Our website address is: https://myexquisiteflorida.com. We are Pam and Steve Jennelle, residents of Eustis, Florida. We want to share our joy in natural Florida and determined that this blog would be a good way to do that. Our main purpose is to help others enjoy Florida as we do.

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Pam Jennelle is a Florida Master Naturalist and recently retired from her day job as a Project Manager for CREATION Research at AdventHealth. Her work researching principles of health and wellness has led her to seek additional opportunities to spend time in nature, where she is best able to relax and recharge. She loves hiking, kayaking, her yorkies, her husband, and her creator.

Steve Jennelle is an aspiring Florida Master Naturalist and is a CPA in his “real” life. He was a reluctant convert to kayaking, but one night on the Indian River Lagoon surrounded by a bioluminescent wonderland removed any trace of reluctance to get in a small paddle-driven vessel. When he is not working on CPA stuff and not on the water, you may be able to find him in his bee yard, working the hives. He has promised to write a post about why we call him The Owl Whisperer. Ask him about that, if you don’t find the post!

We welcome opportunities to collaborate! If you would like to guest post, or if you need someone to guest post, please reach out to [email protected].

Will you be visiting Florida soon? Let us know! We can help you plan an exquisite adventure for yourself, your friends, or your family.

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Generally a trip outside helps me improve my state of mind. Yesterday, that did not happen. Please forgive me as I go way off-topic today. What I saw is sickening and try as I might, I can’t forget how it made me feel. If you are offended by profanity, just skip this entry because I’m not going to edit it out.

Continue reading “Trash leaves trash: filth in a public restroom”

On our trip to Collier Seminole State Park last year, Steve and I hiked through an area that had just been reopened after a prescribed burn.  Parts of the forest floor and many tree trunks were still smoldering! Surprisingly, though, the palmettos and ferns were already putting up new shoots. I guess nature is going to keep going no matter what her human component gets up to.

Continue reading “Fighting Fire With Fire for the Good of us All”

Alachua County’s Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park is truly something special. It’s a National Landmark, and comprises a sinkhole that’s about 500′ wide, reaching 120′ down into the earth before you reach water. There are 132 steps on a beautiful boardwalk leading down the side of this sinkhole, and landings where you can enjoy the views. Hurricane Irma destroyed the original staircase, which was longer, but the new boardwalk protects the sinkhole and visitors alike.

Continue reading “Unexpected Tour at Unique Devil’s Millhopper”

Dunn’s Creek State Park, Putnam County

Dunn’s Creek State Park is a lovely spot covering over 6300 acres. Entering the park, we noticed beautiful rolling hills which gave way to more level ground as we got further down the road toward the water.

There are two parking areas, each with picnic tables and open areas. The second parking area looks like it may be for a group camp, as there’s a locked bathhouse and a fire ring. It would be a nice spot for an overnight! The trailheads are also at this parking area. Four trails traverse Dunns Creek State Park: the 1.4 mile Green trail; 1.8 mile Yellow trail, 2.6 mile red trail, and the Blue trail, which has a short option (looks like about 4 miles) and a long option (6.1 miles).

Steve and I meandered on the Yellow Trail, traveling through a hydric area and into a really pretty pine forest. In just the first quarter mile, we saw orchids, a Lobelia (new to me, and very pretty), and SO MANY AIRPLANTS! We watched an eagle fly with a large branch in its beak; it appears that home improvements are being made somewhere in the forest.

We had the entire park to ourselves nearly the entire Tuesday morning we were there! We saw a ranger leaving as we arrived, I noticed a motorcyclist as we came off the trail, and Steve saw boaters on the river. There were no other cars in the parking lot, and we thoroughly enjoyed the solitude. We watched the water and read in the peaceful silence.

We stopped for lunch in Astor at Drifters, and enjoyed really good Cuban Sandwiches. A blue heron watched us watching him, and we traveled home to begin planning our next trip. It’s going to involve a picnic and more time reading under the maples along the shoreline, I’m certain.

Generally a trip outside helps me improve my state of mind. Yesterday, that did not happen. Please forgive me as I go way off-topic today. What I saw is sickening and try as I might, I can’t forget how it made me feel. If you are offended by profanity, just skip this entry because I’m not going to edit it out.

