Springtime at the Wetlands! PDF Print E-mail

Spring has arrived at the Formosa Tejano Wetlands bringing a variety of plant and animal activity. Students have been busy sampling the flora and fauna of the managed wetland found at the main entrance. The plant specimens that are collected are used to conduct a lab showing that photosynthesis really does produce oxygen as one of its products. Animal species are identified through observation of their physical characteristics and then categorized by what they eat. The results are used to create a food web of the different plants and animals the students were able to collect. Some of the many species collected were alligator weed, dollarwort, algae, tadpoles, crayfish, dragonfly nymphs, back swimmers, diving beetles, snails, aquatic worms, and more. The students learned that the quality of the water has a direct affect on the types of species that were observed.