ECHO Field Trip #3

              Earlier this morning our class went to the Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization (ECHO) and took a tour looking at all of the different plants and trees they had planted. The first one that was explained was the Cassava tree. It is able to grow in poor soil and has many uses. One being that Tapioca is made from Cassava trees. Also, 70% of the world’s carbohydrates come from Cassava trees, so it is of much importance. The ability to grow in poor soil also benefits other countries that do not have great top soil in which to plant their food in. We also saw lemon grass which can be used for teas and in soups.   

                Clumping bamboo trees were also throughout the guided tour. Clumped together, these trees are easier to maintain than running bamboo trees which requires more effort in maintenance. They are very strong and are used for building and their fibers can also be used to weave into clothing. Something like bamboo can be quite essential for those in need of having a plant or tree that has multiple purposes. I also saw a Mango tree, which I’ve heard a few of my friends say that they were allergic to. This is because mango is in the poison ivy family, so someone may have to be careful with the skin of the mango.

At ECHO, they had a tilapia pond.  I’ve eaten tilapia before, a specific kind of fish, and we learned about that also. The tour guide explained that tilapia fish are vegetarian and they eat algae. They are also hearty fish, beneficial to one’s health.

Next in our tour, we came upon the worm beds. With a thin layer of garbage, consisting of things such as newspaper, lettuce, coffee grounds, etc, they break this down into castings. This process takes between two to three weeks, and when the castings are pushed off the end, fresh manure is put down. It was interesting to see the setup of a worm bed.

Raised beds with plants and trees allow farming in areas of high rainfall or flooding to continue to be successful. Without the raised beds, these plants and trees would drown and simply not grow. We also witnessed compost beds which is a method for making soil out of waste organic matter in an urban area. These methods are adapted to keep the plants and trees growing healthy.

The Moringa tree caught my attention, as we had previously learned about this tree on our first field trip through the FGCU Food Forest. The Moringa tree is drought resistant and fast growing, reaching about 15 feet the first year. The leaves are edible and are a great source of vitamins, minerals, and protein. Moringa is also known to be used in infant formula. Moringa has seven times the vitamin C found in oranges, four times the calcium found in milk, four times the vitamin A in carrots, three times the potassium found in bananas, three times the iron in spinach, and two times the protein found in milk. Quite a healthy little thing for being so small!

One of the last places we visited was the area where Miracle fruit were growing. Miracle fruit makes anything taste sweet, even sour lemon. The trick is to keep it in your mouth for about 90 seconds and then take it out and try eating something sour. The sweet taste can last anywhere between a half an hour to an hour and a half.

Overall, this trip to ECHO was fascinating and very educational. I learned that there are a lot of plants that we here, in the United States, are not aware of and do not consume. However, these plants contain tons of minerals, vitamins, proteins, and other nutrients that are beneficial to our health. We can even adapt the methods displayed at ECHO, and can grow our own trees and plants to use for our families one day.

                                                                            Cactus

                                                                              Goat

                                                                            Rice Bed

                                                                              Trees!

                                                                    A little bit of ECHO :)

                                                                          Sunflower

Earth on Edge

        In class today we watched three clips from a movie called “Earth on Edge.” This movie was about how people’s demands of the Earth’s resources are pushing it to its limit. I’m going to talk about one of the three clips we watched, as this one fascinated me the most. The first segment we watched took place in Kansas here in the United States. This clip talked about farming and the methods that some farmers use and should use. This particular man was a farmer on a huge lot. The Dust Bowl ruined his prairie, spreading soil all over to the Atlantic and onto ships’ decks. Because of this, the farmer lost one third of his top soil and fifty percent of the nutrients. To this day, the land is not one hundred percent fixed. It takes years and years for the Earth to grow the nutrients needed to have the soil in shape from what it was before. The farmer talked about a variety of things. He mentioned his cattle and how most farmers keep up to one hundred cattle in a pen, whereas he kept his cattle out. This allowed not only freedom for the cattle, but exercise as well to help with the risks and incline of diseases. This could affect the food we eat. The ecosystems we live in are pushed to the limit because of the demand. With the population increasing so rapidly, the resources are being used up faster than it can produce them. Eventually, maybe a long time away, the Earth’s resources will be depleted. Pollution is another big factor that does and will affect everyone and the environment surrounding us. According to a woman who is doing a study regarding the resources, we can turn this around rapidly to save the resources, which is a good thing to keep in mind for future generations. Also, there is a dead zone in the Mississippi River where much of the wildlife is dead. This is because of the pollution coming from farms and industries which filtered down to the water.
       The farmer, in addition, talked about how he does not use chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers, making a healthier and safer environment for him and his crops. We talked in class about where the rewards come from for those farmers who choose the same type of method and what type of reward is involved. The rewards come from saving money otherwise spent on all of the pesticides, herbicides, chemicals, and fertilizers which would absolutely add up, and quickly. Farmers, however, use these chemicals and such because they get bonuses for doing so. This helps keep up good business for the chemical companies.
        In one case, a farmer was turned down from a loan from the bank because of the fact that he was an organic farmer and wasn’t going to use any of those listed above. Turns out that the bank had a huge account with a local chemical company and the company clearly stated to the bank that if any farmer wants a loan, they must use these chemicals otherwise they would take their account elsewhere. This puts the bank in a predicament, but losing a huge account isn’t worth it.
        All of these situations can affect Southwest Florida. First of all, things that happen in the Midwest can get into the Mississippi River which then runs into the Gulf of Mexico, affecting wildlife and us at the same time. Prices on food may increase because of the increase in cost of producing these foods. More so, if there is pollution in the underground aquifers then this can affect the water used for drinking, cooking, etc.
        I want to leave this with a riddle from one of our books: “A lily pond, so the riddle goes, contains a single leaf. Each day the number of leaves doubles- two leaves the second day, four the third, eight the fourth, and so on. If the pond is full on the thirtieth day, at what point is it half full? The answer is on the twenty-ninth day.” I enjoyed that riddle because at first I didn’t understand it, but after my professor explained it, it makes sense. Since each day doubles, the twenty-ninth day is half of what day thirty is. It also makes you realize how quickly these resources can run out and shows us that sustaining and maintaining our environment is necessary for not only ourselves, but future generations as well.

