Gumbo Limbo

Right near my parents' (and aunt and uncle's) condo in Florida is a nature conservatory dedicated to researching and preserving the wildlife along the Florida shores. Their mission is to increase awareness of coastal and marine ecosystems. It is named Gumbo Limbo, after a native tree that is also nicknamed the "tourist tree" for its red, peeling bark.One of the the things they do at Gumbo Limbo is help the sea turtles who return to the area to nest every year. The mother turtles lay their eggs in nests on the beach and when the babies hatch they sometimes need a little assistance to make it to the water. So people go and guide and protect the babies (from birds who want to eat them) as they make their way into the ocean. My Aunt Phyllis (our #1 blog "groupie!") did this one year and it was her idea to take Grace to Gumbo Limbo when we were in Florida last week.

I have been to Florida during the nesting season. People who live along the beach are asked to turn their exterior lights off at night. Most people do. I was really interested in this display that showed what types of light bulbs are okay outside during the time the turtles are nesting on the beach.We had a great morning wandering along the boardwalks among the trees....

...looking into tanks with fish, turtles, sharks, coral, etc....

....and climbing to the top of a 40 foot tower to see the view of the intracoastal above the tree line.There were two baby turtles about 2 years old that were brought to Gumbo Limbo from the reef across the street. One was a male and the other (pictured here) was a female. She had pink nail polish on her shell to distinguish her from her brother. They told us that they move the nail polish to a different spot each week so it doesn't damage the shell.
Thanks for the great morning, Aunt Phyl and for the photos you sent. I hope you enjoy seeing them posted in the blog!