A valuable nature guide for tourists and nativesIn this indispensable guide to the wonders of Florida's diverse fauna and flora, naturalists John Perry and Jane Greverus Perry trace the natural history of the state from its origins under the sea to present-day concerns about endangered species.Written for tourists and natives alike, The Nature of Florida explores the landscape beyond the familiar theme parks, golf courses, and beaches to open new vistas of quiet places nearby: great watery wildernesses, wide prairies, pine forests, silent rivers, and thousands of lakes. The Perrys describe and tell how to find some of Florida's best-kept natural secrets and unique ecosystems -- including estuaries, cypress swamps, subtropical woodlands, everglades, and coral reefs -- and provide a fascinating chapter on the state's most charismatic, and threatened, wildlife.The Nature of Florida is less a history of the state than a celebration of what remains of its biological diversity and a plea topreserve it.