This field guide includes a list of plants from all elevations and both the Tucson Mountain District (Saguaro West) and the Rincon Mountain District (Saguaro East) sections of Saguaro National Park.

This Field Guide is based on the EOL Collection of the same name.

Charlotte Harbor is a subtropical estuary located in Southwest Florida, on the eastern side of the Gulf of Mexico. The Charlotte Harbor basin includes Pine Island Sound, Gasparilla Sound, Lemon Bay, San Carlos Bay, and Matlacha Pass. Fresh water is received from the Caloosahatchee River, Peace River, Myakka River, numerous creeks, and residential canals. The dominant shoreline is fringing red mangrove and to a lesser extent, black and white mangrove, buttonwood, juncus, bullrush, and seawall. The Charlotte Harbor watershed covers 857 square miles, and is the second largest estuary in the state.

For more information see- http://chnep.wateratlas.usf.edu/

References

Poulakis, G. R., R. E. Matheson Jr., M. E. Mitchell, D. A. Blewett, and C. F. Idelberger. 2004. Fishes of the Charlotte Harbor Estuarine System, Florida. Gulf Mex. Sci. 2: 117-150. http://research.myfwc.com/publications/

Kells,V., K. Carpenter. 2011. A Field Guide to Coastal Fishes From Maine to Texas. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. http://fieldguidetofishes.com/

Note:  Some fish in this EOL field guide are rare. Others are found only as juveniles in the estuary, or may be rare only in this location.     

This field guide is a work in progress, and is incomplete.

This a Field Guide of Animals that have been site verified.

Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve (GTM Research Reserve) is dedicated to the conservation of natural biodiversity and cultural resources through research and monitoring to guide science-based stewardship and education strategies.

GTM Research Reserve protects 73,352 acres south of the City of Jacksonville (Duval County) in St. Johns County and Flagler County on the northeast coast of Florida, one of the fastest growing regions in the state. The populations of St. Johns County and the adjacent Flagler, Putnam and Volusia counties have grown 20 percent since 1990 and are projected to grow an additional 20 percent by 2010. More than 1.3 million people live within 50 miles of GTM Research Reserve, including the cities of Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Palatka, Daytona and New Smyrna.

These protected areas provide habitat for a wide variety of fish and wildlife. A species list recently compiled for Guana River Marsh Aquatic Preserve indicated the presence of at least 44 mammal, 358 bird, 41 reptile, 21 amphibian, 303 fish and 580 plant species. It contains habitats essential to 48 protected animals and 8 protected plants.

GTM Research Reserve is also important for the economy because these include 16 species that are fished or harvested commercially and 18 species that are fished recreationally.

GTM Research Reserve is geographically separated into a northern and southern component, separated by the City of St. Augustine. The northern component (referred to locally as Guana) is associated with the Tolomato and Guana River estuaries and the southern component is associated with the Matanzas River.

Many denizens of the world oceans could be described as monstrous- they may have: tentacles, a fearsome reputation, big teeth, an air of mystery, way more than the usual number of legs, an alien or unfamiliar appearance, and, in many cases, a distinct lack of what you might call a face. Yet these monsters frequently also possess: grace, brilliant colors, striking patterns, pleasing symmetry, sparkly or shiny surfaces, and sometimes, a clearly visible face humans instinctively identify as "cute". This is a guide to those beautiful monsters.