Friday, August 28, 2015

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. 

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