The Real Fern Gully - Sawgrass Lake Park

Location: Sawgrass Lake Park
Conditions: Breezy (winds approx. 6 MPH). Cloud coverage around 75%-80%. Temperature approximately 80 F. Park is managed in some areas and unmanaged in others.

                Prior to exploring Sawgrass Lake Park, the class was informed of the 25 million dollar restoration project the park is currently undergoing. The project began in 2011 and was meant to be finished by 2013. As is not uncommon in Florida, however, the ‘construction’ is still underway. While there has been an indefinite extension, Dr.Goergen did make mention of significant improvements having taken place at least since the Spring semester. The intention of the project is to install natural and unnatural filters both in the park and to cleanse the pollution of the neighboring gun range which has contributed a significant amount of lead and arsenic to the water from bullet casings.

                The park naturally floods into a swamp and displays (in most areas) two to three layers, from what we observed. The floor was flooded everywhere we saw and growing from it were a plethora of ferns, who thrive here with their ability to survive in excessive shade. Among the ferns we observed were giant leather ferns. One of the first species we came across was an anhinga, who was violently insulting a surrounding cluster of young alligators. Considering the bird was still there when we left the park, one could infer that it was potentially guarding a clutch of eggs. At first, I named the bird as being a cormorant but, with clarification, I learned that while the two birds closely resemble one another, the cormorant has a curved beak and the anhinga has a more snake-like neck. We also observed air potatoes, a vine with heart-shaped leaves, and gar, a spotted, narrow fish.

                Further into our adventure we saw several downed trees, which are integral to this environment. With swamps, since the floor is near-constantly submerged, fires are mostly unable to naturally create space for new areas of exposure to sunlight and growth. A fallen tree can provide what is referred to as a nurse log for new plants to grow inside. The trees, themselves, fall from a lack of grounding. The submersion creates a lack of oxygen and makes it difficult for the roots to hold steady. The water, itself, appeared brown and murky. This was due to tannins being released from the submerged plants. We also saw water hyacinth, an invasive water dwelling plant with purple flowers. 

                At the end of our journey, we inspected a cluster of gopher tortoise burrows. Expecting to only see the burrows, we were surprised to see someone was home! An adult gopher tortoise scurried hesitantly back into his burrow as we approached and some of us were able to capture a couple of pictures of the little guy before he was too far in. In addition to the alligators, the only reptiles we surveyed on our trip were this tortoise, one black racer, and several turtles – I, personally, saw one soft shell turtle and one yellow belly. Collectively, I’d saw we were able to observe quite a bit more than usual this trip and I’d love to return to the park for a longer stay sometime in the future!