Adult & Teen Summer Reading Challenge 2025
Week Four — Wild Florida
With booming development, it can be hard find Florida in its wild state. But, Florida is home to a diverse and unique ecosystem that includes subtropical landscapes, wetlands, saltmarshes, coral reefs, and coastal areas. The Everglades, actually a slow-moving river, is home to nine different habitats, supporting a large population of plants and animals that are considered threatened or endangered.
This mix of fiction, environmental non-fiction, and guidebooks will help you get in touch with Florida's wild side:
- Killing Mister Watson by Peter Matthiessen
- Florida Woman by Deb Rogers
- Alligator Alley by Mike Lawson
- Swamp Story by Dave Barry
- Cold Burn by A.J. Landau
- Skinny Dip by Carl Hiassen
- Everglades by Randy Wayne White
- Way Under Contract: A Florida Story by Charles Sobczak
- The Bucket Flower by Donald Robert Wilson
- Escape from the Everglades by Tim Shoemaker
- Wild Florida: An Animal Odyssey by Kirsten Hines
- The Everglades: River of Grass by Marjorie Stoneman Douglas
- The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean
- Cat Tale: The Wild & Weird Battle to Save the Florida Panther by Craig Pittman
- Gator Country: Deception, Danger and Alligators in the Everglades by Rebecca Renner
- Sunshine State: Essays by Sarah Gerard
- The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida and the Politics of Paradise by Michael Grunwald
- Easygoing Guide to Natural Florida by Douglas Waitley
- Hiking Guide to Central Florida: A Guide to the Area's Great Hiking Adventures by Timothy O'Keefe
- Backpacking Florida by Johnny Molloy
If reading about wild Florida isn't satisfying your craving for nature, here are some places around the state you might enjoy:
Bonnet Springs Park isn't just a top choice because it's close. This stunning oasis was voted America's #1 City Park in 2025 by USAToday readers.
The Timucuan Ecological & Historic Preserve is located in North Florida is one of the last unspoiled coastal wetlands on the Atlantic Coast, with 46,000 acres of creeks, rivers, marsh, wetlands and islands.
Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park is the last remaining expanse of Florida dry prairie. A bird-watcher's paradise, it is also renown for its lack of light pollution.
Everglades National Park. 'Nuff said.
Babcock Ranch in Punta Gorda was the single largest land preservation purchase in Florida history. This working ranch has land set aside for eco-tours and walking trails for animal sighting.
Ocala National Forest is known for its expansive pine scrub forests and numerous springs and lakes. The forest is also home to the state's largest populations of Florida black bears and scrub jays.
The J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, on a barrier island of Sanibel, is part of the largest undeveloped mangrove ecosystem in the country. It's also world famous for the migrating bird populations.
Blackwater River State Park is the largest longleaf/wiregrass ecosystem remaining in the world. Pristine waters and white sandbars make this a perfect nature getaway.
As a convenience and for informational purposes only, the City of Lakeland provides external hyperlinks on its website, directing website users towards certain outside sites; links to these websites do not constitute the City of Lakeland’s endorsement or approval of linked websites, or the information, products or services contained therein. All links the City of Lakeland Provides are consistent with the mission of its website. However, the City of Lakeland exercises no editorial control over the information website users may find on external websites. The City of Lakeland also cannot attest to the accuracy or appropriateness of information provided by external websites and organizations.