GTM Guided Hike Trail Guide

GTM Guided Hike Trail Guide
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Purpose:
This guide provides an outline to the GTM guided hike offered as part of the public education program. The content is more than a volunteer could cover in the two-hour timeframe, so pick and choose the items you believe are of interest to your visitors.  Add your own content, as well, but please make certain you are pulling from reliable sources. TIP: If you are interested in learning more about GTM plants, a good resource is the Plants of GTM Research Reserve book that can be found in Classroom 2.

Using this guide:

The guide has two components: 

1. This document, the Trail Guide. This is a descriptive outline of topics you can cover in the hike. The numbered items listed below correspond to the locations pinned on the map, which you’ll find on the last page of this document and in the Companion Document. 
2. The Companion Document contains:
   1. Pictures of each of the pinned items on the map
   2. Items of interest that cannot be pinned down (frogs!) that you may encounter or visitors may ask about. Some are seasonal.
   3. Display sheets (props) you may find helpful, e.g. Florida geology map
   4. More detailed descriptions of some of the key points discussed in the guide, e.g. the workings of the ambrosia beetle
   5. A list of additional resources

Logistics:  

1. Pick up the red backpack from Shannon’s office or it may be at the front desk. The backpack will have a first aid kit, bugspray, sunscreen and the survey forms and markers.
2. Pick up the radio from Shannon’s office.
3. The hike starts at 9:00 a.m. from the trailhead. Inevitably, some visitors believe it starts at the visitor center and are confused about parking so while it’s important to start on time to respect those who were there on time, allow latecomers to catch up by doing your intro at the trailhead and pointing out numerous things during your first hundred yards or so.
4. You may want to consider your own props.  This could include a map of Florida’s shifting shoreline, timeline chart, yaupon tea, etc. Some possibilities are in the Companion Document.
5. You may want to bring a general field guide book as it may come in handy if you or a visitor are intent on identifying something.
6. You will be asked to provide a count of the number of attendees, so be sure to make note of that at some point during the first half of the hike.

Introduction:

• Welcome! Thank you for coming.
• Introduce yourself and other volunteers
• Explain logistics: Today, we are going to go on an approximately two-hour hike through many different habitats at the reserve. There are no bathrooms or water stations on the trail, so if you need either, please take advantage of the facilities at the trailhead. This is an interactive walk, so please don’t hesitate to ask any questions that may arise on the trail. We don’t claim to be experts, so if you spot something you’d like to share with the group, please do. We can all learn from each other!
  
  Please stay on the trail - not only to protect the plants and animals along the trail, but also because we want to reduce the likelihood of you encountering any critters. If it’s hunting season, give them an extra caution to be on the look-out for pick-ups that will be going up and down the road.
• Introduce the GTM NERR -  Who are we?
  Our official name is the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve. Does anyone recognize what those first three words are?  Most often, someone will recognize them as rivers. Explain the location of the three rivers and that those watersheds define the NERR.  Reiterate the name and ask if they’ve heard the word estuary ...what is an estuary?  Briefly explain an estuary, i.e. generally, it is where salt water meets fresh water, forming brackish water. Estuaries are home to unique plant and animal communities and while one of the most productive ecosystems in the world, they are often among the most fragile.
  
  We are “National” because we are connected on a national level to a system of 30 (as of 2025) National Estuarine Research Reserves. The reserves were created by NOAA as one part of the solution for maintaining healthy coastal resources, and most importantly...estuaries!
  
  “Research” is in our name because we do lots of research here, with scientists on our staff, and “Reserve” is in our name because we strive to reserve or “save” this place just like it is for years to come.
  
  What are we?
  The GTM Research Reserve spans over 76,000 acres from Palm Valley  to Palm Coast. That’s 40 miles as the crow flies, and the NERR is broken up over that wide area.  We have over 13 different land managing partners, including Florida Fish and Wildlife and the Department of Environmental Protection. So, it is a multi-use site.  People fish here, hunt here, do research here...and go on hikes here! Who remembers this as a state park?  Well, it changed to the NERR in 1999.
  
