Caitlin Kintz Colloquium Journal 4

Caitlin Kintz

IDS 3920

Journal # 4

 

During this semester in Colloquium we have learned about so many different types of Southwest Florida species. From different types of trees and plants to all different kinds of animals, I have learned about so many species that are in my own backyard. The melalecua tree was one that stuck out to me because it is seen all over FGCU campus and in the Southwest Florida area. Back home in West Palm Beach I live near a road called “Melaleuca Street”, which I drive on every single day at home but I never actually knew that the street was the name of a tree which I thought was so interesting. The melaleuca trees are very invasive and when the trees are cut     down, tons of seeds are found which produce even more melaleuca trees in its place. The melaleuca trees are beautiful trees but are very invasive to our environment. 

 

            Another type of Southwest Florida tree that was interesting was the Sabal Palm which is the state tree of Florida. The Sabal Palm has “boots” on the trunk that little animals live inside of and use as shelter. The American Alligator is a very dangerous animal that the male American Alligators can grow up to 14 feet long. They have large tails that are very dangerous and can hit their prey with. The American Alligators drag their prey deep underwater and store their prey in underwater dens.

          

 

  The Wood Stork is an endangered bird that is white in color with pink toes. The Wood Storks’ wingspan is 6 feet and they eat small fish. They even fly as much as 80 miles to retrieve their food. The Wood Stork uses their pink toes as bait and they wiggle their toes in the water to attract fish as fish think that it is worms. It is so interesting that animals have the intelligence to use their bodies in different ways to attract their prey. We learned about so many types of species in Colloquium and then on the field trips we were able to see these animals and trees up close and personal. Being able to gain the knowledge of different species in Southwest Florida and then being able to see in person what we had been learning about made it fun and information that I will always be able to recall. 

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