Released in early March of 2011, this exciting new title is the companion book to Living Sanibel. The book has more than 600 full-color photographs detailing the flora and fauna of Southwest Florida along with scores of shots taken at the numerous eco-destinations found in this nature guide. Similar in layout and style to Living Sanibel, this book covers 291 species of birds, all the regional mammals and more than 90 species of reptiles and amphibians. The major difference between the two books lies in the parks, preserves and eco-destination section, which comprises fully half of the guide.
The first part of the book opens with the birds of southwest Florida. These include Osceola turkeys, limpkins, Florida scrub jays, snail kites and dozens more. All of these birds, along with their behavior and favored prey, are featured with the award-winning photography of Judd Patterson, Dick Fortune, Sara Lopez, R.J. Wiley, Heather Green, David Siebel, Bob Gress among others. The mammal section covers mega-fauna such as the Florida black bear, the Florida panther, wild hogs and a host of other smaller mammals such as the Everglade’s mink and the Sherman fox squirrel. The wildlife section concludes with an extensive section on Florida’s numerous reptiles and amphibians. This section also features the photography of Dr. Kenny Krysko, PhD. and head of the herpetology collections division of the University of Florida at Gainesville. Animals found in this section include Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes, invasive species such as Burmese pythons, Nile monitor lizards and greater sirens.
The second part of the book consists of 162 parks, preserves and eco-destinations spanning six Southwest Florida counties including Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee, Collier, Glades and Hendry. Of these numerous destinations, sixty-one of these are described in great detail. These destinations include places such as Mote Marine Aquarium, The Naples Zoo, J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, the Babcock Ranch and many, many more. To view an excerpt of this section of the book please click on the link that will take you to the pdf of Collier County.
For nature lovers, The Living Gulf Coast - A Nature Guide to Southwest Florida, is a "must have" field guide that will take you to some of the best kept secrets in America. You will find virtually unknown treasures such as the Venice Area Audubon Society Rookery, the OK Slough and Harn’s Marsh. Once there, you can turn to the front section of the book and identify almost any bird, mammal or reptile you come across. This one volume readily replaces a half dozen or more individual field guides. It is the definitive work for visitors, kayakers, hikers, bikers, birders, canoeists and nature enthusiasts.