  Where we are standing now is part of the 12,000 acres north of St. Augustine. 9,800 of those just north of us are part of the FWC wildlife management area maintained for fishing and hunting. The remaining 2,300 acres are part of GTM proper.
  
  What do we do?
  Research. Imagine the 76,000 acres as a “living laboratory” meaning think of an experiment that can be done onsite. We have biologists on staff that do just that. They study things like the effects of warming temperatures, the health of the estuary, and human impacts on the estuary.
  
  Education. You can also imagine our 76,000 acres as a “living classroom”. We offer many different education programs, including school groups, summer camps, and public outreach. (Someone may volunteer that they were here on a field trip or as part of the summer camp program.) Your being here today is part of our education efforts, so thank you!
  
  Training. GTM provides training to professionals who are responsible for making decisions about coastal resources. This can include local officials, land managers, natural resource managers, community planners, and coastal business owners. We provide these key professionals with the most up-to-date scientific information so they can make informed decisions.
  
  Stewardship. And last but certainly not least is the responsibility of keeping the 76,000 acres in its natural state so that this preserve will be here when you (looking at a child) are visiting with your grandchildren. FWC Rangers work with the GTM staff to maintain the trails, the bridges, the beach crossovers, kiosks, and even do prescribed burns to maintain the marsh habitat.  We’ll talk about that more on our walk.
• Now that you’ve learned a bit about GTM NERR, let’s talk for another minute about estuaries. Who lives in Florida?  Who’s experienced a hurricane? Flooding?  Well, estuaries do a lot of good things for us. Can anyone think of some of the great things estuaries do for us?  The general discussion needs to include these three:
  • Serve as a buffer. Protect our inland areas from storms.  
  • Serve as a filter to help keep the water clean.  One oyster can filter over 50 gallons of water per day. That’s bigger than your bathtub!
  • Serve as a nursery. Over 75% of the creatures living in the ocean have spent at least part of their life in an estuary.
    
    Other ideas: Recreation (fishing, boating), Food Source (animals + humans)
• You are here today because you wanted to learn something new and we hope that through our programs we can not only teach you more about the cultural and environmental resources here, but also how you can help protect them.  With that, what can you do to help the estuary?  Solicit ideas.  These can include:
  • Pick up trash; you can participate in an ocean clean-up, too.
  • Pave less. Hard surfaces increase run-off.
  • Obey wake zones. Heavy waves cause erosion of our shorelines.
  • Fish respectfully - follow catch-and-release practices.
  • Use non-toxic pesticides and herbicides
  • Plant native plants
  • Keep septic tanks working properly
  • Respect our habitats
  • Take action! Organize a clean-up; write a story for your local paper; invite a guest speaker to your organization or school
  • Learn more!  Website: https://coast.noaa.gov/nerrs/  is a great place to start.

Between Trailhead and Marsh Bridge:

