Field Trip 2

Entry #4

6/3/2011

Lover’s Key State Park

Lover’s Key State Park is a maritime preserved park located in Fort Myers Beach and off the Gulf of Mexico.  Lover’s Key is actually one of four barrier islands (the others being Inner Key, Black Island, and Long Key).  The state acquired the islands in 1983 and in 1996, merged with adjacent Carl E. Johnson County Park to become Lover’s Key Carl E. Johnson State Park.  It has an abundance of wildlife and vegetation, but the true wonder is the environment itself.  This park offer 2.5 miles of white sandy beaches, trails, canoeing, sunbathing, swimming, fishing, wildlife sighting, and other recreational activities.  There is simply a plethora of activities and things to see.  On side note, Lover’s Key is also dog friendly and so I brought along my beagle buddy Ori.

 I’m sure everyone that goes to Lover’s Key can’t help but to fall in love with this beautiful island.  It’s surreal how quiet the park can get, but then you hear the rustle of a sabal palm tree as a result of a gentle breeze or the chirp of an osprey in the distance.  In addition, the overall beauty of Lover’s Key is incredible, from the white sandy beaches to the mangrove fringed canals.  The elements truly have shaped a sight to see.  The Florida sun, rain, and rich soil provided a natural catalyst to the vegetation of the island.  The vegetation in turn creates a strong foundation for the island and provides a great defense against storms, hurricanes, etc.

The park is within the Barrier Chain subzone of the Costal Lowlands physiographic region.  The elevation of Lover’s Key ranges from mean seal level to about five feet, with the exception of any man-made land marks.  Water reaches further in the island and nurtures the plant life due the low elevation.  As a result, it benefits the whole food chain of the island from the plant life bottom of the pyramid to the carnivores at the top.  In addition, I identified 5 tree species, 5 non-woody plants, and 5 bird species in this environment.  The 5 tree species are the sabal palm, cabbage palm, Jamaican dogwood, buttonwood, and gumbo limbo.  The 5 non-woody plants are the blue porterweed, poison ivy, coral bean, Spanish bayonet, and prickly pear cactus (illustration below).  The 5 bird species are the great egret, anthinga, blue jay, bald eagle, and osprey.

This particular piece of paradise is unique in that it has canals that are tasseled with mangroves.  The Florida mangrove system is an important habitat for many species because it provides nursery grounds for fish and roosting areas for birds.  Furthermore, Lover’s Key has estuaries that provide a transition from fresh water rivers to salt water oceans.  These estuaries are kind of isolated from the ocean because of the barrier islands.  They also provide habitats for all kinds of critters.  However, all life on estuaries is affected by the salinity and sedimentation.  The biology of the fish in this area has adapted to the uncertain salinity and sedimentation levels produced by this ecosystem.  As a result, this environment provides a steady supply of fish for the predators that depend on them.