Thursday, September 2, 2010

Neighborhood walk about

So my neighborhood isn't really that special. A lot of the houses look a like, and nothing really stands out to me. Every street in Florida is home to the beautiful palm trees as you can see from this picture. Most streets have some type of condos or apartments. But after walking around and actually taking the time to notice the small differences I can see that my neighborhood is some what unique.






I know that almost every street in cape coral has a canal, but did you ever wonder how these canals got here? Well I wondered about this environmental mystery also. It started in 1957 when real estate developers Leonard and Jack Rosen, purchased Redfish Point, 103 square mile tract, for $678,000. They then started the development of the city as a “water wonderland.” They developed over 400 miles of navigable waterways, which means Cape Coral has more miles of canals than any other city on earth. This means my little canal in the back of my street is a part of history.



While continuing my environmental reflection around my neighborhood some of the creatures came out from hiding. I'm sure anyone who lives in cape coral knows that these animals are called burrowing owls and they are located all over. They like tall grasslands, like the field full of tall grass behind this one in the picture. They burrow into the ground and make their nests, but unlike most owls burrowing owls are active during the day which is why I saw this guy and his family out while I was walking around. 




 
Here are just a few more pictures I took of the plant life that grows around my neighborhood.

 


I now have learned that my neighborhood isn't just some street that looks like any other suburban town in America. My town is home to largest about of man made canals making it a water wonderland. It is also home to many different kinds a thriving wildlife and plant life. I feel that after this experience I will appreciate my little neighborhood more. Not to mention it was very relaxing to just walk and take pictures of nature.

Personal Introduction

Hi! My name is Christine Ritchie. I am 20 years old; I was born July 28th, 1990. I am originally from new Jersey but my family moved to Florida when I was 13 so I've been here for a while. I am a transfer student from Edison State College where I received my AA degree. I am currently working on my Bachelors in Secondary Education in social sciences. I want to be a middle/high school history teacher, and someday maybe a professor, but who knows. I am really excited about this colloquium class because it will give me a chance to explore all the natural environments Florida has to offer. Well that's all I have to say for now. :)