Continue reading “Trash leaves trash: filth in a public restroom”

On our trip to Collier Seminole State Park last year, Steve and I hiked through an area that had just been reopened after a prescribed burn.  Parts of the forest floor and many tree trunks were still smoldering! Surprisingly, though, the palmettos and ferns were already putting up new shoots. I guess nature is going to keep going no matter what her human component gets up to.

Continue reading “Fighting Fire With Fire for the Good of us All”

Alachua County’s Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park is truly something special. It’s a National Landmark, and comprises a sinkhole that’s about 500′ wide, reaching 120′ down into the earth before you reach water. There are 132 steps on a beautiful boardwalk leading down the side of this sinkhole, and landings where you can enjoy the views. Hurricane Irma destroyed the original staircase, which was longer, but the new boardwalk protects the sinkhole and visitors alike.

Continue reading “Unexpected Tour at Unique Devil’s Millhopper”

Dunn’s Creek State Park, Putnam County

Dunn’s Creek State Park is a lovely spot covering over 6300 acres. Entering the park, we noticed beautiful rolling hills which gave way to more level ground as we got further down the road toward the water.

There are two parking areas, each with picnic tables and open areas. The second parking area looks like it may be for a group camp, as there’s a locked bathhouse and a fire ring. It would be a nice spot for an overnight! The trailheads are also at this parking area. Four trails traverse Dunns Creek State Park: the 1.4 mile Green trail; 1.8 mile Yellow trail, 2.6 mile red trail, and the Blue trail, which has a short option (looks like about 4 miles) and a long option (6.1 miles).

Steve and I meandered on the Yellow Trail, traveling through a hydric area and into a really pretty pine forest. In just the first quarter mile, we saw orchids, a Lobelia (new to me, and very pretty), and SO MANY AIRPLANTS! We watched an eagle fly with a large branch in its beak; it appears that home improvements are being made somewhere in the forest.

We had the entire park to ourselves nearly the entire Tuesday morning we were there! We saw a ranger leaving as we arrived, I noticed a motorcyclist as we came off the trail, and Steve saw boaters on the river. There were no other cars in the parking lot, and we thoroughly enjoyed the solitude. We watched the water and read in the peaceful silence.

We stopped for lunch in Astor at Drifters, and enjoyed really good Cuban Sandwiches. A blue heron watched us watching him, and we traveled home to begin planning our next trip. It’s going to involve a picnic and more time reading under the maples along the shoreline, I’m certain.

The weather has really been doing a number on outdoor adventures this year. In February, a long-planned adventure had to be called off due to heat, in March it was so cold tender plants had to be protected, and an April panhandle trip saw weather much cooler than we like and much rainier than we hoped. But Judy and I are tough, so we didn’t cancel our trip to Topsail Hill Preserve State Park.

Continue reading “Rain and Chill Can’t Dampen a Great Trip”

Some think of sand dunes as an impediment to getting the cooler, chairs, and umbrella down to the beach, and they do make getting to the water a bit harder. But they’re worth the struggle!

Continue reading “Crystalline Dunes: Timeless Guardians of the Coastline”

I used to think that if you made a plan and could not successfully execute it on the first attempt, you had failed. I now know that some plans take several iterations before they are successful, and that’s what Judy and I experienced on our first attempt at hiking the Florida Trail from Clearwater Lake to Rodman Dam. Here’s our original plan and our first set of modifications. There may be more to come . . . who can say?

Continue reading “Turns Out Failure IS an Option!”

Well, to start, they’re highly unusual! Found in only four countries, including Madagascar, Australia, New Zealand and the United States, there are 15 named coastal dune lakes in Walton County, Florida (they are also found in Oregon, which has a system of 40 such lakes; and South Carolina, which is unsure how many dune lakes they have). Florida’s dune lakes are usually formed where fresh water seeps through the sand, forming shallow, water-filled depressions.  Other sources of fresh water include streams and rain water.

