Invasive and Exotic species within the Everglades!

Exotic and Invasive species within the Everglades:

By Coleman

There are many different Invasive exotic species in the Everglades. The species are bad to have in the Eco system because they steal resources from the native animals and plants that belong in the Everglades. A few examples of the Invasive Exotic plants in the area:

The Chinese tallow tree: This tree is a threat to the Everglades because it easily invades forests that are very wet. It is able to displace native plants it also can change soil conditions due to a high leaf litter. This tree was originated in China. It was brought to the United States in 1776 for seed oil production.

The Japanese Climbing Fern: This Fern is a Climbing fern that can reach the length of 90ft. It usually grows in a disturbed area. Like a road of a trail. The fern is so big that native plants bushes and shrubs are smothered by the plant and are cut off of water and sunlight. The fern grows in east Asia and was introduced to the United States for ornamental purposes.

Senegal Date Plum: The Senegal Date Plum is a tall tree that grows plums. The plums on the tree are edible to animals and humans. The tree grows in a wet area where there is enough water. What makes it invasive is that it will absorb water that is for native plants. It originates in western Africa mostly Senegal. It was brought to the United States for ornamental purposes.




Example of Invasive Animals:

Cane Toad: The toad contains a toxic slime that is produced when the toad is in danger. If a native bird of snake tried to eat the toad the toad would produce this toxic slime and it would kill the bird or the snake. The toad’s population is increasing dramatically. It is so common now that native bird and snake population is going down either from starvation or from being poisoned by the toad. It was first introduced to the United States in 1957 for unknown reasons.


Capybara: The largest rodent on earth may have been introduced to the Everglades when the animals escaped from a research center. The animals have been breading, sights of the animals are rare. The Capybara may be a threat to the native mammals because of its size and food consumption.


Oscar Fish: This fish was introduced from the Amazon. It is a large fish with sharp teeth. It is a threat to the natives because it steels food from them. The natives then die of starvation. It was introduced by people dumping their aquariums into the river canals.

Common Boa: This snake was introduced to Florida in 1990 by people releasing their pets. The snake is a powerful animal and kills all of the native birds and mammals. Breeding has been recorded. The snake’s numbers are increasing. Their habitat consists of rock land in the dryer parts of the Everglade Biboliography

Everglades CISMA. "Chinese Tallow Tree." evergladescisma. Available from http://www.evergladescisma.org/species/subinfo.cfm?sub=3079. Internet; accessed 28 February 2010.

Bargeron,, C. (2007). Japanese climbing fern. Invasive species. Retrieved (2010, February 28) from http://www.invasive.org/browse/detail.cfm?imgnum=5302045

Everglades CISMA. "Corporate Invasive species management area." evergladescisma. Available from http://www.evergladescisma.org/index.cfm. Internet; accessed 28 February 2010.

Wading Birds of the Everglades

“Sixteen different species of wading birds live in the Everglades. All have long legs for wading into the water to catch their food. The white ibis is the most common wading bird found here “(http://www.everglades.national-park.com/bird.htm#bird).

Great Blue Heron
(Ardea herodias)

• Family - Ardeidae
• Identification – The Great Blue Heron has long legs and a long neck which during rest and flight is held in an “S” shape. Its back, belly and wings are blue-grey in color.
• Food - Frogs, small fish, salamanders, lizards, snakes, and crawfish
• Nest - commonly found on channel markers, in trees, and radio towers near water. Uses twigs and small branches for the nest.

Roseate Spoonbill
(Ajaia ajaja)

• Family - Threskiornithidae
• Identification – Pink and white body with a few red feathers and a white neck. The long beak looks somewhat like a spoon, with the flat curvature at tip. The tail feathers as well as some feathers at the bottom of the neck are yellow.
• Food - crustaceans, insects, mollusks, amphibians, plants, small fish, shellfish, and shrimp.
• Nest - They build their nests in the trees out of branches, leaves, and grass.
  

Snowy Egret
(Egretta thula)

• Family - Ardeidae
• Identification – Mostly white with a black bill, black legs, and yellow feet. There is some yellow color between the eyes and beak.
• Food - Small fish
• Nest - are made of twigs and are found in the trees.

Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus rubber

Family—Phoenicopteridae

Identification—Mostly pinkish-white plumage with red

wing converts and black secondary flight feathers. It has pink legs and a turned down pink bill with a black tip.

Food—blue-gree

n algae, crustaceans, mollusks and other invertebrates

Nest—dried mud

Green-backed Heron Butorides striatus

Identification— It is dusty in color with a chestnut colored neck, a whitish chin and a stripe down the center of its neck. Their wings are greenish and along its back, wings and scapulars there is green plumage. Rarely will the Green-backed Heron extend its neck. Its feet are yellowish, except for males during breeding season, when they turn orange-ish in color.

Food— Small fish, amphibians, re

ptiles, crustaceans, leeches, spiders, insects, and mollusks.

