Moccasin lake Park

On Thursday August 17th we went to Moccasin Park located off of 590 in Clearwater Florida. It was 78 degrees and 100% overcast and was 76 degrees. This park was established Moccasin Park in 1982, before it became a park it was a borrow pit. A borrow pit is defined as a place where soil, dirt, ect. has been dug so it can be used at another location. The park is a hammock ecosystem because when you look up all you see is trees. Moccasin lake consists of invasive and native species. All animals were taken out of the wild due to injury or the inability to survive on its own in the wild. Some of the animals we came across were a diamondback terrapin. This is a type of turtle that is 5-7 inches long, eats fish, snails and clams, and is a native species. We also encountered a marine toad; which is a non-native species from South America. It eats insects, cat food and dog food.

Along with animals we saw a lot of plants as well. One being a very common one moss. Moss is a non-vascular fungus due to its lack of roots.

We also saw wild coffee plants.

And a very large alligator, which is a native animal and is very common. This is the best picture I could get as it started to move into the water when we all arrived.

All in all it was a very fun day at Moccasin lake Nature park! It was fun to see all the different types of animals and plants, even though it was hot and I was all sweaty in the end! 

Moccasin Lake Nature Park.
Thursday August 27th.
Temperature: 76 degrees F.
Wind: W 4 mph.
Sunrise-Sunset: 7:07-7:58.
Clouds: Very grey, no sky visible.
Precipitation: 90%.

I arrived at the park around 1:30 P.M. not realizing that this was incredibly early. This gave me time to take note of the weather and learn a little about the park's history. One of the more interesting facts about the park was its past as a borrow pit. A borrow pit is a location where many people and companies "borrow" soil for use in other places without ever giving any back. This particular pit was reclaimed in the early 1980's and has been used and conserved as a nature park ever since.

Once the class arrived we spent the first hour or so examining the enclosures of both reptiles and birds. Among these was the King Snake, a native of Florida that is immune to snake venom and whose diet includes other snakes, reptiles, and birds. On the topic of birds, one of the enclosures held a pair of injured Bald Eagles which travel south to Florida for the summer breeding season.

These majestic birds scavenge for much of their food, often stealing prey from smaller birds.
After traveling through the park i noticed two rather worrying things. The first of which being the hostile takeover of the invasive species known as Caesar's Weed.

This plant has tall stalks and broad flat leaves, allowing it to shade out other plants thus making more room for it to spread. 

Lastly, is the problem of erosion. With the tremendous amount of rainfall this season moccasin lake park has undergone both flooding and dangerous washouts. 

As this water surges through it can wash away much needed soil, uprooting some plants and exposing the roots of others. The aftermath of a washout (as seen above) can create a dangerous environment for plants and animals alike.

Moccasin Lake

Moccasin Lake Nature Park

Kai Sacco

August 27^th, 2015

Temperature was 78 degrees Fahrenheit, 100% overcast with a slight breeze.

Moccasin Lake Nature Park was reclaimed in 1982 from being a borrow pit, where soil from the area was taken to other places. Ever since, the park has acted as an education and activity center for the public. Florida is known for its diversity, and our trip was not short of that. In the main building, our class stopped in to see the reptiles and amphibians housed there. Among those found were White’s Tree Frog (Litoria caerulea), a slimy little Australian native that was hanging out. His natural habitat ranges from Australia to New Zealand to New Guinea.

The red rat snake (Elaphe guttata guttata) was in the process of shedding his skin, so he wasn’t very active. However, those of his species can be found widely found in all the counties of Florida.

Two American bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), whose natural habitat spans from the Mexican border through Canada, were waiting for us next to Elvis the black vulture (Coragyps atratus).

On the nature trail we saw a variety of fauna including (but of course not limited to):

Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides)- native

Magnolia tree (Magnolia grandiflora)- native

Air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera)- invasive

Chinaberry (Melia azedarach)- invasive

Saw palm (Serenoa repens)- native

Beauty berry (Callicarpa americana)- native

Moccasin Lake Park

Location: Park is tucked away within a neighborhood.

Temperature: 78 degrees F

Weather conditions: Overcast -100% cloud coverage, Slight breeze.

History: In 1982, the location became a park after being used as a borrow pit.

Below is a picture of an American Alligator in Moccasin Lake (the pit)

 

 

After viewing amphibians, reptiles and a great horn owl in the information center, we then went outside and saw several rescued birds. One particularly interesting bird was a American Black Vulture(Coragyps atratus) named Elvis. Vultures are native to Florida and are scavengers. Their habitats include Fields, scrubs, water sides and dumps.

The park offers a trail that presents a plethora of native Florida flora and fauna. Below is a picture of the Green Anole, a native lizard of Florida.

 

 

 

 

Similar to many habitats, there were also invasive and non-native plants present in the park. The main invasive plant the park it battling in the Air Potatoes.  Due to the recent rain storms the Caesar Weed was also present throughout the forest under canopy. This plant is considered a secondary successor, it is an invasive plants.

 

 

 

 

Overall, this park allowed an enjoyable opportunity to see native Florida habitat with human influence.

 

 

 

Moccasin Lake

Weather: Overcast, 78 degrees, humid and slightly breezy.

Moccasin lake was a great adventure. I had an awesome time exploring this trail. Upon arriving I felt excitement considering it wasn't too hot outside and there was a nice breeze rolling through. Sure it was still a little too warm for me but at least it didn't feel like a typical Florida summer day. Unfortunately I was so caught up in the experience that I forgot to take any pictures so I apologize in advance for the lack of color in my post.

