Florida Nature Spot of the Week: Anclote Key Florida

Spring is in the air and it is the perfect time to explore Floridian Nature! The island of Anclote Key houses both the Anclote Key State Preserve and the Anclote National Wildlife Refuge. Accessible only by private boat, this island park has a lighthouse and wildlife area that is a sanctuary for rare and endangered species. Blue-green Gulf waters lap gently along the preserve´s beautiful four-mile-long beach. About 1,000 years ago this island was pushed up from the Gulf floor to rest on a limestone platform. Its geologic growth hasn’t stopped. Recent research has documented a 30 percent increase in the size of Anclote since 1957.

Much of the 180 acres encompassed by Anclote Key is very damp and marshy, which makes it hard to travel around unless you walk along the sand beaches. The color of the water resembles that of the Florida Keys because it is a turquoise-color. The island's intercoastal side, or eastern side, has no beach. Instead, it has mangroves and mushy mud, almost like quicksand. The western side, or Gulf of Mexico side, however, is sandy from the waves. There are more of the taller trees on this side, like palms and pines rather than shrubs and mangroves. From the top of the lighthouse, you can actually see the distinct line in which the island is split between short shrubs and tall trees. One of the wonderful things about this quiet, peaceful paradise is that you can literally pull up to an un-inhabited part of the island, set up your chairs, and enjoy your own personal part of the beach.