A gopher tortoise walks on sandy pine land and palmetto palms. This is their favorite habitat. It is considered a keystone species because it digs burrows that provide shelter for at least 360 other animal species, including diamondback rattlesnakes. Today, the greatest threat to the survival of the gopher tortoise is habitat destruction. Tortoises cannot live if they do not have undeveloped land with plenty of food and room to dig their burrows. Another less obvious threat that is related to development is land fragmentation. Gopher tortoises are herbivore scavengers. Their diet contains more than 300 species of plants.

The days are getting shorter and the nights are longer. A barred owl makes a loud hooting call that is answered by other owls. Some Native Americans believe the hoots come from spirits. With their big eyes, hunting at night is possible making them king of the night. Their diet consists mainly of small mammals, but they will eat birds and reptiles also. They get their name by the barred stripes on their underside, which is good camouflage in their woodland habitat.

A large Florida white-tailed deer walks out of a wetland browsing on legumes and oak leaves. He rubs his antlers on oak tree branches to sharpen them. It is breeding season. He will fight off other bucks to create his territory for his does.

Back Country by Bud Adams

Sunrises on Adams Ranch west of Fort Pierce take on spectacular hues because of a lack of city lights. Soon, the sun will light treetops, birds will start their calls, wild hogs will head to the swamps, cows will pair up with their calves, horses in the pasture for the night will head to the barn for a day’s work. A great day is starting.

A defiant axis deer stands in the road after leaving a thick oak and palm hammock. The deer is a native of India and was introduced to Texas in 1932 and today can be found in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, California and Hawaii. The deer have spots all their lives.

Eurasian collared doves wait for feeding time on a gate at Adams Ranch west of Fort Pierce. The birds feast on the same grain eaten by the horses. Native to Europe and the Bahamas, the species spread to Florida in 1989 and is now found in nearly every state in the United States. The birds are named for the black collars around their necks.

An American white ibis wades among other birds looking for a meal of crayfish, small fish and aquatic insects. During mating season, the ibis’s bill and legs turn from light pink to crimson red, like this one. The American white is the most commonly seen ibis in Florida.

Deep in the hammock, an adult barred owl sits on an oak tree limb with a fresh catch of lizard or “green anole.” Soon, its baby flies out of its nest and lands next to the adult, taking the lizard to eat. This is an example of how nature takes care of its young to continue the species.