TREE SNAILS OF SOUTH FLORIDA

The early morning sunshine of a June day awakened Peggy Ann
who sat up in bed and tried to think what made her feel so happy. Then
she remembered this was the day her daddy had promised to take her for
a ride to the Florida Keys.

As they drove south along the shore of Biscayne Bay they saw
thousands of flowers, flowers everywhere, purple, red, blue, yellow,
pink, white; and against a blue sky stood the Poinciana trees in flaming
dresses of scarlet.

Soon they left the tropical palms and flowers and houses and
were in wide open country of waving grass. Far in the distance could be
seen the tops of ocuntless [sic][countless] trees.

"This is really the beginning of the Everglades," said Peggy
Ann's daddy, "but today we are only interested in the Everglades
because here a most interesting little creature makes its home. It is called
the Florida tree snail.

"Now, as we travel along, I want you to look at this map of
Florida."

"A map of Florida! What has that to do with tree snails?" asked
Peggy Ann.