2021-09-25: Garcon Point

After rainy weather had trapped me indoors for over a week, I took advantage of a rare clear September day and headed out to Garcon Point. The Garcon Point Water Management Area is a state-owned area at the end of the peninsula that divides Pensacola Bay from the adjacent East Bay in western Florida. It's home to several miles of hiking trails that traverse open country, pine forests, and swampy areas along the shore, of which I walked maybe two-thirds over the course of my hike.

Honeycombheads (Balduina uniflora) were just one of the countless wildflowers in bloom along the trail.

Pine trees dot the flat open landscape, blurring the line between grassland and forest.

The characteristic soft needles of a young slash pine (Pinus elliottii), with countless of its older siblings in the background.

The first section of the path that I walked was mostly open grassland and shrubs, with only the occasional tree presiding over the immediate area.

Pineland goldenrod (Bigelowia nudata), just prior to its early autumn bloom, was scattered among shrubs near where the forest thickened.

As I continued along the trail, the forest became suddenly denser, with many more pine trees (providing some shade) and more aggressively large shrubs. 

Looking out towards East Bay, where a few pines guard the unseen shoreline. The blue line of trees in the distance is on the other side of the bay.

Soft grasses covered the trail here, making it easy to miss without the blue trail markers.

The open grassland/forest environment is unlike anything I'm familiar with back up north, so it was refreshing to walk around in something brand new.

The open clearings are a common part of slash pine forests; the ecosystem is dependent on small and regular fires to clear out brush and ensure the health of the environment.

The trail heads into a section of shorter, younger pines, looking like exotic plants from some fanciful alien world.

The more open areas allow for the pines' crowns to grow wider than a dense forest, such as this impressive specimen at right.

Younger sections of forest are both shorter and denser than their older neighbors, as repeated burns have yet to thin out the weaker trees.

I had planned on a long hike, but was forced to turn back fairly early due to flooding. I ended up ankle-deep in this swampy water, worsened by a week of torrential rain, and wet shoes made the rest of my hike rather uncomfortable.

The trail wound through several fields of pitcher plants (Sarracenia leucophylla). Most were a bit past their prime; some, such as this smaller individual, were still in-season and healthy.

Closed, bright purple blooms of the bristleleaf chaffhead (Carphephorus pseudoliatris). The abundant wildflowers were one of the best parts of the hike.

I was surprised to learn that the red maple (Acer rubrum), a common tree in the northeast, is native to western Florida as well. Here its name seems appropriate, arrayed in the earliest of the region's fall colors.

These purple flowers, located in several spots along the trail, are difficult to identify as they weren't fully in bloom; they may be a species of broomrape.

A last shot along the open area towards the denser forests in the distance before I left my disappointingly short hike.