Crossing the Tamiami Trail

We headed back to the Atlantic side to be nearer to Miami and hopefully better weather.   We made a few stops along the Tamiami Trail, Hwy 41 which traverses Florida with Big Cypress to the north and the Everglades  to the south. The Big Cypress Oasis visitor center felt a bit nostalgic as this was to have been the southern terminus of our backpacking trip along the Florida Scenic Trail.  Nevertheless we had a chance to learn about the fight to eradicate the  Burmese python and the Brazilian berry, two invasive species that are threatening the very ecology of that region.   The B. Python has eradicated most of the small mammal population and now targeting alligators and deer  as it’s food source.   It had no predator in this area and the female gives birth to about 80 babies each year, most surviving to adulthood.  According to the ranger, biologists are attempting genetic engineering to produce a population of only females without a means to reproduce.