The Mississippi alligator grows to a length of fourteen or fifteen feet, inhabiting lakes, rivers, and wetlands.

Alligator

The Mississippi alligator grows to a length of fourteen or fifteen feet, inhabiting lakes, rivers, and…

Also known as the snake-bird, the anhinga inhabits the freshwater areas of the South Atlantic States; also in South America as far south as Brazil.

Anhinga

Also known as the snake-bird, the anhinga inhabits the freshwater areas of the South Atlantic States;…

An illustration of Biscayne Bay, is a lagoon that is approximately 35 miles (56 km) long and up to 8 miles (13 km) wide located on the Atlantic coast of south Florida. It is usually divided for purposes of discussion and analysis into three parts, North Bay, Central Bay and South Bay. North Bay separates Miami Beach on its barrier island from Miami on the mainland. It has been severely affected over the last century by raw sewage releases, urban runoff, shoreline bulkheading, dredging, the creation of artificial islands and the loss of natural fresh water flow into the bay. North Bay accounts for only 10% of the water area of the bay. Central Bay is the largest part of the bay. It is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Safety Valve, a series of shallow flats separated by tidal flow channels, stretching from the south end of Key Biscayne to the Ragged Keys at the north end of the Florida Keys. It has been adversely affected primarily by bulkheading, urban runoff discharged by canals, and the loss of natural fresh water flow. South Bay is nearly as large as Central Bay, and is the least affected by human activities, although it also suffers from the loss of natural fresh water flow. South Bay is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the northernmost of the Florida Keys, and is connected to Florida Bay through channels and "sounds" lying between the mainland and the keys.

Biscayne Bay

An illustration of Biscayne Bay, is a lagoon that is approximately 35 miles (56 km) long and up to 8…

(1835-1911) Picture of Governor William D. Bloxham during 1879. Bloxham served as Florida's thirteenth governor (1881-1885) and seventeenth governor (1897-1901).

William D. Bloxham

(1835-1911) Picture of Governor William D. Bloxham during 1879. Bloxham served as Florida's thirteenth…

Posessing a nearly perfectly hemispherical shell, the American box turtle ranges from Canada to Florida. It feeds on fruits, insects, edible mushrooms, and the like.

American box-tortoise

Posessing a nearly perfectly hemispherical shell, the American box turtle ranges from Canada to Florida.…

(1782-1863) Branch served as Florida's sixth territorial governor (1844-1845).

John Branch

(1782-1863) Branch served as Florida's sixth territorial governor (1844-1845).

Also known as Thrinax microcarpa. A small palm native to Florida and the Caribbean.

Branch of Brittle Thatch Palm

Also known as Thrinax microcarpa. A small palm native to Florida and the Caribbean.

"The Troilus Butterfly, <em>Papilio Troilus</em>, is a superb insect, the wings denticulated, black, spotted with yellow, and terminated by a swallow-tail. It lives on spice-wood and sassafras-trees; is rare in the Northern States; common in the Southern, and in the West Indies." &mdash; Goodrich, 1859

Troilus Butterfly

"The Troilus Butterfly, Papilio Troilus, is a superb insect, the wings denticulated, black,…

A picture of the capitol building in Tallahassee, Florida.

Florida Capitol

A picture of the capitol building in Tallahassee, Florida.

The building of Fort Caroline by the Spaniards.

Fort Caroline

The building of Fort Caroline by the Spaniards.

The completion of Fort Caroline by the Spaniards.

Fort Caroline

The completion of Fort Caroline by the Spaniards.

An aerial-view of Lake Alfred, Florida.

City

An aerial-view of Lake Alfred, Florida.

Also known as Leitneria floridana. A shrub native to the southeastern United States.

Branch of Corkwood

Also known as Leitneria floridana. A shrub native to the southeastern United States.

An illustration of a Florida Cracker. Florida Cracker refers to the original colonial era American pioneer settlers of the State of Florida. The first Florida Crackers arrived in 1763 when Spain traded Florida to Great Britain. The British divided the territory into East Florida and West Florida, and began to aggressively recruit settlers to the area, offering free land and financial backing for export-oriented business.

Florida Cracker

An illustration of a Florida Cracker. Florida Cracker refers to the original colonial era American pioneer…

Portrait of Jefferson Davis.

Jefferson Davis

Portrait of Jefferson Davis.

(1790-1856) Florida's territorial governor 1834-1836.

John Henry Eaton

(1790-1856) Florida's territorial governor 1834-1836.

The Everglades is a subtropical wetland located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large watershed. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimmee River, which discharges into the vast but shallow Lake Okeechobee. Water leaving the lake in the wet season forms a slow-moving river 60 miles (97 km) wide and over 100 miles (160 km) long, flowing southward across a limestone shelf to Florida Bay at the southern end of the state. The ever-changing Everglades are shaped by water and fire, with frequent flooding in the wet season and drought in the dry season.

