The Pittman Visitor Center, Ocala Forest, Florida (Feb 2020 - July 2020, and Nov 2020-June 2021)

 

The Pittnam Visitor Center is on the West side of SR 19 about 5 miles North of Altoona, Florida. Main occupants while the pace is closed, are lots of little lizards, with occasional visits from a black bear, a gopher tortoise, and various sand cranes. Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps back in the 1930's it is a beautiful house with many great displays.

USFS link

When we arrived in February the place was covered in dead leaves, just like a Fall day. However, as we looked around we found so many flowers in bloom, looking like Spring had arrived. It was hot all year, compared to Kansas anyway, and terribly humid. 

It rained almost daily, a heavy downpour during the summer, like a monsoon.

And we had visits from critters.... 

A snake in the toolbox

A gopher turtle who lived in the sand

Stick insects 

Other bugs I didn't have a name for

And the awful Palmetto bug

There were all kinds of bugs, including this critter called a Palmetto Bug - sounds cute but they are basically cockroaches that can fly a little. They got into our RV and even after a winter in Kansas they still turn up now and then. Adults are about 1" to 2" long.

HISTORY OF THE PALMETTO BUG

According to “The Fascinating History of the Palmetto Bug” by John Keasler in The Miami News, this creature probably originated in Iran (back when the country was still called Persia). Perhaps they would have stayed there had it not been for their high intelligence and ability to learn circus tricks. Seriously!

A man named John R. Palmetto recognized that these bugs could be taught to march in formation and perform acrobatic tricks. So, he created the Amazing Palmetto Bug Circus, which became quite popular. P.T. Barnum tried to buy these trained critters, but Palmetto wouldn’t sell. Instead, he took them on a national tour. When a train wreck occurred in South Florida, the circus bugs escaped and they found that they appreciated the Florida climate—and so they settled in and stayed.

According to another article, “The Meek Won’t Inherit the Earth” by Joe Workman, the bug was named by a real estate salesman who chose that moniker because the critters love living in palmetto bushes. No matter which story you believe, these bugs are part of our everyday life in Florida.