Paynes Prairie
We have been crossing over Paynes' Prairie our whole lives and never really understood what it was. We spent
days in the campground on the rim of the prairie. They have a very interesting film about the prairie showing it's
unique formation and it's geological history as well as it's human history. It has a series of underground caverns
leading down to the aquifer on the North side and the water level changes drastically within the year. This water
level change is what keeps one type of vegetation from dominating the area. The trees are killed by the rising
waters and the water plants are killed by the droughts of the winter. In the late 1800's a large mass of logs
stopped up the entrance to the caverns and the area filled up with water. Steamboats and lake commerce
abounded. After 8 years the logjam burst and within one week, the lake became dry again. The state has spent
lots of time and energy trying to bring the flora and fauna back to the original state at the arrival of the Spanish.
Bison, Spanish horses, and cracker cattle roam wild on the prairie.
days in the campground on the rim of the prairie. They have a very interesting film about the prairie showing it's
unique formation and it's geological history as well as it's human history. It has a series of underground caverns
leading down to the aquifer on the North side and the water level changes drastically within the year. This water
level change is what keeps one type of vegetation from dominating the area. The trees are killed by the rising
waters and the water plants are killed by the droughts of the winter. In the late 1800's a large mass of logs
stopped up the entrance to the caverns and the area filled up with water. Steamboats and lake commerce
abounded. After 8 years the logjam burst and within one week, the lake became dry again. The state has spent
lots of time and energy trying to bring the flora and fauna back to the original state at the arrival of the Spanish.
Bison, Spanish horses, and cracker cattle roam wild on the prairie.
Entrance to park. Very pretty and lots of hardwoods with few pines.
This is part f the Florida birding trail with about 400 species at different
times of the year.
times of the year.
Beautiful hardwood Forrest with lots of cabbage palms
Visitors center was very nice with a great movies about the geological and human history of the prairie.
Buffalo lived in the park before humans wiped them out. They been
reintroduced in the 1970's and have a wild herd here now.
reintroduced in the 1970's and have a wild herd here now.
Bobcat. I have seen these in the wild in my past.
Two studs.
Fox
40 foot observation tower.
The prairie from the tower..