Florida Trails

Winthrop Packard invites readers on an intimate journey through early 20th century Florida, traversing the state from Jacksonville's shores to the tip of Key West. His account spans the winter months from November to April, when northern naturalists flocked to the Sunshine State, and captures a Florida that existed before massive development transformed the landscape. Packard writes with the keen observation of a scientist and the soul of a poet, dwelling on the extraordinary variety of birdlife, from warblers in the orange groves to pelicans cruising the coastline. He encounters alligators in the mangrove swamps, wild turkeys in the palmetto stands, and butterflies so numerous they cloud the air. The narrative moves with a naturalist's patience, pausing to observe, to wonder, to record. This is Florida as it once was, a wilderness at the edge of the American continent where the subtropical climate nurtured life in staggering variety.