Nest— They nest in shrubs and small trees.

Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea

Identification— The Little Blue Heron is a medium-large wading bird with long legs, and a long pointed, bluish beak with a black tip. Their head and neck feathers are dark blue and their legs and feet are a lighter shade of blue. Young birds are mostly white with dark tips on their wings and yellowish legs.

Food— fish, frogs, crustaceans, insects, and small rodents

Nest— platforms of sticks,

trees and shrubs

Family— Ardeidae

Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor

Identification— Tricolored herons have a blue-grey head, neck, back and upperwings, with a white line along the neck and a white belly.

Food— fish, crustaceans, reptiles and insects

Nest— on platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs

Family— Ardeidae

Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax

Identification— Night herons have a whiteish-gray body with a black crown and back. Their eyes are red and their legs are short and yellow.

Food—Small fish, crustaceans, frogs, aquatic insects, small mammals, small birds

Family— Ardeidae

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Nyctanassa violacea

Identification— They look very similar to the Black-crowned Night-Heron other than a white stripe below their eyes and a whitish-yellow crown and back.

Food— crustaceans, mollusks, frogs, aquatic insects and small fish

Nest—platforms of sticks in trees or shrubs overhanging water

Family—Ardeidae

Sandhill Crane Grus Canadensis

Identification— They have a grey body, red forehead, white cheeks and a long pointed bill. Their necks are long and legs are dark.

Food—insects, aquatic plants and animals, rodents, seeds and berries

Family—Gruidae

White Ibis Eudocimus albus

Identification— They have white bodies with black wingtips, which are exposed in flight. Their long, slender, curved beaks and legs are reddish in color.

Food—fish, frogs, insects, small reptiles, crayfish

Nest— stick nest in trees, bushed or near water

Family—Threskiornithidae

Wood Stork Mycteria Americana Endangered

Identification— The body of a wood stork is white with black wing tips exposed during flight. It has black legs with pink feet and a black beak. Their heads are dark brown and bald while their faces are black with thick, long, curved down, dusky yellow beaks.

Food—fish, frogs, large insects, lizards, rodents

Nest— large, made of sticks and found in forest trees, with up to 25 nests in one tree

Family—Ciconiidae

Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus

Identification— They have reddish bodies and dark green wings, their bill is brownish in color with a dark face bordered by grey-blue. Breeding birds have shinier plumage and a cobalt blue color around their faces.

Food— fish, frogs, insects, other water creatures

Nest— It nests colonial in trees, commonly with Herons.

Family—Threskiornithidae

Bibliography

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw139

http://www.nps.gov/ever/naturescience/birdspecieslist.htm

http://animals.about.com/od/birds/p/greaterflamingo.htm

http://home.sou.edu/~rible/wildlife/greenheron.html

http://www.chesapeakebay.net/bfg_green_heron.aspx?menuitem=14375

http://en.wikipedia.org/

Why I created this interim

I never had any interest in the Everglades until last year.   I was on Sabbatical and was traveling around the country.  Both my wife Misty and I grew up in Tennessee and we spent much of the fall there.  When winter finally rolled around we figured we should go check out Florida and because we would probably never have this opportunity again.  We camped on both coasts, the panhandle, and the keys, but finding campsites was tough because it was the beginning of spring break.  However, deep in Everglades National Park there was a campsite that was always empty called Flamingo.  So we went there for a week.

The drive in was relatively unspectacular until you look closely.

 

The Density of the wildlife was amazing.  I think I identified 15 species of birds in an hour.

As I was Looking at all the maps, I noticed this area of the Everglades called the 10,000 Islands.

 
As a Paddler, I simply had to go there.  The combination of the biological diversity of an estuary system and the relatively safe ocean experience in the shallow waters of the Florida Bay made this seem an ideal place to bring students and explore. 

As my year away continued, I was renewing my First Responder certification in the mountains of North Carolina and I started talk to a guy about how cool I thought it would be to go back there.  His name was Chris.  He had been an Outward Bound guide in the Everglades for 5 years and had now started working for a company called Everglades Area Tours. We both kind of looked at each other and said "Hey Buddy".    So this is the wilderness that we will be exploring.  With local knowledge and support as well as with one of the people that is very involved in the restoration of the Everglades.  It is a perfect fit for CRMS.

Fwd: Med Forms and Notarized travel Letter

As we approach our close encounters with the Gators please take a moment to make sure that your parents are getting the med forms signed and the Notarized letters signed as well.  Remember that travel letters need to be signed in front of the Notary.  You can often find a notary at the bank.

Cheers

Peter

First Meeting Agenda

• Slide Show and Introduction to Everglades
• Personal Goals
• Itinerary and Blog Post
• TO DO list
• Go through Personal Gear List - see in Paperwork
• Paperwork - Due back by February 17th
• Medical Form
• Notarize travel letter
• Blog Posts