Florida Living Research Paper

The Everglades, also known as the River of Grass, is one of South Florida's most treasured areas. It is an area still full of wonder and mystery. The Everglades is lined with a specific type of limestone bedrock formed by tiny organisms called byrozoans. These animals, though not related to coral, act like coral by extracting dissolved limestone from the sea water around them and using it to construct protective chambers in which to live. They then attach to various kinds of sea grasses on the ocean floor and coat them as well. Individual chambers combine together to form rock-like structures. Over thousands of years, when South Florida was completely submerged, a vast amount of this limestone

The Timucuan Preserve is a luscious green forest located on the northeast coast of Florida. Walking into the trails of the Timucuan, I hear the soothing sounds of birds chirping. I take a seat onto the bench next to the trail edge. Observing the runners pass by I can hear their fast foot steps on the soft earth. Time passes and a light breeze touches upon my skin. I have begun to notice the air as being slightly humid yet comfortable even without the light breeze.

On Saturday February 4th, I took the tram ride exploring Circle B Bar Reserve. Susan was the tram driver; Nancy was the tour guide and volunteers John and his son were the spotters. We toured three ecosystems of the reserve: wetlands, oak hammock, and highland scrub. It was interesting to learn the history of how the area was once wetland and they paid ranchers to drain the area for cattle ranching. Years later the property was purchased by Polk County Commissioners and the Southwest Florida Management District as the area needed the wetland to filter the water system. As a result, the wetland has created a haven for birds and presently there are 230 plus species in the area and Circle B Bar Reserve has become one of the best places for

In the passage the author states, “ Now that the Everglades has because a international treasure these snakes which are just doing what they evolved to do as they pig out on the native fauna (Line 28-29).” In this passage it helped me prove you can find beauty in nature. You can find beauty in anything

Orlando Florida is one of the most popular vacations spot in the world due to its popularity and attractions.Orlando Florida is a place i would like to go to because its would be a blast and i would have so much fun and never forget it.One place i would like to visit in Orlando, F because there are a lot of fun attractions, lots of good places to eat,beautiful sights to see, and lots of amazing beaches to visit.

As it thrashes its body from side to side, it creates a small hole filled with water. Plant matter and mud piled up around the edges of the hole create dry ground on which other plants eventually grow. After many years, grass, trees, and other plants surround these "gator holes" like fences. Gator holes are important to other species as well. As the water becomes scarce during the dry season, many animals search for food and remaining pockets of water. The gator holes attract crayfish, frogs, turtles, fish, and other aquatic species, all seeking refuge in the deeper waters of the gator holes. Muskrats, otters, deer, and raccoons, as well as a wide variety of beautiful birds, such as ibises, egrets, and herons, visit these sanctuaries to feed on the small animals that can be found there. Because alligators and the watery hollows they make play such an important role in the Everglades ecosystem, they are considered to be a keystone species since many other species depend upon them for their survival. This has earned them the nickname "keepers of the glades."

("National Geographic") The Green Iguana is originally from Northern Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean Islands, and Southern Brazil. These lizards were first documented in Miami, Florida in 1964. They most likely are in Florida because they were previously pets, or they were illegally dropped in channels. Although these animals may seem fairly harmless, within their feces lies salmonella, which can be harmful. ("Florida's Iguana Infestation") In regards to Florida’s ecosystem, the Green Iguana does not belong. Due to other nonnative animals’ negative impact on Florida’s ecosystem, it is believed that these animals are likely to bring detrimental issues as well. ("Feral Iguanas in FL") To many, the Green Iguana is thought of as “pesky” and “vexing”, causing people to call trappers to remove them. After they are captured, the trapper will either freeze their bodies and await their deaths or euthanize them. ("Florida's Iguana Infestation") The last invasive species to be described is the Wild

Hess, D. (2011). Mcknight's Physical Geography; A Landscapes Appreciation. (10th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc

The Santa Ana Wildlife refuge was a location in which we had to visit today in the morning. Santa Ana was established in 1943 for the protection of migratory birds. Thought it might be small for its’ size this refuge can be home to abundance of animals and bugs. The trails that we followed to today were the chachalacas trail and the willow trail. My hand on experience was ok. I think because I am taller than the average person I kept on getting hit with branches and kept on getting hit with a lot of spider webs. There were different animal on the bingo card today then the pervious location. These animals include the armadillo, turtle, and coyote. We also found another bird that was nesting on the ground, at first glance we thought it was a

The author states that this book is supposed to encourage the appreciation and study of road fauna. The author even mentions that a trip of one thousand miles presents the opportunity to see, identify, and possibly enjoy four hundred to four thousand animals. The author encourages the reader to think of the road as a habitat. Most animal habitats such as forests, lakes, marshes, and such have been apart of the world for millions of years, and the new roads conveniently run through these habitats. These new roads and highways are a relatively new part of these animals natural habitat, but the animals still include these roads as a part of their traditional habitat. Animals have not had a significant amount of time to adapt to this relatively new habitat. The road fauna is quite new

The first stop that I noticed a significant amount of wildlife is at stop three which is the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve Picnic Grounds. This ground was established by the University in 1983 which preserves a portion of the riparian habitat and provides a diverse wildlife habitat. Riparian ecosystems have a major importance to the animals and plants species. Many types of animals such as land mammals, migrating birds, amphibians, and reptiles can be found along Putah Creek. Some examples of animals that I saw were the California ground squirrel along with a myriad of squirrel burrows, European starling, and lots of crows. Some examples of plants that I saw were the California black walnut, valley oaks, and Fremont Cottonwood. I gave this stop a score of three out of three because I noticed major contribution of a diverse wildlife habitat compared to the other stops I went to. Another stop that I gave a three out of three was stop four because there was a significant amount of wildlife. This stop was near the creek which had lots of animals and plants. I heard lots of bird chirping and ducks nearby. Some plants that I saw were the California black walnut, blue oak, and some poison oak hidden between other plants. Some animals that I saw were the northern flicker and the California ground squirrel. Sadly I was not able to see any fishes in the creek because it was very hard to tell but I did see some creatures make splashes in the water. These two stops were the two best because they consisted of a diverse wildlife habitat which shows that UC Davis does a convenient job in conserving the

Finally, we gathered at the turtle pond where Pam approached me with a smile, dressed in a flowing white blouse, round black sunglasses, and stylish hiking sandals, an outfit fit for the 100 degree weather. Underneath the canopy of the Sequoia Sempervirens, trees which towered several feet high, we sat on a stone bench. From our point we overlooked a pond in which three medium sized turtles rested on a small log which had fallen from a tree near by. As the birds chirped soothing tunes above us and lizards zigzagged across the dirt path Pam began to tell me about UCR’s Botanic Gardens.

A small group of ecologists is looking beyond the pristine to study the scrubby, feral and untended. Emma Marris learns to appreciate ‘novel ecosystems’.

Ibex is the most commonly found animal. the snow leopard, wolf, red fox, brown beer, musk deer, etc are also seen in the valley.Among birds snow pigeons, chakors, house sparrows, snow cock, vultures, various species of finches, dippers, swifts, wild ducks,etc are found in plenty the region. The snakes and reptiles are virtually unknown in the valley.

I wonder what Clyde Butcher would say to me if I were to ask him to explain to me exactly how he feels when he is experiencing the Everglades and taking the amazing photographs of this beautiful place. Would his words come anywhere close to expressing his passion for the Everglades and other natural areas as his photographs do? Would his words be an even better explanation and expression of his feelings towards the Everglades than his photographs? How about Marjory Stoneman Douglas? What if I were to ask her to put her feelings and passion about the Everglades into a painting or into photographs? Would her works of visual art be a better representation of her connection with the Everglades than her literature? I