Continue reading “Rare Delights Tucked Among Panhandle Dunes: Spectacular Dune Lakes”

Mid-February is usually a great time to be on the Florida Trail in the central part of the state. This year, Judy and I were looking forward to 8 days of a condition we call “forest drunk.” Forest-drunkenness is a state of deep relaxation, a sense of oneness with all that surrounds us, and a general feeling of joy. When we first decided to hike the Florida Trail from south to north through the Ocala National Forest, we knew we wanted a week in February, because it’s generally cool, dry, and beautifully clear. Here are a few posts about planning this trip:

Continue reading “Weather Woes Strike on the Trail: Dog Days of February?”

You may be wondering what the heck is going on in this image, and honestly, so am I. It’s a pretty good representation of my emotional state right now: ready to get an adventure underway, but worried enough that I am having trouble actually packing what I need to make it happen.

Continue reading “Confidence and Trepidation: Two Weeks Out” Signpost near 88Store This is a message from my brother. Love my hiking groups! Doesn’t get much more beautiful!

An update here is long overdue, but I’m looking forward to getting back to a regular schedule after January 1. I’ll return to a text post every Monday and a photo post every Wednesday. Thanks for your patience!

Continue reading “Florida Trail in Ocala National Forest: All That and a Bag of Chips”

We’re making a habit of meeting in the parking lot of the Umatilla Ace Hardware and then carpooling up into the Ocala National Forest. Getting closer to completing my goal of hiking the Florida National Scenic Trail through the Forest, the stretch from Pat’s Island to Hopkins Prairie is the latest section my hiking friends and I have covered. This is a very short section, less than 5 miles out and back, but worth a visit!

Continue reading “Five Things to Love About Hopkins Prairie”

After our visit to the seagrass beds off Key Largo, we delved into the ecology of mangroves. A thicket of mangrove always reminds me of a fortress. Red mangroves lining a shoreline or roadside look impenetrable! From the water, the roots look forbidding and mysterious, and from land, the thought of trying to balance on those roots feels like a recipe for broken limbs.

Continue reading “Mangrove Fortresses: More Than an Enchanting Empire”

After an afternoon and evening of orienting ourselves to Marine Lab, Tuesday morning started with breakfast and a short class on seagrass ecology. Florida has three predominant species of seagrass: turtle grass (Thalassia testudinum), shoal grass (Halodule wrightii), and manatee grass (Syringodium filiforme). Turtle grass has a broad, flat blade that is rounded at the top. Shoal grass, the first grass to grow in an area that has been disturbed, has a narrower blade with a flat or notched top. Manatee grass is cylindrical and has very shallow roots.

Continue reading “Strong Seagrass Beds: Foundation for Thrilling Coral Reefs”

Dunn’s Creek State Park, Putnam County

Dunn’s Creek State Park is a lovely spot covering over 6300 acres. Entering the park, we noticed beautiful rolling hills which gave way to more level ground as we got further down the road toward the water.

There are two parking areas, each with picnic tables and open areas. The second parking area looks like it may be for a group camp, as there’s a locked bathhouse and a fire ring. It would be a nice spot for an overnight! The trailheads are also at this parking area. Four trails traverse Dunns Creek State Park: the 1.4 mile Green trail; 1.8 mile Yellow trail, 2.6 mile red trail, and the Blue trail, which has a short option (looks like about 4 miles) and a long option (6.1 miles).

Steve and I meandered on the Yellow Trail, traveling through a hydric area and into a really pretty pine forest. In just the first quarter mile, we saw orchids, a Lobelia (new to me, and very pretty), and SO MANY AIRPLANTS! We watched an eagle fly with a large branch in its beak; it appears that home improvements are being made somewhere in the forest.

We had the entire park to ourselves nearly the entire Tuesday morning we were there! We saw a ranger leaving as we arrived, I noticed a motorcyclist as we came off the trail, and Steve saw boaters on the river. There were no other cars in the parking lot, and we thoroughly enjoyed the solitude. We watched the water and read in the peaceful silence.

We stopped for lunch in Astor at Drifters, and enjoyed really good Cuban Sandwiches. A blue heron watched us watching him, and we traveled home to begin planning our next trip. It’s going to involve a picnic and more time reading under the maples along the shoreline, I’m certain.

