Moccasin Lake Park - Juan Amado

Moccasin Lake Park

August 26th, 2016
90 degrees Fahrenheit

Our day began around 10 am at the moccasin lake nature park, a 51-acre nature preserve. The trails in the park allowed us to observe wild life and different types of vegetation. 

 

 Our first activity was to pull weeds like the Caesar weeds and air potato. We did this for about 45 minutes, we were lucky that the area was shaded so it did not feel as hot. While doing this, we learned that these are very invasive plants and could potentially slow down or stop the growth different vegetation around them.

 

During our walk we heard different types of animals and actually got see some spiders and their nests. We also got see some turtles and at the river we saw a catfish.  At the end of our trip we went to the environmental education center where we got to see many different animal species.

 

The trip was an amazing experience where I got to learn many things about different ecosystems and forms of life. It was a great way to start the weekend. 

 

Moccasin Lake Park

Moccasin Lake Park

8/26/2016

Ken Miler, reporting.

Hot and humid.

We started our morning volunteering our sweat glands.

Some removed evasive species.

Ceaser weed and air potatoes.

Others leveled the floor of the owl enclosure.

Myself; helped dig a trench so to move standing water.

Everyone seemed to have a interesting time.

We all went on a trail walk. It was kind of interesting.

One place had there Biomes and near by with a raise of just a few feet.

Another Biome, totally different species.

At the end we observed handlers with some of the owls.

This seemed to be an enjoyable event by all.

I would highly recommend: 

Moccasin lake Park.

Located:

2750 Park Trail Lane

Clearwater, Florida

1.5 miles from SPC/Clearwater campus

Come.

Explore.

But, 

Watch out for the Poison Ivy!

Moccasin Lake Park by Martha Rhine

On Friday, August 26, we visited Moccasin Lake Park for our first field trip. The park is located in Clearwater, near the SPC campus. The class time consisted of helping pull weeds such as Caesar Weed and Air Potato, both invasive species in Florida, reviewing the different Biomes found in North America, and taking a nature walk to observe this particular environment.

The Caesar Weeds and Air Potato are out of control. They grow everywhere! It is simply overwhelming to think of getting rid of it all. Our class tackled one small section and did the best we could in about 45 minutes of working. The day was heating up fast, so I'm glad we stopped when we did.

 Air Potato plant covering the ground. This is a fast-growing vine native to Asia. It covers the ground fast and climbs the trees. This limits the growth and development of native species. 

Caesar Weed growing tall among the native trees and plants. It's best to pull it before it gets too tall and develops enough to spread.

Our nature walk served to teach us about this particular biome. We learned about native species to Florida, the invaders that threaten them as well as other threats, and how to recognize which areas have been affected and how.

 This is Moccasin Lake.

 Air Potato eaten by bugs.

We ended the trip by visiting the nature center and observing the animals that are kept there do to injury or handicap. 

                                                           Class was a hoot! #dork

Fun class, and a great way to spend the morning. See you next time! 

-Martha

Moccasin Lake Park (8/26/2016)

Location: Moccasin Lake Park

Date: August 26, 2016

Weather: Around 90º, hot and a bit humid

Moccasin Lake Park is a 51-acre nature preserve comprised of trails, boardwalks, ponds, creeks, and a dock on the lake.

When we began our day learning that we would be clearing out caesar weed and air potatoes I was less than enthusiastic; pulling weeds didn’t sound very educational. I’m glad to say I was wrong. During the hour or so that we worked I was truly able to see just how “invasive” these species of plants were and how in the areas that we cleared there was very little of any other vegetation. These plants blanketed the ground as far as the eye could see, taking over the area and pushing out all other plant life. It made me wonder about invasive plants and insects that may affect the world’s agriculture.

Throughout the park we could constantly hear crickets and often found spiders and other related insects from the Arthropod phyla, as well as the occasional earthworm from the Annelida phyla. We also encountered many classes from the Chordata phyla within the park’s animal sanctuary area, such as vultures, owls, and hawks (Avian Reptilian), frogs, toads, and salamanders (Amphibian), turtles and snakes (Non-Avian Reptilian), and at the lake I am fairly certain a few of us caught a glimpse of a catfish (Osteichthyes).

It was fairly easy to see a separation in the plant life at different elevations with even a slight change. Although native ecosystems are self-sustaining when left alone, some areas, mainly at the beginning of the trail, displayed evidence of Secondary Succession. On one side of the trail there was a full canopy of the trees and a lot of vegetation, while on the opposite side the canopy was sparse resulting in less vegetation being present on the ground. Often we passed tall pines (Coniferophyta) and cabbage palms (Moilophyta), a highly adaptable plant. We also came across specimens from the Fungi Kingdom. The shelf fungus (Ascomycota) was especially interesting to see as I don’t often encounter it. The lichen, on the other hand, I was surprised to learn was not only a fungi but also an algae.

Over all I would have to say that the most fascinating part of this outing was my experience with the Mimosa Pudica (Anthophyta or Magnoliophyta). This plant, the “Touch Me Not,” utterly amazed me when it folded its leaves to protect itself when it registered the electrical impulses from my fingertips. I am sincerely looking forward to more day-trips similar to Moccasin Lake Park.  

Moccasin Lake Park

Moccasin Lake Park
Friday Aug. 29 2016
Weather- Hot, humid and sunny
 This was my first time at this park, and what a great experience. This park includes 51 acres including trails through a hammock full of trees, plants, animals, streams and a lake. We saw  many eudicots, mostly oak trees, all throughout the park, we also saw a few different types of ferns (monilophyta), and spanish moss (monocots). When we first got there, we pulled non native invasive plants, Caesar weed and air potatoes, it was very hot and we all got very sweaty, but it was very rewarding and we were able to see how these plants were effecting the growth of native plants. Next we walked the trail and were able to see some examples of how factors such as water, elevation and disturbances can effect different communities. One example we saw was of disturbance, one side of the hiking trail was full of trees, it was shady and there were not too many weeds, this was an example of a normal hammock in florida that has not been disturbed, on the other side, it was sunny and bright because there were not as many trees and ceaser weed was very abundant, which was a sign that it had been previously disturbed. Not only was Moccasin Lake Park beautiful and full or many different species or wild plants and animals, but it also is home to many birds (avian) who can no longer be introduces into the wild, some of the reasons why included they were handled by humans or because they are missing a wing or an eye. The park also housed different amphibians (amphibia) such as frogs and toads, and also reptiles (reptilia) such as turtles (non- avian).