This trip was a great way of introducing a wide array of native and non native Florida wildlife to the students. We saw everything from Cuban anoles to an American alligator. best of all, We were able to see many captive animals that would be difficult to find during our hike. It was great to be able to spend time with several reptiles and birds of prey.

Most memorable though, was Elvis the black vulture. He was such an interesting bird with a lot of energy. It was easy to see that he just wanted attention from everybody. When i approached the cage he seemed to immediately notice me and he proceeded to come closer. I spent a good amount of time sitting there with him just staring in his eyes and talking to him. when i got up to walk away he followed me, so i walked in the other direction and he continued to follow. i started running back and forth and he would copy my every move. this was really exciting because most wild birds wouldn't act in this manner. Elvis was such a great showman that he alone made my trip worthwhile, everything else was just bonus.

August 27, 2015
Moccasin Lake Park
Clearwater, Florida
Weather:  Overcast, breezy, temperature "feels like" 79 degrees

Our first field trip was to Moccasin Lake Park in Clearwater.  This park is nestled in the middle of a neighborhood and one would never know such an expansive park with a lake is back here.  The nature exhibit in the front of the park houses examples of the many different plant and wildlife that makes Florida their home.  While in the nature exhibit we ran into this guy, the Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus, which makes it home in Florida among the trees and parks, while his cage was being cleaned out:

We saw a few examples of the amphibious life that can be found in the park and throughout Florida, for example, the Green Anole, Anolis carolinensis, which is not as common as the Brown Anole which we see everywhere in Florida, as well as this guy, known as the American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis, basking in a moment of sun on this otherwise dreary day:

It was a nice afternoon at the park where we gleaned some interesting information about the plants and animals co-habitating in this unique ecosystem

Lake Mocassin Park

Lake Mocassin Park
2750 Park Trail Ln, Clearwater, FL 33759
Date: August 27, 2015
Tempature: 78°F
Weather: Overcast


It was a very humid and overcast day due to the rain that previously occurred from before we arrived at the park around 2:00 PM. As we gathered in the parking lot I looked around and noticed you could clearly see that the dominant vegetation in this park was trees with spanish moss hanging from every which way among them. Before we entered the park Professor Georgen gave us some history on the park. She mentioned how when the 51 acre park was purchased in 1982 it was a borrow pit, which basically means people stole soil (not borrowed) from the pit. Also, one of the parks biggest expenses was removing unwanted and invasive species like air potatoes and the Cesar weed. I forgot to snag a picture of the many cesar weeds around the park but I did collect a leaf to put into my field journal!


When we entered the park there was a room with many reptiles and taxidermy animals that were native and some non native to Florida. I instantly went to the turtle tank and fell in love with the cutest Diamondback Terrapin. I found out that he was native to Florida and he could be found in Cape Cod and all the way to the shores of the Texas Gulf Coast.

Isn't he adorable!!!! He loved taking selfies. 

There were so many different plants and trees that were all around me. One of the first trees that caught my eye was the Laurel Oak, mainly because I liked it's name. The Laurel Oak is one of the many species of Oak trees in the park, and it is also native to Florida and some other states as well. It has linear leaves and it grows in sandy, moist, and well drained soil. 

Although it was a humid and hot day, I enjoyed my first field trip with my class and enjoyed learning about all the different species in Lake Mocassin Park. 

Moccasin Lake

2750 Park Trail Ln.

Clearwater, FL 33759-2602
 (727) 793-2976

oak hammock inside park

     Moccasin Lake is over 51 acres in size with over 1 mile of natural and boardwalk trails featuring six different ecosystems. The outdoor cages are inhabited by permanently injured birds. Trails are clearly marked with several picnic areas. This is one of Clearwater's jewels.

 http://www.clearwater-fl.com/gov/depts/parksrec/facilities/mlnp.asp

     Our class gathered in the parking lot near 2:00 pm. The conditions today were overcast, with the temperature about 78 degrees F. It rained heavy earlier in the morning so the ground was still slightly wet. The sun had not yet fully come out to dry things out.

The display area has live and taxidermy native and non-native Florida species. 

A sealed display case with some of Florida mammals.

The park has a wide variety of plants native and non-native.

Plants are marked with placards detailing the plants information

These placards contain great detail about the plant including the common name along with its scientific name. Details about how the plant grows and any common uses or warnings.

Thursday August 20th.
Temperature: 86 degrees F.
Wind: SW 5 mph.
Sunrise-Sunset: 7:03-8:04.
Weather: 40% precipitation, minimal scud, some small white clouds.

We started the day in the lab, where we went over many of the plant and animal species found in Florida. Professor Goergen also covered how scientists use traits to classify species. During the second half of the class period we found ourselves grouped by tables and tasked with a scavenger hunt. This scavenger hunt (pictured below) was designed to help ensure all of the student had a basic grasp of the material covered previously. Each team then headed out onto the SPC Clearwater campus in search of various types of plants, animals, and environments that were covered in the days lecture.

Here is our group posing with a Mammal that also happens to be a tutor from the science room of the LSC.

 Here i am posing with the Chameleon, an invasive species found in southern Florida.

Here is my foot posing with a bipinnate fern found near a retention pond on the Clearwater campus.