When you make the turn from Highway 27 into Lake Louisa State Park, you may feel the weight of the city lifting from your shoulders. Within the Green Swamp Area of Critical Concern and along the northern boundary of the Lake Wales ridge, here you have access to nearly unlimited adventure! 20 miles of trails, a system of 10 lakes, and 4500 acres of rolling hills are home to eleven natural plant communities.

This diversity of habitat enables a wide variety of wildlife. You may see deer, bobcat, gopher tortoises, fox squirrels and many birds. On a recent visit hosted by the Lake Beautyberry Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society, we saw many gopher tortoise burrows, tons of birds, and two brown watersnakes, one of which was getting ready to molt. What an adventure, right here in Lake County!

You often hear that one park or another “has something for everyone.” When you hear it said about this State Park, you can rest assured that it’s true.  With so many trails, there’s one for every skill level, and equestrians are welcome on most. Are you a camper?  Here, you’ll find everything from cabins with fully equipped cabins to primitive camping (primitive equestrian camping, too). Several of the ten lakes in this park provide opportunities to wet your paddle, whether you prefer to canoe, kayak, or stand-up paddleboard. Native plant enthusiasts will have plenty to see – the restoration areas are full of interesting stories. Naturalists of every stripe will find it hard to pick a favorite spot, there is just SO MUCH here.  It’s the perfect place for families, and your leashed dogs are welcome on the trails.

Gopher Apple in bloom

In an area just above Lake Louisa, we visited an area being restored to sandhill from flatwoods.  In addition to the restoration, it is a site for plant rescue placements. The sand of the sandhill, so white that it can be blinding in the midday sun, comprises quartz crystals that have eroded from the Appalachian Mountains.  As a Maryland girl, I was happy to hear the Appalachians get credit for being an ancient mountain range that was once as high as the Himalayas. At any rate, these quartz crystals washed down into the Gulf of Mexico long ago and then were pushed by waves onto the Lake Wales Ridge when the Ridge was an archipelago, much as the Florida Keys are today.

We were fortunate to see some Scrub Morning Glory (Bonamia grandiflora) which has been grown from seed and placed in several areas to increase its range within the park.  This plant is long-lived, and the little pieces we saw will eventually produce large tubers and spread from both that tuber and from seeds dropped in the soil. The tuberous root protects this plant from the fires that keep a scrub area healthy. From the 100 seeds that were planted, 12 grew and 11 have survived. The population at Lake Louisa is spreading, but the largest remaining population of this plant  is found in the Ocala National Forest.

n another restoration area, we saw narrowleaf dawn flower (Stylisma angustifolia), noseburn (Tragia betonicifolia ?),  snoutbean (Rhyncosia?) , narrowleaf gayflower (Liatris angustifolia), indian plantain (Arnoglossum floridanum), and so many more that I couldn’t catch the names of.  Lake Louisa is a great spot for native plant enthusiasts!  If you find yourself walking in an area marked with small flags, tread with care: you are in an area of plants that are being propagated or rescued. If they have metal tags, please step away: metal tags denote endangered plants that need great care.

My favorite thing was a large stand of blooming butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa). We were able to observe this plant from pre-bloom to immature fruit. This is a native milkweed and I need to get some in my yard! It is such a beautiful plant!

I do not know how we got so lucky, but even on this hot and dry afternoon, we were not bothered by deerflies or mosquitoes during any part of our day. This noticeable lack of insect activity made our afternoon even more pleasant. Will you be as fortunate when you visit?

American Beautyberry is, as the name implies, a plant that is gorgeous when the berries are ripe. But this plant is more than just a pretty face! I’ve made a large batch of insect repellent with leaves I harvested when we trimmed some plants at East Lake County Chamber of Commerce, and I’m happy to report that it is effective against mosquitoes. It is also supposed to repel yellowflies and chiggers.

The recipe is very easy and doesn’t even require measurements. Just loosely stuff a jar with leaves. Next, I filled the jar with cheap vodka (you can use rubbing alcohol, but in pandemic conditions vodka is easier to find). I let it sit for a few days, shaking it up whenever I walked past.