• # 1 - Gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) burrow. These are land tortoises that live in dry, well-drained, sandy soils. Their burrows are typically about 15’ long and 6-7’ deep, as they search for that optimal temperature of 72 degrees. Some burrows have been measured as long as 52 feet and 23 feet deep!  They are considered a keystone species because many other animals’ survivability is dependent upon the gopher tortoise.  Over 350 other species live in its burrows, from spiders, to mice, to snakes.  The pine snake nearly exclusively relies on the burrow for its home, so disruption in gopher tortoise burrows is having an ill effect on the survivability of pine snakes. They are herbivores; one of their favorite foods is prickly pear. It is a threatened species in Florida; it’s illegal to touch or in any way disrupt a gopher tortoise.
• As you begin down the road, introduce the habitat - a  Maritime hammock.  Hammocks are raised, dry, shady zones.  In fact, the word “hammock” is derived from a Native American term for “shady place.” It’s dominated by a large overstory of trees - pine, oak, bay, palm. The canopy helps to maintain a more constant temperature and helps block the wind.
• # 2 - Tread softly (Cnidoscolus stimulosus). This is often on the left side of the road, just as you start out. You’ll find this throughout the hike, as well, so it’s fun to “quiz” people on it later on. Its hairy stem and leaves are stinging - don’t touch!  Someone who didn’t follow that caution might have given it another of its common names - Finger rot.  Also known as bull nettle. The roots were eaten by Native Americans; supposedly, it tastes like potato.
• Stop at the kiosk and use this opportunity to discuss the Spanish and British colonial periods.
  • Florida was Spanish territory from its “discovery” by Ponce deLeon in 1513 until 1763 when control passed to Britain with the signing of the Treaty of Paris to end the Seven Years War, aka the French and Indian War.
  • While Spain used Florida primarily for missionary work and to protect the ship passage from Central/South America back to Spain, the English sought to capitalize on Florida’s natural resources. They also recognized that they could better protect their claim if they had British citizens living here. So, England set up a system of land grants to encourage settlers to establish plantations. James Grant, the governor of East Florida, set up a plantation that covered the Guana Peninsula that served as a demonstration farm.  Indigo and rice were the main crops. It was a slave plantation; there were slave cabins a bit south of where we are now.
  • Indigo (a blue dye) was the main export crop in British East Florida. Once cut, it is soaked in large vats to ferment. It then had to be beaten, then drained, then weighed down to further extract the water. The end result is “bricks” that would be dried on racks. It was a labor-intensive and very smelly job. 70 slaves worked the plantation.
  • Following the Revolutionary War, Florida was ceded back to Spain in 1783 and remained with Spain until 1821 when the US took over.
• # 3 - Red Bay (Persea borbonia). Just at the corner as you cross the road, southwest side, is a large Red Bay. This is a FL native. It’s related to the bay that we use to spice stews. Red bays are being devastated by Laurel Wilt Disease caused by a fungus carried by the Red Bay ambrosia beetle. The fungus gets into the trees’ tissues, blocking the flow of nutrients. This is a concern for one of their commercially grown relatives, avocados (Persea americana). There is no treatment; affected plants are burned. This particular Red Bay tree often has a few clusters of brown leaves. This is likely due to another ambrosia beetle, the black twig borer. This fungus only kills the infected branch.
• # 4 - Flatwoods plum (Prunus umbellata).  This small tree is located just after you walk past the wire road barrier. Deciduous, it is covered with white flowers in the early spring. Its purple fruits ripen in early June. The very sour fruit provides food to a variety of wildlife.
• # 5 - Hercule’s Club (Zanthoxylum clava-herculis) or Southern prickly ash can be found about 30’ west of the plum tree and about 25’ north of the trail. Native to Florida, it is also known as “toothache tree” or “tingle tongue”. Both Native Americans and early settlers used the leaves, bark or twigs of this tree to relieve toothaches, as chewing on it numbs the gums, lips and tongue. This is sometimes confused with the Devil’s Walking Stick (Aralia spinosa); you can distinguish between the two by the Hercule’s club having little mounds from which the thorns project, whereas the DWS thorns come directly out of the trunk.
• # 6 - Live Oak (Quercus virginiana). This is the dominant tree in NE Florida forests.  It was used for ship-building, as they took advantage of its curved limbs for the hull of the ship. Its acorns are high in fat; a good food source for animals.
• Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides). Spanish moss is neither Spanish nor a moss.  It is native to Florida. It is in the bromeliad family, as are pineapples. It is an epiphyte, meaning that it grows on other plants, but does not rely on those plants for nutrients.  Rather, it gets its nutrients from the air and from whatever debris may land on the plant.  It has little “scales” that catch water and nutrients.  It does not hurt the tree it’s on.  Native Americans had many uses for it: cloth, bedding, blankets, rope, even as a temper in pottery. It can have lots of insects, so best not to handle it.  Someone may bring up that it was used by Henry Ford in car upholstery and then he had to do a ‘recall’ because of all the bugs. Let them know this is NOT TRUE! This urban legend has been debunked by the Henry Ford Museum research staff.
• # 6a - Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) This native North American evergreen tree wowed the Europeans.
• # 6b - American Holly (Ilex opaca). These dioecious plants have separate sexes) is one of four different  hollies we will see on the hike.
• # 7 - Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) and Sabal Palm, aka Cabbage Palm (Sabal palmetto). This spot provides you with an example of saw palmetto, on the south side of the trail, and a younger Sabal Palm on the north side. A feature to distinguish between the two:  SP has a straight line at the base of the blades; CP blades emerge from a triangular-shaped base.
  • Key points on Saw Palmetto:  Got its name due to its having little teeth along the stem. Be careful!. It’s a keystone species, as over 100 animal species use it for nesting, foraging or cover. Thrives in a variety of habitats; it’s one of the first plants to come back after a burn. Spaniards took advantage of its teeth-like points and planted them on berms as further fortification. The trunk grows along the ground, so although it may look “small” it can actually be a huge plant. SP can be over 700 years old due to one part dying off, yet new blades sprouting.   Native Americans used it for baskets and roofing. Its flowers make a great honey.
  • Key points on Cabbage/Sabal palm:  Florida state tree!  Called Cabbage Palm because the heart (area just below where it branches) tastes like cabbage. Palms are more closely related to grasses, not trees (don’t have rings.)  It first grows its width, and once it attains its approximate adult girth, it will then grow in height.  Point out various stages of Sabal palm growth as you continue on the hike.
• # 8 - Sweet Gum (Liquidambar styraciflua). These are the trees with the star-shaped leaves and the brown, spikey seed pods. It is native to Florida. Sweet gum does not do well in salty or brackish water; therefore the water source where you find sweet gum will be fresh water. The sap has been used to make soaps and gum; Native Americans extracted its liquid amber to make a drink. The spike-y fruits’ points (called “beaks”) open to release the seeds. Infertile seeds have shikimic acid, which is one of the main components in Tamiflu. 

