6 Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

Last week we went on our first field trip to 6 Mile Cypress Slough Preserve. We had a good time, but if I had known how many bugs were there I would have worn pants!

My favorite plant that we saw was the strangler fig. Because of it's name I originally I thought that the strangler fig kills th

e host tree. The guide told us that sometimes the host tree will die, le

aving the strangler fig standing and providing nutrients. I like the strangler fig because it is not the typical tree that comes to mind. Roots of trees normally grow underground and cannot survive when exposed to air, but the strangler fig actually starts from high in the branches of the host tree and its roots gro

w down toward the

ground.

We also saw a baby alligator and the guide told us how we can determine how old the alligator was. He said they grow about 9 inches every year. We determined the one we saw to be about 3 years old.

Our guide told us that since it as been a rainy year at the slough, many animals wouldn

't be seen. It was fun to write on the marker board the new animals we spotted while walking the board walk.

All in all, it was a fun and educational field trip.