Water Ecosystem: Gumbo Limbo
This natural environment is so peaceful and calming. I walked along the board walk that took me through the mangroves and was very shaded by plenty of trees. It really made me appreciate the beauty of nature, and how this nature center is just a two minute drive or 15 minute walk from my house and sadly, I rarely ever go visit. I was amazed at how many different species of plants and animals that I saw during this walk. I was also saddened at the same time thinking about the oil spill that is polluting the waters and possibly heading to the east coast of Florida. The oil spill could ruin this natural habitat and kill many of the fish and other sealife.
Gumbo Limbo is on the Intra Coastal waterway at sea level. Consequently the plants and trees have to be hearty and able to thrive in salt water and sandy soil. The plants need to have root systems that are shallow so that they are not constantly under water. This shallow root system however, makes them susceptible to damage from high winds and hurricanes. The fish, turtles, crabs must also be able to thrive in this salt water environment. The mammals that live in this habitat seek out fresh water from rain to survive and also consume the berries from the surrounding plant life. Many of the animals in this habitat have also had to adapt to the close proximity of humans and they hunt the human trash cans and can be a nuisance.
I came to the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center all the time when I was a child. It has changed a lot because the many hurricanes that hit this nature center in 2006 have forced them to renovate the center. It has grown back a lot of its natural habitat that used to be there, but has not grown to the full potential that it once was. They had to rebuild the board walk that goes through the mangroves and a tower that you can climb up and see over the whole habitat and intra coastal. They have added live tanks with sharks, sea turtles and sting rays. There haven’t been any fires in the area that ever affected the plants and animals. The hurricanes that have hit have been the most devastating because they knocked down many trees and destroyed much of the foliage.
Some of the animals that lived in this environment were also forced out because their homes were destroyed or their food sources were eliminated. Even though it has been four years since the last hurricane, there are still many trees lying on the ground, snapped in half and small shrubbery that is still in the process of recovering.
Some tree species that I saw were Gumbo Limbo, Pine Tree, Pond Apple – Annona Glabra, Cabbage Palm- Subu Palmetto , Saw Palmetto- Serenoa Repens and Mangroves. Some non woody plants that grow there are Wild Coffee, Seagrape, Wax Myrtle, Fire Brush and Coco Plum. Some bird species that live in this environment are Red Cardinal, Red Shoulder Hawk, Northern Mocking Bird, Blue Jay and Brown Thrasher. Some of the animals that I saw were Eastern Boxing Turtle, Green Anole, Crab Spider, Five-line Skink, Atlantic Stingray, Bonnet Head Sharks, Lemon Sharks and Fiddler Crabs in their burrows.
Gumbo Limbo is unique because the nature center is used for research by the department of biological sciences at Florida Atlantic University. In addition, the Palm Beach County middle schools have a field trip to Gumbo Limbo in their Science curriculum. The general public also has the opportunity to sign up for field trips such as their sea turtle walks. The center has three fully equipped classrooms for analysis after the student’s field trip in the center.
The Gumbo Limbo Environmental Complex was founded in 1984 as a cooperative venture between the City of Boca Raton, Palm Beach County School District, Florida Atlantic University and Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Incorporated. Gumbo Limbo dedicates a lot of its time and effort in protecting the nests of the sea turtles as well as creating a home for other plants and animals. Gumbo Limbo is publicly funded and does not charge admission to its visitors but requests donations.
