Beyond the Turn Around

Discover the patterns of Florida's seasons through a close look at nature over time Seasons are more than measures of time. They mark ecological turning points and stir collective memories. Although Florida is often seen as seasonless, Beyond the Turn Around reveals a different story. Liesel Hamilton highlights the state's subtle natural shifts, helping readers attune themselves to Florida's unique seasonality. From the vantage point of the Wakulla River, which flows from Wakulla Springs through the St. Marks watershed toward the gulf in Florida's Big Bend region, Hamilton looks and listens to changes observers might miss at first, like shifts in water clarity, plant life, and animal behavior. Red coral bean flowers bloom and then berry. The trumpet call of the sandhill crane signals the start of autumn. Manatees and alligators seek refuge from the winter cold. Hooded mergansers and spoonbills make their circuitous routes through the waterways. Through patterns of movement and reproduction, molting and migration, blooming, seeding, and fruiting, readers will come away with a new, more nuanced understanding of what makes Florida's spring, summer, fall, and winter. Blending lyrical narrative with ecological research, Beyond the Turn Around invites readers to reflect on their own relationship to the landscapes they inhabit.