Marsh Bridge to Intersection with Orange Trail
At the Bridge:

• This freshwater marsh is an example of a coastal interdunal swale formed between two ancient dune ridges where rainfall collects. Often these swales can be found closer to the shore.
• This is a great place to explain the difference between a marsh and a swamp.  You can do that by asking the visitors if they know or can describe one difference between a marsh and a swamp. Or, what’s one thing they have in common?  Both are wetlands. A swamp has far more trees; a marsh is characterized by the dominance of grasses, sedges, reeds and shrubs. If the wetland has more than 1/3 trees, it’s considered a swamp. This marsh will become a swamp if fire is prevented from burning tree seedlings.
• Wetland restoration.  This area had been a huge ditch that was dug in the 1960s in an effort to control mosquitoes. It has been restored to its original interdunal swale, a depression marsh that includes a pond during the rainy weather but can dry up when the rains have passed.
• # 9 - Spartina bakeri, aka sand cordgrass. One of the very common grasses you’ll find in marshland is Spartina. There are different varieties; bakeri is a freshwater version.
• This area is very rich in wildlife: lizards, snakes, fish, frogs, mammals, birds. Anyone see/hear anything? Great white egrets are commonly seen here; frogs (tadpoles) can be close to the bridge. You may hear pig frogs (Lithobates grylio) here, especially during mating season (April to August.)  Their sound is like a pig rooting around. It’s a repeating grunting sound.

As you continue on the road along the wetlands area, you can explain the differences between grasses, reeds and rushes, using the rhyme: Sedges have edges, rushes are round, grasses have knees that bend to the ground. (The “knees” are the nodes found along their stems.) Generally, the stems differentiate the three:  hollow = grass; easily rolls in your fingers, it’s round = rush; doesn’t roll, it’s angular = sedge.

