Southwest Florida Species

For this final blog, I will name few of the numerous species I thought were really interesting. When I went to Corkscrew Sanctuary Swamp I found different species as I walked around, but one of favorite ones was the baby alligators. It was my first time seeing so many so up-close. I was walking by the boardwalk and then I realized there were a lot of baby alligators laying around. I t was so hard to even recognize them because their body camouflaged along with the ground, it was so tricky! I learned when these baby alligators become adults they can weigh up to 1,000 pounds and between 10 to 15 feet tall. A tour guy said that the largest alligator reported was 19.8 ft, but that was not fully researched yet or proven, but is still a mystery. I kept looking around to see if I can see the mother alligator and to my surprise I did. She was not too far from them in the lake. She was too far to really get a good picture, but I zoomed in my camera and I got a pretty good glimpse of her. She looked huge and long, I could not even imagine how big she really was.

Another specie I really enjoyed learning about was the Barred Owl. I was almost done with my walk when I see a few people looking into binoculars and trying to be really quiet. I asked what they were looking at and soon enough one pointed at a tree for which I grabbed my camera and zoomed in (again) to see if I could see what everyone was looking at so amusingly. I finally saw it and it was Barrel Owl! It was sleeping though and it looked so adorable and gently. I heard another tour guy saying that they try to avoid any harm so they like to isolate in big natural trees hollow, which they build their nests on.  

Both species were my favorites, and I learned a lot about them when I attended the field trip. I was glad I had I had the opportunity to see them and take pictures!

Word Count: 361

Downtown Fort Myers Field Trip

This time I visited downtown Fort Myers to look at the different historical places and learn more about its history and how downtown looked back on the days. I did not go on any tours because they were expensive, but my teacher gave us the names of places that were really important and I decided to do a scavenger hunt. It was a long list, but I ended up finding all of the places. I visited the Southwest Florida Museum of History, which was very interesting and amusing. I learned a little bit of the animals of Florida in the Pleistocene, and one of my favorites was the Columbian Mammoth, which existed 1.5 million years ago and were huge; they were as tall as 13 feet and its teeth were known for crushing great quantities of food and plants. I also learned about the Paleo-Indians’ culture and lifestyle and how it was affected when the Spanish Conquistadors took over their lands. To finalize my personal tour of the museum, I learned about the Seminole War, how Fort Myers started being built, its first houses, its first trains (which I got to get into one and see the inside), police and firefighter department, and finally “Cracker House”. It was a great experience being there because I hadn't been in a museum in a very long time.

 After the museum, I went downtown to get something to eat. I had lunch with a friend a Ford’s Garage, which was one of the historical places of downtown Fort Myers. Its services have been going on since 1920, which I was so amazed about! I thought that was a great historic place and tasty as well. I also attended the Edison and Ford Winter Estates Museum, but (again) I did not go on a tour because it was expensive so I decided to take a walk and found Edison’s Botanic Lab, Mrs. Edison’s famous garden, which I thought it was so beautiful. It was a pretty hot day, but I still enjoyed walking around. After that I went to the Centennial Park, where I took many pictures of the Uncommon Friends mini fountain, the U.S Colored Troops, and the Art of the Olympians. It was a beautiful day to just relax in the park and enjoy the windy weather.

I think my favorite part of the field trip was when I went to the Indigo Hotel. I took pictures of the mural, the mosaic pattern of the floor, and went all the way to the top floor when I saw the best view of downtown! I loved being there and able to see the whole city, basically. I could see people walking around, cars driving, the Fort Myers Bridge, the gulf, I stayed there for a while and enjoyed the view until I decided to go home.

  

Overall, the field trip was a lot of fun. There was a lot of walking under the hot sun, but it was still nice because I got to enjoy the car show downtown was hosting. I got to go inside the Arcade Theater, Art Center, and saw the Ponce De Leon fountain!

I could not keep my experience under 300 because I loved it and I was glad I got to learn about the history of downtown.

