Field Trip #4 - Jacksonville Arboretum & Gardens

6/25/2011 – Jacksonville Arboretum & Gardens

                As I have never been here before I was so surprised at how beautiful this area was.  The Arboretum is about 120 acres and has many different eco-systems.  During 1941 to 1961 this area was the property of Humphries Gold Mining Company.  They strip-mined the area of zircon and the minerals to make titanium.  Without these nutrients and the organic matter, the soil became white sand.   In 1970 the City of Jacksonville attained the property as a buffer to the water reclamation facility.  The property sat idle for over 30 years and during this time it was allowed to run rampant.  A group of individuals saw the potential and created what is now a beautiful piece of nature.

                There are 6 different trails in which there is such a diverse amount of things to see.  During the 30 years the land sat idle it was able to become what it is today.  The eco-system was allowed to become a home for different species of bugs, animals, and plants.

 The Lake Loop Trail has a 25 foot elevation compared to the other trails.  This area wound around the lake in which I was able to observe different species.  I wasn’t able to determine what type of animal was swimming in the lake; however there was something that bobbed itself across the water which had a very long neck.  My kids swear it was the loc ness monster.   In this area there was an information box explaining there were many Bald Cypress Trees in this area and they were flood-tolerant. 

 The Jones Creek Trail has a unique are that is considered a bottomland of hardwood hammock.  This area was filled with numerous plants.  The information box that was located in this area stated that it may be the oldest natural community type in Florida.  This area changes between being wet and dry and the types of species that live in the area have to be able to live in both types of environments. This was my favorite trail as it had beautiful creeks, bridges and step evaluations to climb. 

Throughout the trails the scariest was the Rosemary Ridge Trail because this trail is home of snakes that live in the palmettos.  I rushed thru this area due to the snakes but also because it was the 1 area in which was “plain”.  I was able to see some trees that looked as if they had been there for thousands of years, totally being draped with moss.  It was an incredible sight to think how long this tree has lived. 

The Upper and Lower Ravine Trails also had so much to observe.  We were able to observe the strangest looking bug as it was huge when its wings were open and it was flying around.  When it landing on my son’s walking stick it tucked its wings in and looked like a fat oblong crawling bug.  I couldn't get a good picture to our disappointment.