NOT feed Alligators. Not only is it illegal, but an alligator that gets used to being fed associates people with food and cannot distinguish between a “handout” and a “hand”. Alligators that become aggressive are considered “nuisance gators” and will likely have to be killed to prevent possible harm to humans.
~Heather
p.s. I took this picture with a very long telephoto lens, from a very safe distance.
Thank you Scenic Sumter Heritage Byway for the opportunity to share the story of Richloam and the Richloam General Store with you.
SABAL PALMETTO OR CABBAGE PALM
Did you know the Sabal Palm is our state tree ? The sabal palm, or cabbage palm, is native to Florida and coastal regions of North and South Carolina and Georgia, and is the state tree of both South Carolina and Florida.
The name “cabbage palm” comes from its edible immature leaves, or “heart,” which has a cabbage-like flavor. Sabal palms have curved, costapalmate, fan-shaped leaves with blades 3–4 feet long and petioles 3–6 feet long. When free of nutrient deficiencies, this species has a full, round canopy atop a trunk 10–16 inches in diameter and up to 40 feet in height (Figure 1). Branched inflorescences produced during the late spring months usually extend beyond the leaves in the canopy and contain thousands of tiny, creamy-white, fragrant flowers that attract bees. The palm produces black fruits of about 1⁄4 inch in diameter in late summer (Figure 2). Although the fruits contain little flesh, they are often consumed by raccoons and other animals that disperse
the seeds. Sabal palms are considered cold hardy to about 15°F, or about USDA Zone 8b. edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/ST/ST57500.pdf
It's #WildlifeWednesday and Florida Gopher Tortoise Day! Gopher tortoises are found in all 67 counties in Florida. They are unique because they are the only land tortoise found east of the Mississippi River. They can live to be more than 60 years old, and have been around for thousands of years. The gopher tortoise is a keystone species that over 350 other species may live with or depend on. The burrows they dig are home to other animals that would not survive without them, including the endangered Indigo Snake. #FLStateParks
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