EARTHCACHE REQUIREMENTS
Each cacher must send his/her own answers BEFORE logging a find. Enjoy the journey (learning adventure) as well as the destination (smiley earned). Remember to take only pictures and leave only footprints. To get credit for this Earthcache, complete the following tasks:
1. MESSAGE …. ROADSIDE - View a tree island from the roadside (posted). Look at the pics posted below. Describe what you see, and how it is different from the posted pics.
2. MESSAGE …. TRAIL - Walk along the Mahogany Hammock self-guiding boardwalk trail 0.5 mi (waypoint). What geological evidence do you see?
3. MESSAGE …. Compare the substrate of Cypress Domes (GC7M3Z7) vs Tree Islands.
4. LOG …. Post a picture of you or your signature item at or near the coordinates. This picture is your log signature.
OPTIONAL - Please respect the time and effort involved in creating this earthcache by adding A and B to your log.
A. JOURNEY OF THE MIND ... Science explains what we observe. Relate (in your own words) something you found interesting in the reading. This adds to your learning adventure and your log.
B. JOURNEY OF THE HEART ... Art shares our personal experience of what we see. Share something special you found on site, and why it is special to you. This is a memorable addition to your log and will make other hearts smile.
Journeys of Heart and Mind ...
Stories to Touch the Heart and Puzzles to Challenge the Mind / Rainbow Tree Story
Yep, we can attest to the fact that mosquitoes go from mildly infested to overwhelmingly infested. We stayed overnight at the Flamingo campground and were serenaded throughout the night by the buzzing. The screen stopped only a portion, so we provided a scrumptious all night / all you can eat banquet for the little buggers.
THANK YOU Kimberly (Park Ranger) for permission to share this learning adventure.
THANK YOU Olivia (Park Ranger) for information needed to share this learning adventure.
THANK YOU Michelle (Science Liaison) for information needed to share this learning adventure.
EVERGLADES SOIL
Soil is weathered bedrock combined with minerals and organic matter. Main soil types in the Everglades are marl and peat. These are largely the result of multiple sea-level fluctuations during the Ice Age.
Marl - Calcitic mud commonly found in the shallower marshes.
Peat - Waterlogged partially-decomposed acid-loving plant material built up over hundreds of years.
TREE ISLANDS
Based on the following information, the formation of tree islands is caused by a combination of geology and archeology. They are shaped like a teardrop indicating direction water flows.
TREE ISLANDS - GEOLOGY
The Florida Everglades have hundreds of tree islands that are homes to a variety of animals, including the panther (state symbol). These islands are mounds averaging 3'. Scientists thought the islands sat "on pedestals of carbonate bulging up from the bedrock". It was discovered that the mounds were middens (archeology) where trees could establish themselves. The trees then drew up water from the bedrock containing carbonates and phosphates. The excess was secreted into the surrounding soil, where it formed calcrete. Thus, the trees helped "build up the calcrete, adding volume to the islands and increasing their elevation. In turn, the calcrete protects the trees. Fires are frequent but cannot penetrate the calcrete, so the soil beneath it survives and can support a new generation of plants once the fire has passed." Because acids from decaying plant life dissolve the limestone bedrock, moats form which encircle the hardwood hammocks.
TREE ISLANDS - ARCHEOLOGY
Archeologists discovered a reddish-grey concretion beneath the surface peat. This hard, cemented layer ranged from 40 to 75 centimetres thick. Further investigation revealed bones, charcoal and human artefacts within the calcrete. Thus, the mounds are considered prehistoric trash piles called middens.
MAHOGANY HAMMOCK TRAIL (Large Tree Island)
https://npplan.com/parks-by-state/florida-national-parks/everglades-national-park-park-at-a-glance/everglades-national-park-hiking/everglades-national-park-mahogany-hammock-trail/
"It is a wheelchair accessible boardwalk that leads across a freshwater marl prairie to a hardwood hammock where Mahogany and other hardwood trees grow. There is one very large Mahogany tree that survived the logging that was done before the National Park was established.
"The freshwater marl prairie is a wetland that looks similar to a freshwater slough, but while the water flows slowly southward in the slough, water in the marl prairie does not flow, but dissipates mainly by seeping into the ground. Marl prairies are more akin to marshes, whereas sloughs are more like shallow rivers. Both are characterized by sawgrass, though the sawgrass in the sloughs tends to grow taller.
"A hammock is an area with a slightly higher elevation than the wet areas surrounding it, which allows hardwoods, pines, and other vegetation that cannot grow in the water, to flourish. In the Everglades, this difference in elevation may only be a few feet, but it is enough to keep the hammock much drier. Mahogany Hammock is surrounded on all sides by wetland, making it an island of sorts.
"The most interesting tree on the trail is a Strangler Fig. This is a tree that literally encases another tree like armor encases a human body. I’ve been on other nature trails that point out Strangler Figs, but they were so small that I never could figure out what the fuss was all about. This is the first time I’ve seen the Strangler Fig encase a tree.
"As you make your way south towards Flamingo, the mosquitoes get more prevalent with each passing mile, even in the winter. The Mahogany Hammock Trail is mildly infested, which doesn’t sound too bad, but you will find hardly any mosquitoes a few miles further north. It is amazing what can happen in just a few miles."
RESOURCES
https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn20270-everglades-tree-islands-are-prehistoric-trash-piles/
https://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/infobank/programs/html/factsheets/pdfs/2004_3095.pdf
https://www.soils.org/discover-soils/story/trees-may-be-key-building-everglades-tree-islands
https://www.livescience.com/13351-prehistoric-trash-heaps-created-florida-everglades-tree-islands.html
https://www.nps.gov/ever/planyourvisit/mahogany-hammock-trail.htm - This self-guiding boardwalk trail meanders through a dense, jungle-like hardwood "hammock." Lush vegetation includes gumbo-limbo trees, air plants, and the largest living mahogany tree (Swietenia mahogani) in the United States.
https://npplan.com/parks-by-state/florida-national-parks/everglades-national-park-park-at-a-glance/everglades-national-park-hiking/everglades-national-park-mahogany-hammock-trail/
https://gogtour.com/main-tour/mahogany-hammock-hiking-in-everglades-national-park