Se7en Wetlands Wood Stork Tour Preview

1

Wood Stork Gate

The Wood Stork Gate is one of two public entrances to Se7en Wetlands. As you walk the trails, pay attention to the trail markers. Blue wood stork markers point to the shortest route back to the Wood Stork Gate. Red gopher tortoise markers lead the way to the Gopher Tortoise gate, which exits into Polk County's Loyce E. Harpe park.

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2

Influent

All of the City of Lakeland's treated wastewater enters the wetlands at the Influent, averaging ten million gallons each day. The treated wastewater is distributed throughout the wetlands in sequence from wetlands one through seven. The primary purpose for Se7en Wetlands is to help remove excess nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphorus, from the water. During its journey through the wetlands, plants and beneficial microbes remove most of the nitrogen and phosphorus. This helps reduce the nutrients heading to the Alafia River and ultimately into Tampa Bay.

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3

Distribution ditches

Distribution ditches can be found around the edges of Wetlands 1, 2, and 3. These concrete ditches slow the water as it flows, helping to distribute it gently into the next wetland. The calm, shallow waters of the distribution ditches provide a place for wading birds, young alligators, turtles, and small fish to thrive.

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4

Upland Habitat

The upland habitats are home to an important and diverse ecosystem of plants and animals. Pine trees, oaks, and tall grasses thrive in the drier, sandier soils. Keep an eye out for singing eastern phoebes, gulf fritillary butterflies, and ground-nesting eastern meadowlarks. You'll also get a good view of the berm as it slopes down on either side of the trail. These berms are remnants of phosphate mining operations in the early 1900s. They now separate the wetland cells and help contain the water like the sides of a bathtub, so that water flow can be carefully maintained via the control structures.

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5

Gopher Tortoises

Upland areas house endangered gopher tortoises, which create deep burrows and forage on low-growing plants. These burrows are shared with more than 350 others species, which makes gopher tortoises an important keystone species to Florida. Gopher tortoises who make their burrows in the sides of the wetland berms are relocated to safe areas of the wetlands where they can continue to thrive without damaging the berms.

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6

Control Structure 2

All water in Se7en Wetlands moves downstream due to gravity. Control structures control the flow of water from one wetland cell to the next. They can be adjusted to raise and lower the water level in each wetland cell.

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7

Distribution ditch

The distribution ditch on your left feeds water from Wetland 1 into Wetland 2. Waterfowl and wading birds use the distribution ditches as hunting grounds, and river otters can occasionally be seen swimming and catching tasty fish.

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8

Frogs

As you walk, you're likely to hear insects buzzing, birds singing, and an innumerable amount of frog croaks. Wetlands are home to an abundance of amphibians. Frogs are important to wetland ecosystems because they help to control populations of insects and slugs. They also serve as an important food source to other organisms such as birds, snakes, and mammals. Listen closely and see if you can distinguish between the different frog calls.

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9

Grass fields

The grassy fields that occasionally dominate the upland habitat may seem sparse and dry, but nothing could be further from the truth. Look closer and you'll see thousands of buzzing insects, from the blue dasher dragonfly, to the gulf fritillary butterfly, and the western honey bee. Unfortunately, fields such as these are often over run with invasive cogon grass, which prevents other beneficial native plants from growing. In the future, Se7en Wetlands hopes to replace this invasive species with native wildflowers and attract even more important insect and bird pollinators.

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10

Upland Vegetation

Plant diversity is vital to a thriving ecosystem. Live oaks are considered life centers, as they are sources of food, protection, and support to a wide variety of other plants and animals. Many animals feed on the acorns, and oak branches support other plants such as spanish moss and resurrection ferns. Pine trees are an equally valuable part of the ecosystem. Pine seeds are eaten by birds and small mammals, and deer can graze on seedlings. Wood-peckers and bald eagles nest in the high tops of pine trees. In addition, pines can stabilize the soil of an area to help prevent erosion.

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11

Pond Turtles

Pond turtles such as the Florida red-bellied cooter can often be found basking along the sides of Se7en Wetland's distribution ditches or hiding just beneath the water's surface. These turtles are an important part of the ecosystem because they help control aquatic vegetation and populations of prey fish. Their eggs are also an important source of food for other predators.

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12

End of Tour

Thank you so much for taking the self-guided hiking tour of Se7en Wetlands. Please visit again soon!

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