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What do manatees dream of? i would be it has to do with warm water, sun, abundant food and sometimes maybe little manatees? Here an adult manatee rests in warm Florida sunlight by a blue spring outflow. It is a rather bucolic scene. But what is wrong in this picture? Is there enough for this Florida manatee to eat so it will not starve like some unfortunate manatees did this past winter? Fortunately this adult manatee is healthy and well fed. The brown-green mats this photograph show the invasive Lyngbya algae that chokes out some of the manatee's food sources at freshwater sites all around the state. But something is being done about this. Currently there are very successful Lyngbya removal and eelgrass replanting efforts on the West Coast of Florida. And the East Coast manatees that make it this far inland have conservationists working hard here too. Just to the west of this spring in the left corner of this photograph is a roped off area of recently planted specially bred eelgrass that is protected in special cages. It is growing tall and will proliferate, joining other replanted areas around the spring run. That is a start but this Lyngbya will have to be removed also which entails cooperation of different agencies plus the communithy. The investment of time and money is worth every penny and man-hour to ensure the Florida manatee's future. Trichechus manatus latirostris, the Florida manatee. Silver Glen Spring, Ocala National Forest, Florida. USA. November 30, 2021.

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What do manatees dream of? i would be it has to do with warm water, sun, abundant food and sometimes maybe little manatees? Here an adult manatee rests in warm Florida sunlight by a blue spring outflow. It is a rather bucolic scene. But what is wrong in this picture? Is there enough for this Florida manatee to eat so it will not starve like some unfortunate manatees did this past winter? Fortunately this adult manatee is healthy and well fed. The brown-green mats this photograph show the invasive Lyngbya algae that chokes out some of the manatee's food sources at freshwater sites all around the state. But something is being done about this. Currently there are very successful Lyngbya removal and eelgrass replanting efforts on the West Coast of Florida. And the East Coast manatees that make it this far inland have conservationists working hard here too. Just to the west of this spring in the left corner of this photograph is a roped off area of recently planted specially bred eelgrass that is protected in special cages. It is growing tall and will proliferate, joining other replanted areas around the spring run. That is a start but this Lyngbya will have to be removed also which entails cooperation of different agencies plus the communithy. The investment of time and money is worth every penny and man-hour to ensure the Florida manatee's future. Trichechus manatus latirostris, the Florida manatee. Silver Glen Spring, Ocala National Forest, Florida. USA. November 30, 2021.