Moccasin Lake Park

Field Trip 1

August 26th 2016

Moccasin Lake Park is 51 foot nature park located in beautiful Clearwater, Florida. I have lived in Pinellas County for my entire life and I had no idea Moccasin Lake was here. I would call it a hidden gem! When we arrived at the park I noticed that it was of course hot and muggy, but that was expected since we are located in a subtropical climate and it was the middle of August. The beautiful oak trees shaded over most of the trail through the park which kept me cool for the most part. 

There were many plants and animals we encountered that day. Here are a few:

Mimosa pudica: This Plant was one of the most exciting things I saw on our trip. The leaves closed when they were touched. 

Caesar Weed: We had the pleasure of pulling out this invasive species. It was actually fun! The Caesar Weed is not good for the natural ecosystem. We were walking through the park and it was tempting to just keep taking them out. 

Fern: The seeds on the backside show that it is reproducing.

Below is a fungus on the tree

 

This turtle looks like it was sunbathing. This little guy is in the Phylum Chordata and Class Reptilia/ Non-Avian.

This peacock wanted to join our class that day. Peacocks are in the Class Reptilia as well but are Avian. The peacock is considered an exotic animal in Florida.

Some unique characteristics I saw during our park visit is the differences in the very same ground around us. As we were walking through the trail we saw that to our left looked different than on our right. This was because of a disturbance. 

Another unique characteristic I saw was the creek that had turned red because of the Tannins. 

I would certainly recommend this park to all of my family and friends. I will be going back!