Welcome to Siesta Key Chapel’s Living Hammock!

You are encountering a coastal maritime hammock undergoing ecological restoration after hurricane damage.

Before identifying plants or taking photographs, please:

1. Set down your phone.
2. Take in a few deep breaths and relax.
3. Try to let go of any thoughts and feelings, and be present with your senses.

What do you see, smell, hear? Is the ground spongy or crackling underfoot? Are ambient conditions warm, moist, cool, cloudy or sunny? Do you feel any air movement, a calm coastal breeze, a forceful wind?  Is there any insect or anima activity – dragonflies zooming, birds chirping, squirrels playing?

What else enters into your field of attention? What relationships exist between the living expressions that your senses encountered? What appears to be in a process of change? What questions does this place raise?

What you notice today may help someone recognize a change tomorrow.

PHOTO POINT 01 | Observing Ecological Change

Every photograph tells part of the hammock’s story.

This coastal hammock is recovering from hurricane damage. As plants grow, wildlife returns, and ecological relationships change, photographs taken from the same location will help us observe that recovery over time. The area facing you is called the “Triangle Zone”, and was restored in early October, 2026 under grant funding from the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program. See the SBEP Planting List.

Take a photograph

1. Stand on the painted footprints at Photo Point 01, facing the direction indicated.

2. Look at the reference photograph and align the trees and other landmarks as closely as possible.

3. Hold your phone horizontally at approximately eye level. Avoid zooming.

4. Take your photograph and upload it below.

What do you notice?

What has changed compared to the reference photo? Do you notice a new plant, tree growth, wildlife interacting with the vegetation, or changed environmental conditions in the soil? Share whatever catches your attention.

Come back and see what changes.

Your photograph becomes part of an evolving visual record of this living hammock.

See What Others Are Noticing

After recording your own observations, explore what others have seen. What did they notice that you missed? What did you notice that they missed? What new questions emerge?

Photo Point 01 | Views of the Triangle Zone

These photographs show different perspectives of the restoration area surrounding Photo Point 01. They provide a visual record of the hammock’s current conditions. As visitors contribute repeat photographs from the designated observation point, this gallery will develop into a photographic history of ecological recovery.

The Triangle Zone Through Your Eyes

Follow the Triangle Restoration Zone’s recovery through baseline photographs and observations contributed by visitors.