Everglades

The Everglades is a subtropical wetland located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida,…

African-American farm workers with a horse drawn-wagon.

Farm Workers

African-American farm workers with a horse drawn-wagon.

The American flamingo stands about five feet tall, and is found throught tropical America, including some parts of Florida.

Flamingoes

The American flamingo stands about five feet tall, and is found throught tropical America, including…

The official seal of the U.S. state of Florida in 1889.

Florida

The official seal of the U.S. state of Florida in 1889.

The United States seal of Florida with an Ironside ship in the background.

Florida

The United States seal of Florida with an Ironside ship in the background.

The state banner of Florida, the everglade state.

Florida

The state banner of Florida, the everglade state.

The former Great Seal of Florida, featuring an indian, palm tree, the sun, and some uncharacteristic mountains.

Florida Seal

The former Great Seal of Florida, featuring an indian, palm tree, the sun, and some uncharacteristic…

Seal of the state of Florida, 1876

Florida seal

Seal of the state of Florida, 1876

Seal of the state of Florida, 1876

Florida seal

Seal of the state of Florida, 1876

Seal of the state of Florida, 1881

Florida Seal

Seal of the state of Florida, 1881

Seal of the state of Florida, 1904

Florida seal

Seal of the state of Florida, 1904

Diagrammatic section of Florida along the line N.S. showing the relative position of the shore.

Florida Shore

Diagrammatic section of Florida along the line N.S. showing the relative position of the shore.

Also known as Ficus aurea. A branch of a Florida Strangler Fig tree, native to the state of Florida.

Branch of Florida Strangler Fig

Also known as Ficus aurea. A branch of a Florida Strangler Fig tree, native to the state of Florida.

Also known as Thrinax floridana. Native to Florida.

Branch of Florida Thatch Palm

Also known as Thrinax floridana. Native to Florida.

Also known as Taxus floridana. A rare species of yew found in northern Florida.

Branch of Florida Yew

Also known as Taxus floridana. A rare species of yew found in northern Florida.

Silver Springs is a clear basin within the St. Johns River in Florida. It is famed for its depth and clarity of the water. This spring is seventy feet deep, as clear as crystal, and remarkably fresh and cool.

Silver Springs, Florida

Silver Springs is a clear basin within the St. Johns River in Florida. It is famed for its depth and…

The fort held by Spain in St. Augustine, Florida.

Spanish Fort in St. Augustine, Florida

The fort held by Spain in St. Augustine, Florida.

Early pictures of the University of Florida in Gainesville

University of Florida

Early pictures of the University of Florida in Gainesville

An illustration of Fort Jefferson which is located today in what is Dry Tortugas National Park. Dry Tortugas National Park preserves Fort Jefferson and the Dry Tortugas section of the Florida Keys. The park covers 101 mi² (262 km²), mostly water, about 68 statute miles (109 km) west of Key West in the Gulf of Mexico.

Fort Jefferson

An illustration of Fort Jefferson which is located today in what is Dry Tortugas National Park. Dry…

Fort Jefferson was built in 1826 in Garden Key, Florida and used in the American Civil War.

Fort Jefferson, Garden Key

Fort Jefferson was built in 1826 in Garden Key, Florida and used in the American Civil War.

The Castillo de San Marcos, previously known as Fort Marion, is a Spanish built fort located in the city of St. Augustine, Florida

Fort Marion, St. Augustine

The Castillo de San Marcos, previously known as Fort Marion, is a Spanish built fort located in the…

The Fort Zachary Taylor State Historic Site, better known simply as Fort Taylor, (or Fort Zach to locals), is a Florida State Park and National Historic Landmark centered on a Civil War-era fort located near the southern tip of Key West, Florida. Construction of the fort began in 1845 as part of a mid-1800s plan to defend the southeast coast through a series of forts. The fort was named for United States President Zachary Taylor in 1850, a few months after President Taylor's sudden death in office. Yellow fever epidemics and material shortages slowed construction of the fort, which continued throughout the 1850s.

Fort Taylor

The Fort Zachary Taylor State Historic Site, better known simply as Fort Taylor, (or Fort Zach to locals),…

Fort Taylor was built in 1845 in Key West, Florida and used in the American Civil War.

Fort Taylor, Key West

Fort Taylor was built in 1845 in Key West, Florida and used in the American Civil War.

Fort Pickens is a pentagonal historic United States military fort on Santa Rosa Island in the Pensacola, Florida area.

Forts Pickens and McRae

Fort Pickens is a pentagonal historic United States military fort on Santa Rosa Island in the Pensacola,…

A characteristic gastropod of the Atlantic coast from Cape Cod to Florida.

Fulgar Carica

A characteristic gastropod of the Atlantic coast from Cape Cod to Florida.