Finally I funneled the infused liquid into small spray bottles with caps (I used a quart jar and had PLENTY of liquid). That’s it! You can add a couple of drops of essential oil if you like, but the slightly funky smell of the infusion fades quickly and I don’t find it bothersome.

Because I enjoy canning, I’ll probably make beautyberry jelly in the near future. When I do, I’ll share that recipe, too!

According to my calendar, April is Spring, but travel to the Everglades and you will find that it is already summer. It’s hot and there are mosquitoes!

As soon as I got home from my first trip to Collier Seminole State Park, a Camping Concierge opportunity arose with a family who wanted to try something new — they agreed that Collier Seminole sounded like a good fit for their family. So I reserved their campsite and then mine, and gave thanks for my good fortune. . . I never dreamed I would get to go back to this special place so soon. Steve agreed to accompany me, and once I had the menus and adventures planned for my concierge family, I could start daydreaming about kayaking in Ten Thousand Islands.

There was a birthday to celebrate on Saturday morning, so hot chocolate bombs and s’mores seem like a natural, even for a young man who does not include camping on his top ten list of fun things to do. Applewood smoked bacon for breakfast that day, too.

Almost every campsite at has a Royal Palm (Roystonea regia) towering overhead. While they only grow as natives in South Florida, I can’t think of a tree that shouts YOU’RE IN FLORIDA more clearly! Their smooth gray trunks support a bright green crownshaft, from which emerge the leaves. These leaves may be 10-15 feet long, and they weigh up to 50 pounds when they are fresh. It is a wonder, I think, that more people are not injured when these leaves fall!

Royal Palm at Collier Seminole State Park

Gumbo Limbo (Bursera simaruba), on the other hand, is not as obvious, but just as distinctive once spotted. If you sit in the sun long enough, you may find your burnt skin peeling, just as the Gumbo Limbo bark peels in copper flakes. It easily earns the nickname Tourist Tree! These trees are found all over South Florida, and in the tent loop at Seminole Collier State Park, they are usually just behind the vegetation line lining the road and campsites.

Gumbo Limbo, also known as Tourist Tree because of the peeling skin.

It was, as I mentioned, hot, but we were grateful that rainy season had not yet started because the mosquitoes were minimal. There were a few deer flies around – their painful bites are hard to ignore, so we were relieved that they weren’t more plentiful. On the morning of the day we left, I noticed large insects buzzing loudly as they flew near the ground on unoccupied campsites. Some of them appeared to be going underground and coming out of the ground. A Ranger told me they are Cicada Killers. While they were so busy flying I could not get a photo, here’s a link that will tell you about their interesting habits, and a short video. I’ve never noticed them before!

We discovered a new-to-us State Park on this trip, and I have to highly recommend it. It’s Delnor Wiggins Pass State Park, and we spent what might just be my favorite beach day ever on the continental U.S. The day was sunny and bright, the sand was fine and sugary, the air and water were both perfect temperatures, and the surf was perfect for bobbing on one’s back enjoying the gentle waves. Between the beach and parking areas, there is a wide strip of vegetation providing shade and privacy to the picnic tables tucked among the trees. All of these spaces were occupied, so I do not have pictures, but it is a lovely place and I know we’ll be returning. There’s no camping at Delnor Wiggins, but there is some awesome kayaking, and we took advantage of that to explore the mangrove islands and their small beaches. There are many areas where the water is shallow enough to splash and play. A dolphin crossed our path as we paddled out, and we watched an osprey enjoy its lunch in the trees above us.

We had been watching the weather all week, because the last thing I want to do is put a family in harm’s way. On Monday morning, it became apparent that the thunderstorms which had been threatening us all week were finally going to materialize. Steve and I spent most of the day with my concierge kids. We built solar ovens (Thank you so much to Del Franco’s Pizza for supplying the pizza boxes!) and played some of the amazing games I had brought along. I buy my games here; this independent bookstore helped me maintain my sanity during the COVID-19 lockdown and I will always support the owner when I can. Taco Cat Goat Cheese is one of the funniest games I’ve ever played, and this was our first opportunity to play it. Spot It, Itzi, and Tenzi were also super fun. Good heavens, I don’t know when we’ve laughed so hard! There’s nothing like three kids who are not your own and a tableful of great games to make the time fly.

