Thonotosassa (Tampa), FL

Our last stop was a campground in Thonotosassa, a suburb of Tampa.  It got us just outside the craziness of the area.  Too big city for us!!  But we were there to visit friends and had a great time doing so.  Fortunately, Thonotosassa is beautiful, swamp wilderness area and there are several trails.  We were able to stay within 5 miles of our campground and get plenty of hiking in.

The two main areas there are the Wilderness Park and Hillsboro State Park.  Not just hiking but biking as well.  Here are some pics from the area:

First day there on our way into the
Wilderness Park we saw sandhill
cranes!  Although we heard them
a few times after that day, we did
not see any more.

a male anhinga across the pond

Hillsboro State Park boasts a very nice suspension bridge

a little ringed snake, they don't get longer than 15 inches

the stripes on this zebra longwing should be yellow but the camera will not pick that up!

downy woodpecker

lots of woodpeckers around
we also saw pileated
woodpeckers

golden silk spider

at Hillsboro there is a good river for kayaking

oaks and palmettos at Wilderness Park

Wilderness Park had plenty
of wildlife as you can see
from these pics.

That includes gators, however,
we only got to see one
of those while there.

juvenile ibis

wood stork

a flock of ibis