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! 
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