Walk on the Wild Side EarthCache
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The Jacksonville Arboretum & Gardens, a regional center for conservation, recreation, and education in the Jacksonville area, is host to over 118 acres of ecological wonders. The Jacksonville Arboretum & Gardens is open to the public daily from 8 AM - 5 PM (closed Christmas). No entry fee is required to access the facility though a donation of $2 per visitor is requested. The Arboretum & Gardens showcases a huge diversity of wildlife, plant life, and landscapes common to the Florida area. What makes the arboretum and gardens unique in its natural setting is the uncommonly close proximity of its many species varieties and landscapes. As you traverse the grounds you will find yourself moving quickly between Upland Mixed Forest, Bottomland Hardwood Forest, Mesic Hammock, Xeric Forest, Tidal Marshlands, and Pine-Palmetto Flatwoods, all very distinctive from one another, yet all co-existing in harmony within the grounds.
The Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens is a dog friendly facility so long as your four-legged friend is kept on a leash and is picked up after while you walk the grounds. All of the trails are also kid-friendly, but make sure you are aware of your surroundings; there are poisonous plants within a few feet of the trails, at certain locations. The Lake Loop is stroller and wheelchair accessible. However, a couple of sites you have to visit on trails other than the Lake Loop are on uneven terrain, so wheelchairs and strollers are not recommended to complete the full requirements of the EarthCache. It is recommended that cachers with wheelchairs or strollers acquire assistance from another cacher to obtain the answers to stage 2 and stage 3.
To complete this EarthCache you will need to travel through several landscapes present in the arboretum and gardens and learn a little bit about how each of the different landscapes are formed. There are signs posted all along the trails educating visitors about how the landscapes are formed, the ecological systems necessary to maintain the environments, and the various plants and wildlife you may see while walking the trails. To fulfill the requirements of the cache you will be required to take pictures at various locations and read several of the posted information boards for information to email back to the owner. All locations you will need to visit are located on marked trails so please DO NOT LEAVE THE TRAILS for any reason. Though you are expected to be looking up, appreciating the wide variety of flora and fauna sustained in each of these ecosystems, remember to look down as well. To truly appreciate how these landscapes are formed, you will need to develop an understanding of the different soils from which they all first emerged.
Upland Mixed Forest
Upland Mixed Forests are mostly commonly found on landscapes of rolling hills. The soil of the forest is primarily sandy-clays or clayey sand, frequently with limestone and phosphatic rocks found near the surface of the soil. The moisture retention abilities of the clayel in the soil, coupled with the thick layer of leaf mulch, help to maintain moisture even as surface runoff is drawn out of the area by the rolling hills. The moisture trapped by the soil promotes the growth of the thick canopy overhead. The thick canopy, in turn, blocks heavy light penetration and keeps the air under the canopy relatively still. The result is an environment with a constant high humidity that resists fire and maintains relative stability over time.
Bottomland Hardwood Forest
Bottomland hardwood forests occur at low elevations. Found along the edges of lakes, river, and in sinkholes, bottomland hardwood forests form between upland forests and wet forests or floodplains. The low elevation of the land encourages the run-off of water from upland forests. When the upland forest run-off reaches low elevations, the flow becomes slower and stagnates, depositing finely textured clay and loam soil in the area. The slow permeability of the nutrient rich clay and loam soil, allows it to collect and hold water, preventing drainage. The poorly drained soil, left behind from the run-off of soil from higher elevations, creates the foundation for an ecosystem that maintains a constant state of wetness throughout the year.
Mesic Hammock
Mesic Hammocks are known as “islands” between other ecological communities. Mesic hammocks form on elevated areas in wetlands, on levees of rivers, or on mid-slope between wetland ecosystems and xeric ecosystems. The moderate moisture provided by the nearby wet areas helps to create a rich, sandy soil, high in clay and organic content, which is frequently underlain by a shallow limestone. The elevation of the terrain prevents water from stagnating as it does in the wet areas below and allows for greater aeration in the soil. The combination of rich, aerated soil maintained on the “islands” coupled with a moderate level of moisture provided by the lower elevations allows the landscape of the mesic hammock to form.
