Calusa Nature Center

Lauren Jump-

Lauren always enjoys being out in nature so it was okay the trail guide wasn’t available.  But at the same time it was disappointing  we weren’t able to gain any knowledge about the plants on the trail.  It is not easy to try to Google search the plants through written descriptions in order to identify their taxa (species, genus, family, order, class, phylum, kingdom, domain). 

The Florida Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina osceola) inhabits ponds and lakes with muddy bottoms and lots of vegetation.  Possibly similar to the wetlands we walked past on the trail.  Night time is their favorite time to be active.  Like me.  Unlike their ‘cousin’ turtles they do not like to sunbathe and instead prefer to dig down into the mud at the bottom of the pond and only poke their eyes and nose out.  This 4 year old girl probably wishes there was some mud in her tank but instead is sufficing by being inside a brick.  These omnivores range from Florida to Georgia.

 The Acer rubrum also known as the Red Maple is one of the most common and widespread deciduous trees of Eastern North America.  It was common in Lee County prior to 1930 when most were cut down for logging.  The poor tree did not look too healthy.

 This was my favorite tree.  I spent a long time trying to figure out its name with no luck.  The leaves as seen in the other image are spectacular.  Some students and I at first thought it was possible there were many ladybugs on the leaves- but no- it was the plant itself.  Beautiful.  

I thought the man made butterflies were the best fake animals at the Calusa Nature Center. 

Alex Maclean- 

This alligator has been in this cage for a very long time. One year before I was born I believe. I feel kind of sorry for it not being in its natural habitat and able to hunt when it wants and just be free. This Cage is all that this gator knows and all it will ever know most likely. This field trip was a good experience, i have been here many times but i was younger so this time it was a somewhat different experience i was able to learn more and see more of the animals and plants. 

Calvin Thornton-

I always enjoy the Calusa Nature center, but it seems that I’m always with either a large group or small children so I never get to see any animals that aren't in cages. Still, it is a nice, scenic walk.

Saw this one inside the butterfly garden at the beginning of the walk. This guy is the reason I was lost after everyone left while I was trying to take a decent picture.

 Saw palms abound. More of these than I cared to count.

Red Shoulder Hawk. Would have rather seen this one flying in the trees than in a cage, but at least he’s healthy and I got to see him.

Anna Dyson-

I greatly enjoyed getting out of the classroom and walking the Calusa Trails. 

 I did not mind that the tour guide was not there because it was nice to walk in a sort of silence and observe nature. When i wasn't watching my feet, trying not to trip over roots, i was imagining the South Florida environment before society had touched it. What would it have been like to be one of the indigenous women, living off of nature. 

This Lenta plant was growing in the butterfly garden. It is a natural host for larva and nectar for the butterflies. Although it is not normally found in South Florida, it was in a contained area suitable for the butterflies. 

 Urocyon cinereoargenteus, the gray fox is one of Florida’s most commonly seen carnivores. I would have loved to have seen this fox out on the trail rather than behind bars, but it allowed me to see details close up. I love foxes and hope to one day have a domesticated kit to raise. Most people confuse red foxes with grey foxes, but the major difference is grey foxes do NOT have a white tip on the end of their tail. Gray foxes prey heavily on rabbits, but they also eat rodents, birds, insects, acorns and fruit. They are active at night and usually hunt alone. 

There is only one raccoon (Procyonidae) species in Florida.The raccoon typically sleeps in trees during the day, becoming active in the late afternoon. I saw a raccoon in Naples at Freedom Park. It was in its natural environment, the sun was just about to go down and it was climbing down a tree getting ready to scavenge for some food. Once again, it was sad to see the animal in a cage but was nice to see it up close. 

Ishadeen Abreu-

I thought our first real field trip was nice even though we didn’t have a tour guide. I still got familiar with some new plants that I wasn’t familiar with before.  I was thankful that the weather was gorgeous for such a trip. I also really enjoy walking the trail because it brought back many memories of hiking and bird watching in the woods in Iowa.  I especially liked looking at the animals. My favorite was the bald eagle.