March 8: Coastal Mangroves & Tide Pools
Mary Applegate
Today was a great day, despite the traffic delay! Some of the most memorable moments for me were first of all finding the exoskeleton of a small horseshoe crab. The specimen was fully intact among the mangrove tidal areas. We named him Martin and he is on his way back to Michigan! This was topped off by finding one of the biggest spiders I have ever seen. I can honestly say it was beautiful, and that’s coming from someone who isn’t a huge fan of spiders. Moral of the story: I love the Keys.
Tim Cameron
The tide pools are a perfect example of living in extreme conditions. Not only do some of the small animals and plants have to deal with extreme temperatures, but they also must deal with lack of water. The tide pools were made up of Pleistocene coral reef that was living at one point. The species diversity is very low but the density is very high. Some algal genera that we saw were, Halimeda, Acetabularia, Sargassum. Invertebrates we saw included crabs, and queen conch.
Jenni Emmons
Tide pools are tiny habitat bubbles. Each one is different. I felt like a kid jumping from pool to pool to see what would be in the next pool.
Amanda Engelhard
I was very excited to find out that No Name Key does not use the traditional sources of energy - no electric power or water serve the island. I view the inhabitants as pioneers leading the rest of us into the future of alternative energy. I can only hope that the rest of the world will one day b able to convert to the use of solar energy, windmills and whatever else we can come up with to solve the impending energy crisis.
Megan Hinz
We had an amazing time at Bahia Honda State Park in which we were part of the few thousand people the park lets in each day. We made our way through a sea-grape-filled hammock and found ourselves face to face with one of the most pristine beaches I think any of the twenty-two of us will ever encounter in our lives. To conclude our serene visit, Dr. Skean had to make an “emergency stop” to take a photo opportunity of a lifetime, the fruit of a seven-year apple.
Jen Hopkins
While strolling along Big Pine Key, I saw many exotic species that are not native to Michigan. My favorite of these was a coconut that appeared to be watching me from the coral sand bed. It had three holes in the shape of a face, which happened to be the points of embryo attachment.
Mark Kluk
Of the creatures we came across on the shoreline at the Silver Palm Trail at Bahia Honda State Park, one was markedly out of place. As we crossed the tidal zone of the beach there, Kaitlyn found a small, dark yellow crab. Judging by its yellow-brown mottling and its pair of swimming legs, we identified the crab to be a sargassum crab. The crabs are one of many species specifically adapted to a life adrift in the great sargassum mats of the Sargasso Sea, an area characterized by huge mats of this brown alga. This crab’s coloration camouflages it in its unusual surroundings, helping it to avoid predators and catch unwary sargassum shrimp and filefish. What it was doing all of the way at the shoreline, far from any sargassum, I don’t know, but it was cool to see such an example of habitat specialization.
Adam Luck
Well, it was time for dinner after a tough day of exploring tide pools and pinelands. Dr. White’s culinary prowess would be put to the test against the top-of-the-line stainless steel grilling machine. Unfortunately, Dr. White’s culinary capabilities were no match for the grill - the grill didn’t have heat controls! Needless to say, a fireball shot out of the grill scorching our feast.
Kaitlyn Mackie
Dolphin, dolphin, dolphin! We had a dolphin sighting in the Mote Marine Lab area. He or she was not with a pod, which seemed unusual, but it allowed us some up-close action in he kayaks. We’re talking not even two feet away. Beautiful! Just a little adventure in paradise.
Audra Masternak
Two very exciting animal encounters happened today! One, I saw the first spider that I was not afraid of: a crab orb weaver. Red, spined-looking and much more “crab” looking than spider. The next was a Key Deer, which I had waited since Michigan to see!
Chris Metz
Today we checked out some Florida habitats. We saw everything from mangroves to tide pools. What struck me was the harsh conditions. No frehwater, extreme temperatures, and scarce resources all combine to create an extremely difficult place to live. These organisms show one thing; life finds a way.
Alyssa Porada
Today, while stalking a great white heron, I almost discovered a nude beach. After this near disastrous encounter, I found Mary looking at a cannon jelly. It was really cool, so I picked it up and it oozed its insides over me.
Karl Smith
We went to the tidal pools on West Summerland Key. While I was there I went off exploring and found an interesting tidal pool. The tidal pool was close to current point of the ocean but was separated from it. While investigating I noticed shells in the water, then found a shrimp. It was about 2.5 inches long and was moving around in the pool. I thought it was amazing that the shrimp was still alive in that type of an environment.
Kendall Tarrant
This first day was packed with a lot of different habitats. We spent the day driving to some different stops and getting out to explore. I really liked the atmosphere of this day and how observant everyone was. One person would point something out and then lots of us would gather. I love being observant of the outdoors and my surroundings, but being in a group of people of similar attitudes makes it that much better.
Dori Williams
Today we saw a ton of Portuguese Man-of-Wars. I had never seen one before an they were very cool. I was surprised to find that they looked so harmless when we were walking along the beach. There were even a couple of people that almost stepped on them. A couple of times we had seen broken plastic bottles and at first we thought they were Man-of-Wars, but they weren’t.