No Name Key

We assisted with a refuge hike this morning to a small island called No Name Key.  It is accessed from Big Pine Key by crossing a short bridge. There are 43 houses there, and they were connected to the commercial power grid just two years ago!!

Much of No Name Key is NWR property, but knowing when you are on refuge land vs. private land is a bit of a trick. Some of the best remaining hardwood hammocks are here. I've been confused with the term "hammock" as it seems very similar to "hummock", both apparently meaning a small rise of land above a surrounding marsh or swamp. Here the term "hammock" is associated with such a rise covered with (usually) hardwood trees.

The maximum elevation on Big Pine and No Name Keys is about 15', and there are significant differences in plant communities with just a couple of feet of elevation change. Mangroves and other salt-tolerant plants thrive in the lower elevations, but the pines and most hardwoods require fresh water and are found only on higher ground.

One of the first places we visited was an old rock quarry that was filled with water. It is said to be as much as 70' deep with vertical edges, so as a wildlife habitat is is not very good. But it does support a variety of fish, including this group of Needlefish that we observed from the edge.

Needlefish

Once we entered the hardwoods we began noticing shells of various snails on the ground. Many are introduced, but there are some threatened native tree snails in the area. One participant spotted this Florida Tree Snail up in a tree.

Florida Tree Snail

Florida Tree Snail

Later in the walk some rustling in a tree alerted us to a Raccoon feeding on berries.  The Raccoons here are smaller and paler than the mainland Raccoons, but just as hungry!

Raccoon

We have plenty of more nature walks, bike rides, and kayak trips coming up, so stay tuned...

Mark