Field Trip #1 Fresh Water Environment

One of the habitats we experienced was the water in the springs. This fresh, cool, flowing water was home to many animals and plan life. I encountered many different species while on the river boat tour at Wakulla Springs. Some of these species I was able to get pretty good pictures of, however some were not willing to sit still long enough for a photo shoot.

 I was alarmed at how many American Alligators we encountered on our tour. Leaving the dock only yards away from the swimming area, we encountered our first American Alligator. The tour guide stated that they enjoyed the heat and would sit floating on top of the water for hours on end. They most commonly were on the embankments or floating among the algae and other plant life floating on the top of the water so as to disguise themselves.

We also encountered several West Indian Manatee or sea cows. These beautiful creatures have unfortunately been mistreated over the years by boaters. I was not able to get a picture of the manatee, but one of them was marked with a tracking device and I was able to snap a shot of the tracker on top of the water.

Another animal that was very abundant in the springs was the Suwannee Cooter. This is a type of turtle that lives along the Wakulla Springs. I noticed that these animals liked to be in groups around each other and when they were not resting on a log, they were peacefully floating in the water.

The trees that were most common along the river inhabited part of the water and part of the air, which is another habitat. These trees are called Bald Cypress, and they are very strong rooted trees that are designed to withstand water exposure and the other elements of weather. These trees are home to the nesting areas of Pandion Haliaetus, or Ospreys.

There were several types of fish and plant life in the springs also, such as Bream, Mullet, and Large Mouth Bass. Our tour guide mentioned that cat fish are also common along the springs. Some of the plant life inhabiting the springs algae, seaweed, Eel grass, and pond weeds.

According to the National Geographic, a freshwater environment is made up of water masses such as springs, rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, reservoirs, wetlands, and groundwater all over the planet that distribute freshwater to the wetlands, lakes, and the sea, all of which supports thousands of species including humans. These bodies of water contain either drinkable water or water with almost no salt. The freshwater environment I visited was Wakulla Springs. These springs are between 36 to 20 millions years old but were first noted on a map in 1863.

   The Aix Sponsa, also known as a Wood Duck, was very common along the river as well.  Another habitat we discovered was the air. As previously mentioned, trees and birds mostly live in this habitat and I encountered many different species. The Hawk, Anhinga, Snowy Egret, Great Egret, White Ibis, Limpkin, Hooded Merganser, and also the Monarch butterfly inhabited the air along the springs.  The land surrounding Wakulla springs is very wooded and shady which assists the spring water in retaining its high level during high months of the year, even though gallons of fresh water come from the caves below every minute. The relationship between people and this environment is very controlled. Wakulla Springs is a state park that is closed off at sections to protect the springs. The swimming area is roped off so that swimmers can only enter so much of the springs and so that they are protected from the animal life in the springs such as the American Alligator. The tour boats that are used at Wakulla Springs have been in used for so many years and on the same schedule that the animal and plant life have adapted to their disturbance they cause throughout the day. This enhances the experience all tour riders get when they tour the Wakulla River as they experience the animal life acting as if everything is normal. I think the springs have been kept up beautifully and maintained very well over the years. There are programs for donations that assist in the upkeep and management of the springs which helps people feel like they are able to help preserve the natural beauty of Wakulla Springs.