Corkscrew Swamp

The second class we had we went on a field trip to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary down in Naples.  There at the sanctuary we learned about three different types of ecosystems that all are withing that one area.  We started in the Pine Uplands or Flatwoods, in this area it is mostly dry earth with pine trees, Sabal Palms, and Saw Palmettos.  It is home to the larger animals of the area like deer and black bears.  We then made our way to the second area, the Tall Grass Prairie.  This was the barrier between the swamp, which is the third ecosystem we saw, and the uplands.  It primarily consisted of grass with little to no trees letting us be able to see for miles up and down the narrow corridor.  We finally made it into the swamp were the earth was primarily wet and many parts would be underwater during the wet season.  It is home to animals like alligators and snakes.

The part of the field trip that I enjoyed the most was when we were walking back to the bus after the tour.  On our way back we took a different route and ended up coming across a mother Alligator and its babies.  After waiting and watching for a bit we were able to count a total of seven different hatchlings scamper out from their mother's protection either to get some sun of their own or to play around with their brothers and sisters.