• # 10 - Star rush (Dichromena colorata). You’ll find this mostly on the east side of the road, in large pockets. It’s actually a sedge, not a rush. The flower is tiny, inside those top white bracts.  
• # 11 - Soft rush (Juncus effusus). You’ll find this throughout, as well.  It provides habitat and food for many different animals.
• # 12 - Dog fennel (Eupatorium capillifolium) is especially prominent in the summer/fall all along the marsh and hammock areas and visitors are quick to ask what it is. It is native to Florida. It grows quickly to about 5-6 feet tall. It is considered a weed and tends to pop up in pastures. Ranchers are quick to eradicate it because its leaves contain a low level of tremitol (a toxin) that causes dehydration in cattle.  It got its name because it was thought to repel fleas and ticks so had been used in dog kennels.

At the intersection of the yellow and orange trails (marker 8),

• # 13 Slash pine (Pinus elliottii). Needles are in bundles of 2 or 3. Got its name from the slash marks (big Vs) that would be made in the bark to extract the pitch which was then used to make turpentine, tar and rosin–naval stores. It was a very important resource until they developed synthetic alternatives.
• This is also a good time to mention that the signage on the trails was an Eagle Scout project. You’re likely to have some Boy Scouts - or former Boy Scouts - in your group so they’ll appreciate that.
• # 14 - Shiny blueberry (Vaccinium myrsinites) on the west side, after the Slash pine. Characterized by its very tiny leaves. White and pink flowers appear in late winter, with blueberries in the spring.  Berries are an excellent food sources for wildlife. (Edible for humans, too.) Blueberries working with fungi at their root tips can take advantage of nutrient-poor soil such as the sandy earth here. However, there are bog varieties up north that can likewise take advantage of poor soil.

While you still have some marsh habitat here (on the east side), look up, look ahead. This is a pinewoods flats habitat and you can point out the various pines. 

Between Intersection with Orange Trail to Bench at Red/Purple Trail

As you continue walking along the road, look for charred trees in the marsh area on the east side. This is from a prescribed burn in 2016. Prescribed burns are done every few years to control the growth of trees and larger shrubs. Doing so mimics the natural processes wherein periodic natural fires would serve that purpose. Prescribed burns have been customarily done in the fall and winter. However, foresters are finding burning in the summer better mimics the lightning strikes that naturally occur. The burn areas bounce back to life faster with greater plant diversity. In doing so, the natural plant cycles aid in the recovery of the marsh habitat. Without fires, eventually this area would become a hardwood forest. Also, some plants, e.g. sand pine, benefit from prescribed burns as the burning action is what enables their seed cones to open.  Saw palmettos are one of the first plants to rebound after a fire.

# 15 - Three native plants of interest, side x side:

• Bayberry/Wax Myrtle (Morella cerifera). Its blue waxy berries were used in making soaps and candles. Bayberry candles are derived from this plant. The berries are a high energy source for animals, particularly migrating birds.
• Gall Berry/Ink Berry (Ilex glabra) This member of the holly family is abundant in flatwoods forests. It sprouts abundantly after fire. The seeds provide food for many animals.
• Lyonia lucida. Also called Fetterbush, which refers to the growth habit of twisty branches that restricts or “fetters” movement of humans or animals through these plants.  Has beautiful small bell-shaped white or pink flowers. Has a very distinct vein that encircles each leaf. Seminoles used the wood to make bowls and pipes.  

# 16 - Rusty lyonia (Lyonia ferruginea). Also called Rusty Staggerbush. Can be found on the north side about 50 feet from the last stop. Native to Florida. The underside of the leaves are covered with fine hairs (pubescence) that are especially dense on new growth, giving it a coppery look. This is thought to help protect it from insects and reduce evaporation of water from the leaves. Generally, the sunnier and dryer the environment is, the more coppery the undersides. Its flowers are white, bell-shaped, clustered in spikes. Flowers are a good nectar source.  Deer browse on the leaves.  Its twisted trunks and branches were used for making canes.

