Big Cypress Tree State Park Weekend Activities Planned
SATURDAY, JULY 23
7 a.m. – Bird Hike – Meet at Visitor Center: Get an introduction to backyard birding with seasonal interpreter Taylor. This hike will be of easy difficulty and focus on the sound identification of common birds. Meet at the visitor center. Bug spray and water encouraged. Optional items include walking sticks, field guides, and binoculars.
10 a.m. – Feature Bird of Prey – Meet at Picnic Shelter: For the month of July, park officials are featuring a different bird of prey each weekend. Which one will it be this weekend? Swing by the picnic shelter and meet them.
1:30 p.m. – Pelt Station – Meet at Visitor Center: Seasonal interpreter Taylor will be set up in the visitor center showing off some of the pelts and skulls of mammals that can be found at Big Cypress Tree State Park.
2:30 p.m. – Snakes of Big Cypress Tree – Meet at Outdoor Classroom: Curious about what kind of snakes live around the area? Swing by the outdoor classroom to talk to seasonal interpreter Taylor about a few of the snakes that visitors would find at the park, why snakes are important to the environment, and how to identify venomous versus nonvenomous snakes. She’ll also introduce guests to Cornflake, the corn snake.
3 p.m. – Park Scavenger Hunt – Meet at Outdoor Classroom: Can you find all the answers to this park history scavenger hunt? Stop by the outdoor classroom to grab a scavenger hunt card and a sharpie from seasonal interpreter Taylor. A nature walk scavenger hunt card is also available for younger kids.
SUNDAY, JULY 24
7:30 a.m. – Bird Watching and Coffee – Meet at Visitor Center: Stop by the visitor center for a cup of coffee before everyone heads over to the park’s outdoor classroom to watch the birds visiting the newly set up feeders. Bug spray and water are encouraged. Optional items include field guides and binoculars.
9:30 a.m. – Snakes of Big Cypress Tree – Meet at Outdoor Classroom: Curious about what kind of snakes live around the area? Swing by the outdoor classroom to talk to seasonal interpreter Taylor about a few of the snakes that visitors would find at the park, why snakes are important to the environment, and how to identify venomous versus nonvenomous snakes. She’ll also introduce guests to Cornflake, the corn snake.
10 a.m. – Plant Identification and Preservation Workshop – Meet at Visitor Center - Paid Program $10: Join Manager Beasley for a fun, educational workshop with the goal of teaching basic plant identification and preservation of plant specimens using a plant press. During this workshop attendees will learn how to identify plants using field guides and dichotomous keys, as well as prepare plants to be pressed like in an herbarium. This program will be of easy difficulty with less than a mile of hiking and some classroom time for identification and plant pressing. This is a paid program, at $10 per person. All materials will be provided. Participants must register beforehand, and the class size is limited to 10. Visit http://tnstateparks.com/parks/big-cypress-tree and click on upcoming events to register today.
11 a.m. – Park Scavenger Hunt – Meet at Outdoor Classroom: Can you find all the answers to this park history scavenger hunt? Stop by the outdoor classroom to grab a scavenger hunt card and a sharpie from seasonal interpreter Taylor. A nature walk scavenger hunt card is also available for younger kids.
2 p.m. – Feature Bird of Prey – Meet at Picnic Shelter: For the month of July, the park is featuring a different bird of prey each weekend. Which one will it be this weekend? Swing by the picnic shelter and meet them.
3 p.m. – Plant Hike – Meet at Outdoor Classroom: Get an introduction to common plants with seasonal interpreter Taylor. This hike will be of easy difficulty and focus on the identification of common flowers and trees. Meet at the outdoor classroom next to the visitor center. Bug spray and water are encouraged. Optional items include walking sticks and field guides.
