Florida is a civilised place with eighteen million residents, fine universities, art museums, world-class restaurants, and other modern amenities. It is also home to panthers, bears, rattlesnakes, and alligators, just waiting to take a bite out of the unprepared.

With a keen eye for detail and a lyrical style, Jeff Klinkenberg sets his sights on the contradictions that make up the Sunshine State. No one else would think to engage a professional symphony orchestra tuba player to find out whether bull gators will thunderously bellow back at a low B-flat during mating season (they do, but only to that pitch). From fishing camps and country stores to museums and libraries, Klinkenberg is forever unearthing the magic that makes Florida a place worth celebrating.