Hibiscus coccineus flowers are bright scarlet. The flowers bloom in July and August. The shrubs grow between four and eight feet tall. These shrubs are native to the marshy areas of Florida and Georgia.

Flowering Branch of Hibiscus Coccineus

Hibiscus coccineus flowers are bright scarlet. The flowers bloom in July and August. The shrubs grow…

An illustration of Indian Key located in the Florida Keys. Indian Key State Historic Site is an island within the Florida State Park system located just a few hundred yards southeast of U.S. 1 within the Florida Keys. The island was briefly inhabited in the middle of the 19th century, but is now uninhabited. It is frequently visited by tourists, and is the subject of an archaeological project to uncover the historic building foundations. Some of the survivors of the 19 ships of the 1733 Spanish treasure fleet wrecked in the Florida Keys by a hurricane camped on Indian Key until they were rescued.

Indian Key

An illustration of Indian Key located in the Florida Keys. Indian Key State Historic Site is an island…

Andrew Jackson, seventh president of the United States.

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson, seventh president of the United States.

(1863-1920) In 1901, Governor William Sherman Jennings of Brooksvillie was Florida's eighteenth governor from 1901 until 1905.

William Sherman Jennings

(1863-1920) In 1901, Governor William Sherman Jennings of Brooksvillie was Florida's eighteenth governor…

Genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. This juniper is found in barren soil form, in east Florida.

Juniper in Barren Soil Form

Genus Juniperus of the cypress family Cupressaceae. This juniper is found in barren soil form, in east…

"Two feet long, black above and dusky beneath. It is of an eel-like form, lives in the muddy water of the rice swamps, and feeds on worms and insects." &mdash; Goodrich, 1859

Siren lacretina

"Two feet long, black above and dusky beneath. It is of an eel-like form, lives in the muddy water of…

(1460-1521) A famous Spanish conquistador who settled Florida.

Ponce de Leon

(1460-1521) A famous Spanish conquistador who settled Florida.

Mangroves (generally) are trees and shrubs that grow in saline coastal habitats in the tropics and subtropics. The word is used in at least three senses: (1) most broadly to refer to the habitat and entire plant assemblage or mangal, for which the terms mangrove swamp and mangrove forest are also used, (2) to refer to all trees and large shrubs in the mangal, and (3) narrowly to refer to the mangrove family of plants, the Rhizophoraceae, or even more specifically just to mangrove trees of the genus Rhizophora. Mangals are found in depositional coastal environments where fine sediments, often with high organic content, collect in areas protected from high energy wave action.

Mangrove

Mangroves (generally) are trees and shrubs that grow in saline coastal habitats in the tropics and subtropics.…

An illustration of a Florida mangrove swamp.

Mangrove Swamp

An illustration of a Florida mangrove swamp.

Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles sailed to Florida to conquer and colonize.

Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles

Don Pedro Menendez de Aviles sailed to Florida to conquer and colonize.

(1807-1865) Portrait of Florida Governor John Milton. As a Democratic governor, Milton encouraged the early secession of Florida from the Union. On April 1, 1865, as the southern cause was collapsing, Milton shot himself at his home near Marianna.

John Milton

(1807-1865) Portrait of Florida Governor John Milton. As a Democratic governor, Milton encouraged the…

(1758-1831) US President 1817-1825

James Monroe

(1758-1831) US President 1817-1825

The musk tortoise draws its namesake from its strong musky odor. It is found from Maine to Florida.

Musk-tortoise

The musk tortoise draws its namesake from its strong musky odor. It is found from Maine to Florida.

"Federal troops marching through Second Street, New Fernandina, Fla. Our sketch of New Fernandina in 1862 shows the principal business street in the city, called Second Street. There seemed to be quite a joke in numbering streets where there were not half a dozen in the place; but the spirit of imitation was strong, and as Philadelphia and New York, with their thousands of blocks, are simplified and rendered more easily fundable by the aid of arithmetic, so must be the villages of the South." —Leslie, 1896

New Fernandina

"Federal troops marching through Second Street, New Fernandina, Fla. Our sketch of New Fernandina in…

An old Spanish gate in St. Augustine, Florida.

Old Spanish Gate

An old Spanish gate in St. Augustine, Florida.

A female pelican feeding its young fish.

Pelican feeding its young

A female pelican feeding its young fish.

An illustration of a pineapple field in Key Largo, Florida.

Pineapple Field

An illustration of a pineapple field in Key Largo, Florida.

Juan Ponce de León (1474 – July 1521) was a Spanish conquistador. He accompanied Christopher Columbus on the latter's second voyage to the New World.

Juan Ponce de Leon

Juan Ponce de León (1474 – July 1521) was a Spanish conquistador. He accompanied Christopher Columbus…

A Spaulding's Rose Potato, grown in Florida.

Spaulding's Rose Potato

A Spaulding's Rose Potato, grown in Florida.