                                                                          Dust Bowl
 

 

"There are more people living inside this circle than outside of it."

 

 

 

Field Trip #2 Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Today our class went to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. At first, I was a bit hesitant as I’m not too much of an “outdoorsy” person, with the bugs and other little creatures. However, I really enjoyed our visit! The information was somewhat overwhelming because of all the different plant species and insects that we saw. While on the boardwalk, I thought how nice of a place this is to go and clear your mind when you’re stressed or just wanting to get away for a few hours. The scenery is beautiful and the noise of the bugs was so peaceful.

The first thing I want to reflect on is the Living Machine, found at the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. The water in the bathroom toilets and sinks go through the Living Machine first. The water is flushed to underground pumps, where they go through anaerobic digestion. This breaks the waste down and makes the water to near-drinking quality. It was fascinating to learn about, as I heard of this from a friend who had taken the class prior.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary consists of 1400 acres of preserved land. While there, I saw and learned of a variety of species that include: Slash and long leaf Pine Trees, a Red-shouldered Hawk, medicinal plants, Black vulture/Turkey vulture, Lichen, Tilansia species, Boston Fern, Swamp Fern, Royal Fern, American Alligators, Deer, Swamp Lily, Leather Fern, and much more. A few highlights that I found specifically interesting were one of the trees spotted where there had been scratch marks. I learned that big cats and/or bears use these trees to sharpen their nails for hunting and protection. They may also spray the tree to show a sign of dominance.

I also saw our Florida state tree, which is the Sabal Palm. Kim, our guide, showed us the difference between Sabal Palms and Saw Palmetto. The leaves on a Saw Palmetto are attached to the stem and they do so at a horizontal point, whereas the Sabal Palm has more of an arrowhead type of connection to the stem. It can be an easy distinction when comparing the two.

A term I became aware about today was epiphyte, which is a plant living on top of another plant. Among new terms that were learned, I saw a couple of species that I recognized! The first one we came upon was deer, which were lying down in the grass. Shortly after, we stumbled upon a huge American Alligator with its babies. It was so neat to see that from a short distance when I have never been that close before. They provide some benefits to the surrounding environment. First of all, the alligators create alligator holes which act as a refuge for other animals. They also clear plants out of the way when they’re walking, creating their own path. This helps to avoid clogging of plant species. Also, alligators take out the species that seem to be overpopulated or may become dominant. This helps regulate the species without one dominating over another.

           To sum it up, the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary field trip was quite fascinating and I learned an abundance of new things. Definitely a trip I would make again on my own time!

                                                                   American Alligator

                                                           Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

                                                                         Epiphyte

                                                                  Red-Shouldered Hawk

                                                                 Scratched Tree Marks

FGCU Food Forest Field Trip #1

     Today in class we went on our first field trip to the Food Forest at FGCU. I had no idea that the Food Forest was even there. I really enjoyed the little walk through the Food Forest, looking at all of the various types of plants growing there. It was interesting to see the different levels of the forest, starting with plants that were close to the ground, then plants at our eye level, and the plants higher above. Our tour guide stated that the plants inside the Food Forest would continue to grow by itself without needing much attention, which is good.
      I was thinking while walking through the forest that one day, when I move to a different place with a lot of land, I could plant my own things. Whether it is plants, vegetables or fruits, it's something that can save me money and it's an enjoyable experience. A person could also use this as income, as they could sell the products they grow.
      I particularly liked hearing about the specific kinds of plants that were edible. We were able to pick them off and eat them right there! It was neat because I wasn't expecting to be able to eat leaves or berries directly off a tree. Looking at the strawberries grow and seeing the bananas all curled up on the tree caught my attention. As Dr. Morris pointed out, bananas can only grow on one piece of the tree and when picked, they grow no more. That piece of information was intriguing because I never knew that. I just figured that they kept growing and people kept picking them, but that's clearly not the case. The Spanish Needles Shrub was cool to hear about. As the tour guide said, this specific shrub is native to Florida and can be of help in cases of ant bites, bee stings, etc.
     Another fact that caught my attention was the Papaya fruit tree. The tour guide explained that there can be a male tree, a female tree, or a male/female tree. When there is a male/female in one, the tree self-pollinates. On the other hand, when it's specifically a male or female tree, they take part of the cross-pollination.
     Overall, this experience was something new and something I'd definitely enjoy doing again!

Banana Tree!



Pigeon Pea Pod