Soon we find we’re beginning to leave the freshwater marsh habitat and entering more of the pinewoods flats. We’ll be moving into an upland forest habitat, more of the maritime hammock.  Look for the red splotches on the trees, especially the oaks. This is:

# 17 - Christmas lichen (Cryptothecia rubrocincta).  First, about lichens:  Lichens are a fungus living with an alga. Fungus cannot photosynthesize; algae have no protection from ultraviolet light. The fungus, then, provides a protective cover for the algae while the algae provides the nourishment. Christmas lichen got its name from its round shape, like a Christmas wreath.

There will be a slight curve to the right, entering more of the hammock.  Look for a pile of downed branches on the left, covered with another lichen, Usnea.

#18 - Old Man’s Beard (Usnea sp.). You’ll find this dangling from trees. It has usnic acid, which is an antifungal agent and antibiotic. Usnea was used to compress battle wounds during the Civil War. Usnea is a fructicose (coral-like or bushy-growth) lichen which does not grow well in polluted air. Hence, it is an indicator of air quality.  As there is a lot of usnea here, we have excellent air here!.

Just across from the usnea, on the north side of the trail is some more Rusty Lyonia.

50 yards or so before you reach the bench, notice the open area on the left.  This was flooded some time ago, killing trees, which in turn, created light gaps. This added light enables the growth of more herbaceous plants and young trees. Dead and downed trees also contribute to wildlife habitat and the recycling of organic material into the forest ecosystem.

At the Bench where the Red/Purple trail intersects the Yellow Trail

It’s a good idea to stop at this bench to give everyone a bit of a break.  This is a good time to discuss:

• Florida geological history.  Florida’s coastline has shifted significantly over time, which affects its baserock (largely limestone from marine invertebrates), land features and habitats.
  • During the last ice age (late Pleistocene, 20,000 - 12,000 years ago), Florida was much bigger, about 3x its current size. Imagine the west coast being about 100 miles further out, and the east coast being about 50 miles further out.  The climate was drier, too. 
    Early Pilocene, about 5 million years ago, Florida was much smaller. The southern third of today’s peninsula was under water.
    Scientists estimate a sea level rise of 2-2.5 feet during the next 100 years, which will again leave that southern section of FL underwater.
• Native American history. People have been living in Florida for at least 12,000 years.
  • 12,000 years ago (last Pleistocene) the climate was colder and drier.  Mastodons, giant sloths and other megafauna roamed through Florida.  People congregated around springs. No evidence of humans on the Guana Peninsula during this time period.
  • 10,000 - 2,500 years ago: Archaic period, with sea levels, habitat and animal species much like we have today.
  • 5,000 years ago:  Late Archaic period. Indications of humans visiting the Guana Peninsula. Orange ceramics, dating to 4,500-3,000 years ago are found. Orange ceramics (named for their orange color) are generally thick and may have some inscribed decorations. Shell middens are their local “garbage dumps.”
  • 2,000 - 1,000 years ago:  Woodland period. Raw materials for goods came from outside Florida, hence there were extensive trading networks.  The Sanchez Mound (about ½-way between here and the southern end of the peninsula) is from that period. It was excavated by Andrew Douglass in 1878, finding pottery, celts, (cutting tool, like an ax), and even some human remains. Those artifacts are housed in the American Museum of Natural History in NYC.
  • 1000AD - 1767AD - Timucuans.  A series of chiefdoms throughout Florida.  Lived in large communities; farmed, fished, collected shellfish. These were the Native Americans present when the Spanish arrived.  The last Timucuan died in Cuba in 1767.
• Spanish Mission. The mission of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe de Tolomato was  established in the 1620s on the Guana Peninsula. The mission was located a little south of the Sanchez Mound. About 25 families lived there by 1689.
• #19 - A Pignut hickory (Carya glabra) specimen is on the right just as you leave the bench. The nuts are very important to wildlife but have a bitter taste that early Floridians dismissed as being only suitable for pigs. Look for the nuts scattered all over the ground. The hickory wood is very strong so was used for things like ax handles and wagon wheels. If you take the blue trail back, you’ll be walking through a hickory forest.

