On Tuesday, February 18th, Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental Science students had the exciting opportunity to take a trip to the Lyonia Preserve in Deltona. One of the biggest reasons Mr. Cole, the Environmental Science teacher here at Seminole, chose to bring his students there was because of their Scrub Jay population. Lyonia Preserve is a former beach, but currently a “scrub habitat.”
A scrub habitat is characterized as having a large and sandy open space, with short plants and the occasional taller pine scattered along the trails. The conditions at Lyonia Preserve make it an excellent place for scrub jays to raise their families. The scrub jay is an endangered Florida native bird. They are well-known for being very friendly and open to humans. Mr. Cole and his club, the Scrub Club, are lobbying for the scrub jay to become the official state bird.
The field trip started with a short hike around the preserve, where students saw many different plants, like mosses and pine trees. Some of the herbs were even edible! Several students picked fresh pinegrass right off the tree and sampled some. The groups then rotated and while some of the students headed inside to explore the many exhibits, the second group got started on their hike.
Sophie Spera, a health academy junior, says that her favorite part of the trip was the hike, and “going on a walk and looking at the wildlife tracks and seeing all the different types of wildlife.” After a break for lunch, all the students headed inside to look for more Florida natives. On display, there was a huge variety of different reptiles, including a blue-tongued lizard that students were able to touch. Fatema Hossain, an 11th-grade biomedical student, said that she also enjoyed the hike because, “The guide showed us a lot of different plants and things that we see every day in our backyards, but we would never know what they were called.”
Be on the lookout for more school field trips coming up this year! Stay updated on Minga and with your teachers to see if you will be able to attend.