Cassava

Cassava

Cassava is known under many names such as, Manihot, esculenta, yucca and tapioca. Cassava is a plant originating from South America . It is a staple in many developing countries of Africa, South and Central America, India and Southeast Asia. Cassava can grow in poor soil and can withstand drought. Cassava plants are rich in carbohydrates, mainly starch, and are a major source of energy. Cassava is deficient in protein, fat, and some minerals and vitamins.  The nutritional value is less that of cereals, legumes and some other roots such as yams. Cassava leaves contain more protein than tubers but they lack some essential amino acids. The leaves are used for human consumption and animal feed. Cassava is the third most important source of calories in the tropics, after rice and corn. Cassava is grown by poor farmers,
many of them women, often on marginal land. This crop is vital for both food security and income generation.

Guava

Guava
Grown between the area extending from southern Mexico into or through Central America. Guava has been spread by man, birds and other animals to all warm areas of tropical America and in the West Indies. Guavas thrive in both humid and dry climates, but can survive only a few degrees of frost. Like other tender subtropicals, guavas need a frost-free location. They prefer full sun. In warmer regions guavas will ripen all year. There is a distinctive change in the color and aroma of the guava that has ripened.  They can also be picked green pre-mature and allowed to ripen off the tree at room temperature. Guavas are low in calories and fats but contain several vital vitamins and minerals. Guavas contain soluble dietary fiber,vitamin-C, Vitamin-A,beta-carotene, and lycopene (thought to help protect skin from UV damage). Guava can be eaten raw (seeds and all), cooked, or made into jelly, juice, and other products.

Downtown Fort Myers

Our field trip to Downtown Fort Myers was very informational and enlightening! I did not expect to learn so much history about Fort Myers; past and present. I was very surprised by the fact that Fort Myers is still one of the most segregated areas in the country. You would think all of the diversity in Fort Myers would be embraced, rather than segregated. Learning about the mural (pictured below) was my favorite part of the trip. I think it is beautiful how the artist combined all the various historical events into one picture. Learning about the boys who were hung was very interested to me. Hearing how African American students born and raised in the Fort Myers area know about the story but other students born and raised here do not, was upsetting and sad. It is crazy to think how history can be segregated. It is important to teach everything to all, so history does not repeat itself.

Protecting Plant and Animal Diversity

Protecting planet and animal diversity is a very important topic the world is currently facing. There are two steps essential to protecting the earth’s biological diversity. The first is stabilizing the human population. This is important because is our numbers rise above 9 billion by mid-century countless animal and plant species may be crowded off the planet. A big reason need to stabilize population at 8 billion by 2040 is to protect the rich diversity of life. As it becomes more and more difficult to raise land productivity, farmers will be forced to clear even more tropical forests. Water management is also a factor,that needs to be protected and not drained to satisfy human needs that continue to grow. The second step that must be done is stabilizing Earth's climate. If temperatures continue to rise every ecosystem on earth will change. If this happens that animals with suffer along with human beings. 

Lovers Key State Park

The field trip to Lovers Key was truly surreal. It was absolutely beautiful! I almost could not believe that for a class graded field trip we got to go to the beach, walk around, explore, and relax for almost two hours. Before we walked down to the beach I really enjoyed listening about all of the canals, mangroves and different plants. Growing up in the Key Largo and Islamorada learning about mangroves and canals was part of our regular curriculum in school. It was nice to get a refresher and have a moment to realize how lucky I am to grow up where I did. I liked listening about the canals because in the Keys we have owned four different houses in the Keys; two of which now are both on canals, and one that is not. When something becomes so basic and regular in our every day lives we forget why it was created. Going on the boat and week and weekend going through canals is a regular thing for me when I am home, but I never stop to think that they were built for water to travel through not just boats. Once on the beach walking along the shore line and looking at the various marine animals and shells was interesting. I love seeing the conchs in their shells, and all of the different shells that lay on the beach! Overall the field trip was a much needed relaxing morning, that was insightful before and after stepping onto the beach.

The Rainy Season

Not being from Fort Myers and never staying here for a summer term before, I did not know what to expect for the "rainy season". Wow, is all I can say. I did not expect this much rain that is for sure. I know during the fall it rains in the afternoons from time to time, and that is what I thought the summer would be like; so far I am very wrong. The rain is constant lately, and I am curious if it will be like this all summer. Back home in the Upper Keys it rains a good amount during the summer as well, but nothing like this. I wonder what Corkscrew Sanctuary looks like now just a couple weeks after our field trip and would love to be able to go back! My favorite part about the rainy season so far is after it has finished pouring how beautiful and green it looks outside!

ECHO

Our field trip to ECHO was very exciting for me. I did not know much about ECHO prior to the trip so I was looking forward to learning about what they do, and how. What I really enjoyed about ECHO was not only did they teach how to grow plants, etc. in poor soil but in all types of environments. I am interested in becoming involved with the program, I think. I just do not know if I would have time with my schedule.On an extra side note, I loved the goats; they were so cute!

In Class Video

The video we watched during our last class period really opened my eyes to many things. I like how we broke the different sections of the video up with discussions. I found it made the videos easier to follow, and I took in what they were discussing much better. One of the most interesting things I found in the video was that they can be different trees and plants that are harmful to the environment. It is easy to think that all plants are helpful and necessary to environments, but that is wrong. If a plant is located in an area that it is not originally from it can be very dangerous and harmful to the environment. I found it interesting and smart that they are people dedicated to taking out the non-native plants from areas in order to keep the areas healthy. We learned mainly about the non-native plants in a part of Africa, but I wonder where else in the world they are causing a huge problem.

Exploring the Sanctuary

Our second field trip to Corkscrew Sanctuary was awesome! I absolutely loved walking around the sanctuary; learning about the different types plants, animals, and functions of the ecosystem out there. Going on the field trip I was hoping to see a variety of wild life, and we definitely did! It began with seeing a deer feeding off in the distance, and that was followed by a woodpecker, an alligator, an owl, and another alligator with seven babies. My favorite wildlife to see had to be the owl, and the mother alligator with her babies. Owls to me are so mystical it is like they are in another world completely; so peaceful, intelligent and elegant. I honestly probably could have watched the owl all day long. The mother alligator with her babies was another site I could have watched all day. I have seen many alligators before, but never have I seen them with their babies in the wild. It was incredible to see, and to watch the interaction of the mother and baby alligators. My favorite part of watching them was when one mother and a baby went into a shallow water area near them, and went fishing. I was surprised to see the baby hunting their own food at such a young age! It truly was something I am so happy I got to witness. I experiencing things like we did because it makes me want to go out and emerge myself in nature as much as possible!

Great White in the Florida Keys

Growing up in the Florida Keys, I always try to follow the local news down there, especially since I go home to visit any chance I get. In recent news there has been three great white sitings in the last couple months. One sighting really made headlines when a shark diver down in Marathon, got back into the water out of his diving cage, to capture photos of the great white shark. Even more recently about three days ago, one of my friends who was out shark fishing for a class caught a great white shark and posted a photo of it on Instagram. The shark was about 10-12 feet long, so not very big for a great white. And it was caught about 7 miles off shore of mile marker 74, which is a little north of Marathon. Growing up I only remember truly one great white shark experience, when I was about 7 year old my mom woke me up in the middle of the night, and we went to a marina and saw a massive great white shark hanging from a crane, that a man had caught. Thinking about what we talked about the first day of class I am curious what is causing great whites to travel to the South Florida warmer waters. I am also curious to see if more and more will continue coming over the years and if so is it climate changes, or lack of food resources where they normally stay causing it?