Yesterday was my first visit to the Ellie Schiller Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. Knowing it would be busy because of the holidays, I arrived right when it opened. I was one of the first 10 people in the small park and while it was chilly (a mere 42°) it was worth it!

The park encompasses Homosassa Spring, a first magnitude spring that is the head of the short, 7.7 mile, river of the same name. The area first became popular with tourists in the early 1900s as a railside attraction.

Passengers marveled at the fish and manatees amassed there. The constant 74° temperature of the water is the main draw, especially during the cooler months when the Gulf water drops into the low 60s.

In the 1940s, the area officially opened as a roadside attraction, expanding again in the 1960s to include native and exotic animals, many of them trained to perform. By the time the state purchased the property in 1991, that mindset was outdated. Today the emphasis is on the protection and conservation of native wildlife.

The park now provides refuge for injured or habituated animals that are native to the state. Residents include manatees, bobcats, Florida Panthers, Red Wolves, and foxes, as well as numerous bird species.

However, since the river runs through the center of the park, it is also visited by numerous wild animals that take advantage of the safe haven. Other than the charismatic flamingoes, all the animals in my photos above were “visitors”.

Speaking of flamingoes, while admiring them I overheard a Florida girl earnestly ask her dad, “Why is it so cold?” I commiserated with her, even though I was wearing my down parka and gloves. Yes, I’ve lived here for 5, going on 6, years now but I still keep a pair of them in my car (after all, that’s why it’s called a glovebox)!

In case you were wondering, the name Homosassa came from the Seminole and Creek languages and purportedly translates as “place where wild pepper grows”. The pepper in question is the native Firecracker Pepper (Capsicum annum). I didn’t notice any peppers but I did spot a scraggly wild orange tree growing in the mesic forest along the Pepper Creek Trail.

Overall, it was a lovely way to spend one of the last days of the year!