Nature Walk

On our nature walk through the Eastern part of campus we walked through several different ecosystems including wet marsh, cypress domes, and prairie. Through our hour and a half we learned several little historical tidbits, facts about plant species found in Southwest Florida and how several species adapt to one another. 

We saw areas that like to be generally a little dryer and welcome fires, like the slash pine uplands. This area likes to be burned every 3-5 years to be able to clean out any "unwelcome" brush. As we were observing the area, it has been 6 years since its last fire and you can definitely see several different bushes growing. These could prove a problem in the future because with the bushes growing higher than the saw palmetto means that the fire will shoot up towards the taller pine trees; as well as burn slower and is harder to contain.

As we approached the cypress dome we found that it was rather dry. Normally a cypress dome could have water that reaches up to a person's knees and even as high as your thighs. Our guide encouraged us to come back one the rainy season is a little more upon us so that we can see how high the water is. In a cypress dome you could alligators, and that makes me not want to tread into those waters. 

I enjoyed the walk through Campus, it is kind of like our own little swamp. We don't have to travel all the way down to the Everglades to experience the swamp, we have a miniature version here on campus. Before taking the Colloquium class I did not know as much about the tree or plant species that we have, now I am able to identify some items that I see outside my house. The walk through Campus provides you with a better appreciation for nature and what Florida has to offer.