Word Count: 550

Fort Myers Beach Field Trip

For my Colloquium class I attended Matanzas Pass Preserve, which is located in Fort Myers Beach, FL. I don't think I have ever heard of that place before until now. I did not have the time to be part of a tour, but I still saw a small presentation of the different beaches and islands of South West Florida. Crescent Beach and Estero Island are few examples, for which were shown in a display board. In the presentation I learned that the first bridge to Estero Island was built in 1921 and the cost of the toll was 54 cents and the Sky Bridge in Fort Myers Beach was built in 1979.

After the presentation was over, I decided to take a walk around the nature trail to see if I can spot any mangroves or any other landmarks. But it was a little difficult for me to find them because I have never seen one, but there was a sign that helped how to spot them. I still could not find one, but at least I got learned the descriptions of them.

As I enter the trail I took a look at humongous trees that surrounded me. They were so beautiful and I just could not resist so I started to take pictures of them. Trees are probably one of my favorite things about nature. As I kept walking I found a Sea Grape Tree, whose leaves were big and circular. I ended up finding a deck, which was Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve. There was also a map that described the conservation lands and parks that were open to the public, with accessibility by automobile, foot, bicycle, or boat. 

The view was amazing, and the water was so calm. It made me feel so at peace and I stayed there for a while because I felt very connected to Estero Bay because it made me feel like I was at the beach, which is my favorite sense of place I like to admire. Overall, I enjoyed the field trip, I learned about different exotic vegetation and the history of Fort Myers Beach!

Word Count: 352

ECHO Trip

For  this class, one are required to attend certain field trips to learn more about sense of place and become more knowledgeable about the environment. Not too long ago, I attended ECHO farm, which was the best agricultural experience I have ever had. The tour guy took me around ECHO farm and explained almost each plant around. 

                

When I was little, my dad owned a small little farm. I never really got to see it because it was far away from my house, but I saw it only in pictures. Eventually, he sold it; and since that day I have always wanted to have a farm. When I visited ECHO, I was overwhelmed at the amount of plants they had. I tried some edible leaves.

For example, I had Cranberry Hibiscus and I absolutely loved it. I can still feel  the leaf taste with a hint of cranberry in my mouth. I also tried Moringa leaves, which are leaves that can purify water when one lets it lay out in the sun. 

I became very interested in the way the farm had interns that were taught and trained to maintain an agriculture style so they can teach the poor how to survive. The interns are taught how to build houses from bamboos, what plants and leaves are edible, cook with limited resources, etc.

My experience at ECHO farm was fantastic. I learned a lot about different plants and its purposes, became friends with an intern there, which she was leaving to Haiti very soon, and I tried some of their cultivated fruit, and I could taste its freshness and natural essence. After the trip was over I became motivated to have a small farm in the future to also get fresh and healthy fruit. I would definitely go back again to have another tour and to try out the best star fruit ever made.

Word Count: 314

Childhood Neighborhood Description

My name is Karla Castro and I originally come from Lima, Peru. I do not have any pictures of my house or neighborhood, but I hope my descriptions are clear enough to paint a picture. What I can remember about my childhood neighbor were the parks and my friends. The houses around were constructed with cement and made earthquake-proof. My house was in the middle if three parks. Parks were significant in my neighborhood because it represented nature and unity among neighbors. After school, my friends and I used to play ball, tag, climbing trees, push each other on the swings, which our parents hung, etc. The parks were always clean and the city would take care of it very well. Someone would cleaning them by picking up the trash, planting new trees or upgrading its features

I knew everyone is my neighborhood because we would always go out instead of staying at home. My kindergarten school was a block away from my house. I still remember walking with my dad who dropped me off every day before work. We would walk in the gray asphalt, say hi Ms. Betty every morning, who would water her plants and pass the “Bodega” (a small local store). The security guy would always say hi to me and give me a hi-five. He would always drive around with his truck making sure everything was running smooth. I never asked his name, but he was a very amicable person.

It is nice to think about those times because it reminds me how much it means to me and the way I was raised. I loved the neighborhood I grew up with and perhaps one day, whenever I go back, I will show my kids where I am from so they can see how proud I am of my ethnic background. 

Word Count: 306