Brooker Creek Preserve offers walking paths, nature center

TAMPA, Fla. — Brooker Creek Preserve: To many, it’s a place where humans are invited to observe Wild Florida.

And if you are lucky, you’ll see nature observing you. 

“The preserve is close to 9,000 acres.”  said James Stevenson.  “And here is where you can find real Florida. The plants, the animals.”

James Stevenson has been here 13 years, telling the story of this north Pinellas County spot.

Stevenson is a botanist, so definite apocalypse survival leader material. He can talk about air plants, lichen, uplands and swampy spaces.

In the swamp, he points out that trees will have a wide base to balance in the saturated soil. “That’s a condition called ‘butt swell,’” he said. 

Yes, butt swell.

Now, there’s even more to learn in their education center, a lot of it, through touch.

“They get to pick up snakeskin, who wouldn’t like that- and then they learn that snakes aren’t slimy,” Stevenson said.

Their most popular exhibit: a super-sized gopher tortoise burrow to explore, five times bigger and perfect for littles to explore. And grown-ups too, if you don’t mind crawling in public. (Just do it — and you’ll see snake and a little rodent living there too.)

“During a forest fire, there are about 400 species that will go into a gopher bureau (and) they all play nice,” said Stevenson.

Back in the preserve, a family discovers a full-grown three stripe turtle crossing the nature trail. Crouched and backed away, they watch.

“We’re here to observe, in quiet, in calm. Everything is very unhurried. This is where we can see wild Florida at its very best and at its quietest.”