From Bench to Shell Bluff

As you leave the bench, point out the slight rise in the terrain.  We’re into our maritime hammock habitat. 

• Some of the large live oaks will have branches crossing over the trail.  Look on the oaks for good examples of Resurrection fern (Pleopeltis polypodioides).  The ferns will be shriveled up, brown, and almost dead-looking during dry spells. With rain, however, they turn a vivid green; hence, the name - resurrection.
• # 20 - Very mature poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) vine growing on a tall, straight live oak. An oil (urushiol) causes skin irritation in many people. Despite that, many birds and animals can eat its leaves and berries with no ill effect.
• Sapsucker holes - Turn around and check out the sweetgum tree with all the somewhat parallel horizontal holes.  The holes are made by a yellow-bellied sapsucker (a woodpecker.) The holes not only provide sap for the woodpeckers but the sap attracts insects which become a protein source for the birds. They are true snowbirds (HA!) as they are in Florida only during the winter months.
• # 21 - Switch cane (Arundinaria gigantea) will be on both sides of the trail. This is the only FL native bamboo (there are two others native to the US.)  It’s actually a large grass. It only flowers once in its lifetime and then dies.  (..how sad!). It is used for erosion control and river bank restorations.
• To the south, just before the intersection with the blue trail, note the open area with a lot of dead trees (snags). This area was inundated with salt water during one of the hurricanes. A benefit to the die-off is the creation of light gaps.This effect is akin to the prescribed burns, where it opens up the overstory, so sunlight can now penetrate the ground, allowing grasses and seedlings to grow. This is also a “common” spot for pileated woodpeckers. Listen for their very loud drumming.
  # 22 - Yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria), on the north side, right after the intersection with the blue trail. The berries of this tree are important for wildlife. Native Americans used the leaves to make a drink, the black tea, which was a ceremonial drink. Europeans thought it caused vomiting, hence the name of this plant, vomiting holly. However, there is nothing in the plant that causes vomiting; the Native Americans likely simply just drank it to excess. Yaupon holly tea is sold commercially today.Yaupon is the only native North American plant that contains caffeine. 

As you approach Shell Bluff, point out the habitat changes.  They are seeing sandier soil, more shells in the soil, and more cedars. Cedars are good indicators of soil containing calcium or limestone -- which comes from all the shells in this soil.

There are also some huge grapevines along this stretch. They are muscadine grapes (Vitus rotundifolia) and are native to Florida. They fruit in late summer; these grapes are grown commercially as well.

