Alafia River At Aldermans Ford Park 20170326_174727_HDR

Happy Friday my fellow lovers of flora,

Today’s photo is of a bend in the mighty(ish) Alafia river at Aldermans Ford Park. The Alafia River is a 25 mile long river which drains into Tampa Bay, The river was first documented by european invaders in the 16th century. The land around the area was once the home of the native American tribe called the Tocobaga who disappeared in the 18th century. The Alafia river branches off to nearly 30 rivers and streams around hillsborough county. The river was originally named Hunters River, but was later named Alafia which means river of fire, after the algae blooms and dirt in the river.

This photo was taken at at a bend in the river at Aldermans ford park before the beginning of spring, the water level was a little bit lower than usual and if you visit now you should be able to see even more flora and fauna. And you know what? You definitely should visit Alderman’s Ford park, especially if you are a fan of canoeing or simple hiking, it offers one of the county's most popular canoe launches and excellent campgrounds. This park also features a long paved trail which is excellent for running and jogging, and since pets are welcome, get that fat puppy out there for a brisk run.

During a trip to this park I actually got lost in the woods and wound up at a fence line next to a strawberry field, and oh boy, what a lovely smell a strawberry field lets loose into the air. Alderman's Ford park is over 1,000 square acres and dates back to 1848 when James Alderman built his homestead on the river, in the 1950s hillsborough county purchased the land and made it into the park it is today. The park is also a great place for families, with a covered shelter and large recreation area. On my first visit to the park I even saw a wedding made up entirely of people in camouflage, I almost ran into them, so hard to see.

Today's mission (number 4) should you choose to accept it, is to visit a large state, city or national park in Tampa Bay, capture a photo of the most interesting thing you see, then post it as a comment below. Since its a holiday weekend, this should be easy to do.

As always, the two original photos with the most likes at the end of the week will be featured here on Saturday and Sunday for everyone to enjoy.

Be sure to check out @localbeautytampabay on Instagram, from time to time we will post our B-roll pictures for your enjoyment.

www.instagram.com/localbeautytampabay/

Don't forget to take more water than you think you will need on your flower hike!

XoXo

Did you know that Local Beauty doesn’t actually own a DSLR camera? All of our pictures are taken on cell phones or very old point and shoot cameras at our own time and expense. We are trying to raise money to buy a proper DSLR camera that can shoot photos in RAW. If you would like to help Support our mission to bring the beauty of Tampa bay to your Facebook wall consider supporting us by making a donation through Patreon at the link below.

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Alderman's Ford Park - Alafia River Bend at Lithia Fl

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