e-Learning Hub
Educational Videos
Educational Videos
Virtual Nature Center Field Trip
Take a guided Nature Center tour with Nerissa as she explores the Dalton Discovery Center! Learn about Southwest Florida ecosystems and the creatures that call it home.
Touch Tank Adaptations
Hermit Crab
Lightning Whelk
Fighting Conch
American Alligator
Diamondback Terrapin
Eastern Indigo Snake
Barred Owl
Florida Box Turtle
Cormorant Spotting
Black Mangroves
Black mangrove trees have established themselves as a niche species, able to survive the harsh tidal conditions along coastlands and estuaries. And this water is salty! Salt prevents most plants from taking up necessary nutrients at the root, but black mangroves have found a way around this: they rid themselves of excess salt by excreting it through their leathery leaves.
And perhaps most unique to the black mangrove are its aerial roots, or pneumatophores. Stay tuned as we check out these unique adaptations!
Spider Crab
Conservancy Naturalist Nerissa is back to teach you a little about spider crabs — also known as decorator crabs. They like to decorate themselves with shells, algae, and pieces of food for camouflage.
Backyard Scavenger Hunt
Explore nature in your own backyard or local park and see how many of the items you can find on this list! Use a camera to snap a picture of each item on the list or record your findings in a nature journal.
If you get some pictures you like, we'd love to see them! Tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
Horseshoe Crab
Did you know horseshoe crabs have ten eyes? These animals have been around for over 450 million years. They also lack hemoglobin, which means their blood is blue, and that blood is very important in the biomedical industry.
Watch the video below for more cool facts about horseshoe crabs!
Yellow Rat Snake
Yellow Rat Snakes are native to Florida. They eat a variety of rodents and live in multiple habitat types. You can see him at the Dalton Discovery Center when we re-open to the public!
Plantable Paper
Craft with a purpose! Join Conservancy of Southwest Florida intern Mandy as she teaches you how to make plantable paper. It's a great craft that you should be able to do with the items you have lying around the house.
If you do not have any seeds, we ordered ours from www.floridawildflowers.com
Click here for a printable list of items and a set of directions.