However, when we returned with the rest of our classmates, an entirely different Gumbo Limbo Trail was observed.  Kathy urged us to lead the way and point out all of the snails along the trail, seeing as we hadn’t gotten as lost in the moment as she had, but as we walked the pathway it became increasingly clear that something was seriously wrong.  At first we suspected that we had simply forgotten where exactly they had been or misjudged the distances, but we were really just avoiding the truth by that time.  We all know that snails aren’t the stealthiest of woodland invertebrates and it soon became apparent that foul play was at hand…

This used to be a very beautiful Liguus Snail...

Obviously someone had been down the trail besides us that morning and in the five minutes while we were gathering our class, they had managed to not only witness the dozens of prismatic snails along the path, but also felt the need to ruin it for the rest of us.  We can only hope that this was one of the few snails that were killed during this senseless act, but nevertheless, getting thrown across the forest can’t be good for such a fragile creature, either.  By the time we had finished the trail, the group hadn’t seen a single snail, which was rather disappointing to say the least, and I had taken yet another picture proving just how stupid people can be:

I doubt that Larry & Sonya will even still be together by the time this palm tree heals... ...and as for Ricardo, he could've just filled out the guest book to let us all know he had been there the day before we showed up. When visiting the Everglades, please refrain from destroying the ecosystem.  Thank you.

We emerged from the Gumbo Limbo trail and quickly overtook an entire grouping of benches to take a much needed break!  Of course, it was cut short by rumors of more animal activity and slowly the group wandered over to see what all the fuss was about.  It turned out that not only had a pair of Anhinga and a Green Heron gathered to spread their wings in show, but in the background several Cormorants could be observed fighting over what K.C., our resident fish expert identified as an Oscar.  Note that Oscars aren’t even close to being native to Florida, which may explain why these birds were having so much trouble choking this one down!  Fish such as Oscars commonly appear in ecosystems like this when pet owners realize they have taken on more than they can handle – either the fish get too big or too difficult to care for in captivity, so they simply “free” them into the wild where they inadvertently adapt to their new surroundings.  Unless another force steps up, such as a predator or harsh environmental conditions, the new species multiplies and takes a foothold in its new home.

An Anhinga dries himself while his brother watches

We never did actually witness either of the birds successfully eating the Oscar because the lunch bell soon rang and we had our own prey to consume: ham and turkey!  Everyone gathered outside the bus and we all sat together and ate, sharing stories of all the amazing sights we had seen that morning.  At this point we all even still liked the sound of ham and turkey, so we carefully guarded our meals from the scavengers whose ever-watching eyes greedily awaited a dropped plate.  They even stuck around for a brief photo op. afterwards!

At least someone was willing to pose for me...   (and the sandwich in my other hand had nothing to do with it!)

Before we departed, someone announced that several Green Anoles had been sighted nearby, so we all rushed off to catch a glimpse.  For those of less biological know-how, Green Anoles are tiny, tiny lizards that blend in with just about everything in the wild, making them virtually impossible to spot, unless they happened to be crossing the road or something.  As their name implies, they are in fact green; coincidentally, the Everglades is also green, so actually finding one is like looking for a needle in a haystack.  We did finally end up seeing one on our way back to the bus, but it was so microscopic that it could’ve been a small twig with legs from where I was standing…

Although the rumored Green Anole completely eluded me, I did manage to come across an equally-cool find: this dragonfly, known as a  Roseate Skimmer

Once aboard, we were soon on our way to our next destination, the Ernest F. Coe Visitor Center.  Upon our arrival, we learned that there really wasn’t much to see here in terms of wildlife, although they did offer a variety of visual aids to give visitors a taste of what they might come across within Everglades National Park.  Ernest F. Coe is in fact the actual headquarters for the park, which basically means that they have the largest gift shop and nicest bathrooms you’ll find in the Everglades.  We wandered around for a while, touching displays that we probably shouldn’t have been touching, but were soon ready to get back into the wild!  I did make a quick stop at the gift shop where I bought several postcards which I would never actually end up sending, two beautiful identification books and a third book pertaining to diving in the various National Parks.  I might also note that the identification books covered seashore creatures and tropical marine fishes, neither of which we were very likely to come across during our stay in the Everglades, but if by some odd chance we did, I’d have had us covered!

Make Your Own Everglades... A great weekend project for the kids!

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