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Rating: 
Summary: Excellent guide to the naturally wild side of Florida
Review: As a person who has spent a good deal of time in many of the places listed in "Exploring Wild South Florida: A Guide to Finding the Natural Areas and Wildlife of the Southern Peninsula and the Florida Keys" I can say that it is a thorough, accurate, and informative guide to the South Florida area. This book is specifically made for the person who likes to explore areas that are still predominantly in their natural condition. If you are looking for a landscaped park to hike through then you will be disappointed. If you are looking for places where you are likely to see endangered species, the only air conditioning may be a breeze, and you may see very few people (if anyone) during your hike then this is the book you are looking for. Some places are truly remote and you may be on your own finding your way around (like the Florida Everglades) and some are less remote and may even have boardwalks through the forest to make your trip easier. The book starts with an extensive overview of everything you need to know about southern Florida - weather, what to wear, animals and plants to be cautious of, information on the various park systems, and anything else that you might have a question about when planning a trip. One of the nicer features of the book is a section on the various habitats that you are likely to encounter in south Florida. The author does an excellent job of explaining estuaries, coral reefs, cypress stands, mangroves, marshes, hammocks and other habitats. She covers what qualifies them as a specific habitat, what you should look for and expect in each of them and general educational information on each of them. She then covers special wildlife and unwanted pests before moving into the Federal Lands part of the book that actually starts the information on each site. When she gets to the specific sites she provides all the information that you will need to plan a trip there. She covers the local habitats you might find, wildlife, facilities, and complete contact information (worth the price of the book by itself). A highly recommended read for those who think camping equipment should not involve the word Winnebego.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent guide to the naturally wild side of Florida
Review: As a person who has spent a good deal of time in many of the places listed in "Exploring Wild South Florida: A Guide to Finding the Natural Areas and Wildlife of the Southern Peninsula and the Florida Keys" I can say that it is a thorough, accurate, and informative guide to the South Florida area. This book is specifically made for the person who likes to explore areas that are still predominantly in their natural condition. If you are looking for a landscaped park to hike through then you will be disappointed. If you are looking for places where you are likely to see endangered species, the only air conditioning may be a breeze, and you may see very few people (if anyone) during your hike then this is the book you are looking for. Some places are truly remote and you may be on your own finding your way around (like the Florida Everglades) and some are less remote and may even have boardwalks through the forest to make your trip easier. The book starts with an extensive overview of everything you need to know about southern Florida - weather, what to wear, animals and plants to be cautious of, information on the various park systems, and anything else that you might have a question about when planning a trip. One of the nicer features of the book is a section on the various habitats that you are likely to encounter in south Florida. The author does an excellent job of explaining estuaries, coral reefs, cypress stands, mangroves, marshes, hammocks and other habitats. She covers what qualifies them as a specific habitat, what you should look for and expect in each of them and general educational information on each of them. She then covers special wildlife and unwanted pests before moving into the Federal Lands part of the book that actually starts the information on each site. When she gets to the specific sites she provides all the information that you will need to plan a trip there. She covers the local habitats you might find, wildlife, facilities, and complete contact information (worth the price of the book by itself). A highly recommended read for those who think camping equipment should not involve the word Winnebego.
Rating:
Summary: Specialized, Specific, Useful, and Dry
Review: My title sums the book up rather well. If you are going to South Florida with viewing nature and wildlife as one of your goals, you'll find the book extremely useful. If seeing the show at the Alligator Farm and the Seaquarium fills your need for nature, you probably won't need the book. Assuming you do use the book, you will appreciate the amount of detail it includes, though you'll probably wish for better maps and more illustrations! Despite this, highly recommended if you really want a book of this type.
Rating:
Summary: Specialized, Specific, Useful, and Dry
Review: My title sums the book up rather well. If you are going to South Florida with viewing nature and wildlife as one of your goals, you'll find the book extremely useful. If seeing the show at the Alligator Farm and the Seaquarium fills your need for nature, you probably won't need the book. Assuming you do use the book, you will appreciate the amount of detail it includes, though you'll probably wish for better maps and more illustrations! Despite this, highly recommended if you really want a book of this type.
Rating: 
Summary: Good content needs more pictures
Review: Overall this book is quite good, I think it is geared more toward people living in Florida than people like me who are planning a trip. I wish it had more travel info and maps. I also wish it had more pictures than it does, so you could see the places it talks about which would help out a lot.
Rating:
Summary: Usefull for planning a wildlife watching trip to S. Florida
Review: We used this excellent book before and during our birdwatching trip to South Florida this spring. It was a useful complement to Bill Prantys 'A Birder's Guide to Florida'. In comparison to the latter book, you get more general information about the wildlife at different locationts and especially about facilities (e.g. bathrooms, food) at different wildlife refuges and parts of the Everglades National Park. In addition, there is a good introduction about different biotopes and 'special' animals and a stirring depiction of the passage of hurricane 'Andrew' over South Florida.
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