Florida is a special place.
We may not have sweeping views of towering mounts or backcountry roads sprinkled with fall foliage, but we are blessed with an enormous amount of natural beauty.
From winding sand dunes to sugar sand on saw palmetto trails, Florida is known for its subtropical splendor.
Sometimes that beauty takes the shape of a tree.
And even mangrove trees – which often resemble an unchanged wall of leaves – can be unique.
One near Bunche Beach has become special for me and my wife, Marcie.
It’s a scruffy little mangrove tree just north of the creek that bisects Bunche Beach.
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This is where we lounged under the tree’s canopy on hot summer days, the cool creek water washing away the impacts of the blistering sun.
It’s where we watched droves of wading birds, herds of manatees and pods of dolphins. We’ve seen bald eagle here, flamingoes even.
For us, the tree was a retreat, a landmark in a way.