Xeric Forest
Xeric forests are found on western or southern slopes, hilltops, and ridges. Xeric Forests typically develop from scrub and sand hills and are characterized by the low-nutrient, porous, excessively drained soil from which they develop. The soil conditions promote the growth of a variety of oaks that are able to obtain moisture, even in the poor soil conditions. As the oaks mature, they leave behind a litter of oak leaves that decay slowly over several years and incrementally increase the acidic content level of the soil.
Tidal Marshlands
Tidal marshlands form along coastlines with low-wave energy and along the openings to rivers. The mixing of sea water and fresh water create brackish water, water with salinity (saltiness) between that of freshwater and seawater. The high salt content in the soil from the brackish water, poor aeration from constant submersion, and unhindered exposure to sunlight form a landscape unsuitable for most types of plants, giving rise to communities of dense plant life, which thrive only in tidal marshlands. Tidal marshlands, which can absorb wave energy and trap chemicals in the soil, act as buffers from storms for inland ecological communities and can even neutralize many kinds of pollutants before they can reach nearby marine ecosystems.
Pine-Palmetto Flatwoods
Pine-Palmetto Flatwoods, a type of mesic flatwood, occur on mostly flat terrain with little to virtually no drainage capability. The poor drainage of the flat terrain gives rise to acidic sands which stand anywhere between 1-3 feet above a hardpan of clayey subsoil. The hardpan of clayey subsoil reduces the ability of plants in the area to receive water through their roots and, therefore, creates an environment with over saturation during wet seasons and critical dehydration during dry seasons. Eventually, this type of landscape gives rise primarily to a dense understory of shrubs, such as saw palmettos, which can survive in the seasonal fluctuations between oversaturation and dehydration brought on by the poor soil conditions.
Stage 1: Proceed to the following coordinates along the Lake Loop: N 30 20.804 W081 32.270. You will see an informational display depicting common Florida water birds that you may be likely to see while walking the loop. Take a picture of the lake from the vantage point of the informational sign. Each cacher claiming this cache as credit will need to take a picture at this location and post it with the log entry to show that you really took the time to visit the arboretum. It is requested that each cacher be present in the picture with GPS in hand but it is not required to claim credit for the cache. No duplicate photos will be accepted.
Stage 2: Proceed to the following coordinates along the Jones Creek Trail: N 30 20.720 W 081 32.191. You will see an informational display educating visitors about Upland Mixed Forests and, specifically, the upland mixed forest thriving in the arboretum. Using the informational display, email me the answers to the following questions:
1. Upland mixed forests grow in ”_____________________”?
2. What is the fertility and drainage like in this type of soil?
Stage 3: Proceed to the following coordinates along the Ravine Trail: N 30 20.734 W081 32.263. You will see an informational display educating visitors about a landscape NOT mentioned above. Take the time to read the display in its entirety and learn a little bit about the conditions that allow this type of landscape to form. Email me the answers to the following questions:
1. What kind of landscape are you standing in? (All three variants)
2. Soils in these habitats are characteristically “__________________________”?
3. Why is this area moist?
Stage 4: Take a picture of your favorite area in the arboretum and gardens, excluding stage 2 and stage 3. Post this picture to you log entry.
Summary: To claim credit for this EarthCache you will need to post a picture of stage 1 as well as your favorite picture of the arboretum and gardens. Additionally, you will need to email answers to the questions from stage 2 and stage 3 to the owner of the cache at the time of posting. Log entries without the required photographs or, which are not accompanied by an email to the cache owner with the answers to the above questions, will be deleted. Additionally, logs with pictures or text revealing the answers from stage 2 or 3 will be deleted. Please email this information to the cache owner and do not post it to your logs so that other cachers can still enjoy the education they will receive while fulfilling the requirements of the cache.
Thanks to the Florida Department of Natural Resources for providing the information regarding the formation of the natural communities of Florida:
Florida Natural Areas Inventory and Florida Dept. of Natural Resources. 1990. Guide to the natural communities of Florida. Florida Natural Areas Inventory and Florida Dept. of Natural Resources, Tallahassee, FL.
Also, a special thanks to the Jacksonville Arboretum & Gardens and the members of the board for their support in the creation of this EarthCache to share with the geocaching community.
Happy Caching!
Additional Hints
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