Shell Bluff

• This is the Tolomato River, aka the Intracoastal Waterway, which was dug out during WWII. The original, natural shoreline was much further west.  
  • Note the erosion. This is caused by a combination of wave energy produced from boats as well as the impacts of storms. 
• Minorcan well. Point this out as an example of erosion; it was 30-50 meters inland when built. A 1988 survey estimated that about 35 feet of shoreline eroded since 1942. Juan Andreu built his home - and this well - in the early 19th century, with his homesite now submerged in today’s river. Minorcans were a group of 1,403 indentured servants mostly from Minorca, but also Greece and Italy, who signed on to work a plantation in New Smyrna in 1768. The landowner, Andrew Turnbull, was ill prepared to accommodate these servants and was ineffective at operating the indigo plantation. Death rates soared and in 1777, the surviving 600 Minorcans petitioned the governor of East Florida to release them from their servitude.  He agreed, and the Minorcan community marched 60 miles north, resettling in St. Augustine to become a vibrant part of the community, continuing to this day.
• Point out the shell middens.  This area has been used by humans since the Archaic period, 5000 years ago.  Middens are basically trash heaps, but archaeologists can excavate them, finding pottery, tools and other artifacts that provide clues to their culture. Archaeologists regularly survey this site.
• Look to the left (south) and they can walk along the tidal creek, which feeds another saltwater marsh. Lots of wading birds and fiddler crabs live here. Ospreys are often spotted fishing along this stretch.
• GTM biologists may be running experiments at this site. In 2019, they had:
  • WETFEET (Warming Ecosystem Temperatures in a Florida Ecotone Experiencing Transition) project measures the effect of warming temperatures on our estuaries. The chambers, open at the top with sides of horticultural plastic, are at a slightly higher temperature, thereby enabling the scientists to assess differences in plant life (e.g. mangroves expanding their northern range) and decomposition. The different plant roots as well as rate of decomposition affect surface elevation. The project was completed and taken down summer 2021.
  • Video monitoring of boat wakes. This is a UF study on the impact on the shorelines of wave energy from boats. No longer active.
  • If one looks across the Tolomato, one can see bare banks. These are oyster shells that have been washed by boat wakes. These spots are referred to as oyster rakes. 
  • # 23 - Here’s an indigo plant! (Indigofera tinctoria). This is very likely a remnant from the Grant Plantation. Probably native to China, but its origins are not entirely clear as it has been cultivated since at least 4000 BC. 

SURVEYS: Don’t forget to distribute the surveys, generally one per family. It’s recommended that the surveys be distributed at this time as visitors are taking a break, the picnic tables make for a handy writing surface and some may not return with you.

Heading Back

You have two options:  Head back the way you came, on the yellow trail, or take the blue trail to the orange, which will then rejoin the yellow at that Slash Pine.  

Blue Trail

• A hundred yards or so into the blue trail, you’ll be walking through a forest dominated by Pignut hickory. Again, note the nuts scattered all over the ground. 

Bench. Take the short side trail to the bench to get a view of a Saltmarsh. This is a nice overlook and a great example of zonation.  Zonation is the change of flora and fauna over distinct areas. The plant nearest you is black needle rush (Juncus romerianus). Touch its tip and you’ll see how it got its name!  While it can withstand a large range of salinities, it prefers lower salinity, hence you see it closer to the land. Animals that rely on black needle rush include marsh rabbit and muskrat. Further out is Spartina alterniflora, or smooth cordgrass. This plant is dominant in salt marshes. It can withstand high salinity, so you see it further out, closer to the Tolomato. These two plants are used in marsh restoration efforts because they are native, they do well as transplants and they help to encourage sediments.  

Orange Trail - right turn

• Saw palmetto trunks.  Without all the leaf litter, you now have lots of examples of the saw palmetto trunks “lying” on the ground. More can be found after the bridge.
• No longer there: # 24 - Bartram’s air plant (Tillandsia bartramii). Look for this on a grapevine on the right side of the trail between that left turn and the bridge, about 50 yards after that blowdown. It is easy to miss. Bartrum’s air plant is an epiphyte in the bromeliad family, meaning that it relies on other structures to support it; it is not a parasite. It is named after William Bartram, America’s First Botanist, who explored the Southeast from 1773-1777, documenting the region’s flora, fauna and Native Americans.  
• # 25 - Just before the little bridge is sparkleberry (Vaccinium arboreum) on the north side. Also called farkleberry or huckleberry. It is in the blueberry genus. This tree is remarkable when it’s flowering in the Spring. It has small, drooping, bell-shaped white flowers in dense masses. The leaves are ovals. Birds love its black berries.

Pause at the bridge.  If you are lucky, you may see a water snake!  This water is within that  interdunal swale near the beginning of our hike (the first bridge).

Yellow Trail - left turn
You are now rejoining the yellow trail that leads back to the trailhead.

Closing

Thank you.
Encourage them to check out the educational center.
Encourage them to check out other GTM public programs, e.g. family seining, and to check the website for other activities.
Leave the count of the number of attendees at the front desk.

This guide was developed in October 2019.