On my first trip to this area, Judy and I had an amazing day on Jane’s Scenic Drive, and I really did not want to leave without taking Steve to see it. I was astonished at the change in scenery in such a short time! In January, the road leading to Jane’s, FL-29, was bordered by water, and the waterbirds were so thick it was hard to identify them all. On this day, though, only the canal along the right side of the road was wet. There were few birds in evidence. Once we got on the Drive, though, there was a bit more to see.

Nearly as soon as we entered the swamp, we saw a softshell turtle who had made her way to the roadside to begin building a nest. Poor thing, that road is not soft and she really had a job ahead of her. Well, this is why no one ever says that motherhood is easy, I guess.

Softshell turtle starting a nest in Fackahatchee Strand

I love ferns, and I love air plants. We saw a bird nest fern that was situated so that the light was shining through the leaf, making the spores easily visible. This might be one of my favorite memories of this trip.

Spores. . .life goes on.

We stopped at one of the trams so Steve could get a good look at the dry swamp. He saw this snake, which we only identified as a cottonmouth much later. I am glad it was well-fed and inactive, because we got pretty close. This is not something I recommend. . .avoid venomous animals! Had I known better, you wouldn’t be looking at this picture. The identifying features that I’ll recognize instantly next time are the heavy body, the dark facial band, and the rough scales. There is also a banded pattern that is hard to see, although this feature is shared with harmless water snakes. The clincher, which is impossible to see in this photo, is the vertical pupil. Next time, I won’t get close enough to see that feature . . . being snake bitten on Jane’s is not a pleasant prospect.

Cottonmouth in Fackahatchee Strand

We also saw this pretty little ground orchid. You can get as close as you like to these! They don’t bite.

Orchid in Fackahatchee Strand

I’ve already reserved a campsite for next year, in hopes that I can show Steve the swamp when it’s wet. I would like to camp here every month and watch the seasons change. Of all the exquisite places in Florida, this is one of my favorites, and I can’t wait to get back!

We love nature blogs, and travel blogs, and thought-provoking bloggers, and interesting websites. We hope you do, too. Some of these sites are not specific to Florida, and we don’t list EVERYTHING we read here, but enough to give you a flavor of what’s going on out in the big wide world.

Think we’re missing something? Of course we are. . .we just started this page. But if there’s something you believe we simply MUST include right now, let us know! Contact us!

Okay…here are the links:

The Barnard House in Emlenton, Pennsylvania: Pam recently spent several days in Pennsylvania with The Barnard House as her base of operations. You can see her reviews on Facebook and Trip Advisor. Cathy and Paul Kentzel offer up a beautiful bed and breakfast experience, and there are wonderful trails, springs, and waterfalls in the immediate area. The B&B is located directly across from the Allegheny River, and the area is full of songbirds and wildflowers.

Florida Bat Conservancy: Learn about bats in Florida, why they are protected wildlife, and why you should care about them.

Floridiana Magazine:  
Oh, I know you will love this one as much as I do! Truly lovely photography and this is a woman whose love for the special places of Florida shines through in every paragraph.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Our great state has some wonderful resources, and this is one!

Florida State Parks
What can I say? Life would not be the same without our amazing State Parks!

Following Our Own Path
This blog is so much fun. I dare you not to be inspired!

How We Find Happy

My friends Julie and Matt hop around the parks and brew pubs in Florida…and beyond.

Kyrabe Stories
Kyndall brings so much positivity to everything she does! She gave me a shout out on Twitter when I first started this blog, and it meant so much. . .ever since, I’ve enjoyed her daily shots of upward-looking posts.

Seminole State Forest: So close to us, but we always feel like we have traveled long ago to a galaxy far away. . .however, we feel compelled to remind you that the organization called Friends of the Seminole State Forest does not elect its board members. This is, of course, legal, but it does make one wonder why membership is not allowed to vote.

Apalachicola National Forest: I’ve just discovered this area but I’ll be spending as much time up here as I can in the future!

Florida Native Plant Society: Wonderful public programs and now there are members-only videos highlighting specific plant families. One of the memberships I’m not going to let lapse.