Dona Herweck Rice - Travel Adventures: The Everglades: Addition Within 100

0covercover.xhtmlcover1page0001page0001.xhtml22page0002page0002.xhtmlTravel Adventures The Everglades Addition Within 10033page0003page0003.xhtml44page0004page0004.xhtmlTable of Contents Oh, Snap! 4 Everglades National Park 6 Airboat Tours 16 Hiking Trails 22 A World You Will Not Forget 26 Problem Solving 28 Glossary 30 Index 31 Answer Key 3255page0005page0005.xhtmlOh, Snap! Look! Two bright eyes glide across the green water as you watch from an airboat. Closer, closer they come. The animal swims quietly. If you did not see the eyes, you would not know it was there. Suddenly, a long, gray-green snout appears. The jaw opens wide, and you see rows of sharp, pointed teeth. Snap! The jaw closes fast. The crocodile has caught its prey.66page0006page0006.xhtml77page0007page0007.xhtmlEverglades National Park Here in Everglades National Park, crocodiles roam free. This is their home. It is home to many other kinds of animals, too. Birds and fish live here. Mammals play, and reptiles soak up the sun. People come here, too. They come to see the wildlife. They come to see the wild place the animals call home. A man steers a canoe through the Everglades.88page0008page0008.xhtmlLET'S EXPLORE MATH Dre and his family take a vacation to the Everglades. The table shows the animals Dre saw on his trip. Animal Total crocodile 1 frog 7 wood stork 6 dragonfly 11 muskrat 2 1. How many wood storks and dragonflies did Dre see? 2. How many muskrats, frogs, and crocodiles did Dre see? 3. How many animals did Dre see? wood stork99page0009page0009.xhtmlWetland Wonder Everglades National Park is in the southern part of Florida. It is quite special. People wanted to preserve the Everglades. So, they made them a national park. The park is huge! It would be hard to see all of it in one day. The park has more than 2, 000 square miles (5, 200 square kilometers) of land and water! Many of those miles are wet. That is because the park is a wetland.1010page0010page0010.xhtmlEverglades National Park1111page0011page0011.xhtmlA wetland is an area of land that is often soaked in water. One type of wetland is a swamp. In some ways, the park is like a big swamp. People travel by boat or on foot through the watery land. But the park is more than just a swamp. It has different habitats. Each one is unique.1212page0012page0012.xhtmlswampy area of the Everglades1313page0013page0013.xhtmlHabitats There are many habitats in the park. They may be grassy or filled with trees. They may be below or just above water. They may have land or water animals. They may have both! Two habitats in the park need fire to thrive. Prairie fires burn grass so water can get through to let new grass grow. In pinelands, fire burns plants that crowd out the pine trees. prairie fire pinelands habitat1414page0014page0014.xhtmlcypress swamps habitat1515page0015page0015.xhtmlRainfall All of the habitats have one thing in common : they get a lot of rain. The park gets about 60 inches (150 centimeters) of rain each year! The rain keeps the wetlands wet for more than half that time. These months are known as the wet season. The rest of the year is the dry season. Those months get very little rain. dry season wet season1616page0016page0016.xhtmlLET'S EXPLORE MATH This table shows normal rainfall in the Everglades. Use the table to answer the questions. Month Rain (in.) May 6 June 9 July 7 August 8 September 9 October 6 November 1. How many inches did it rain in May and June? 2. How many inches did it rain in August, September, and October? 3. If there were 47 inches of rain during the months shown in the table, how many inches did it rain in November?1717page0017page0017.xhtmlAirboat Tours Do you want to visit the Everglades? One great way to see the park is in an airboat. A guide will take you through the waterways. The guide will tell you about the animals and plants you see. You might spot a few crocodiles. But you will see it all from a safe spot on the boat!1818page0018page0018.xhtmlThese tour groups travel by airboat to see the Everglades.1919page0019page0019.xhtmlOn the Tour An airboat tour lets you get close to the wildlife of the Everglades. Dolphins play in the waters. Manatees chomp the sea grass. Bobcats creep by you. Mosquitoes buzz. Frogs and toads croak and call to each other. You might not see all of these animals on a single tour. But even so, it is fun to know they are near! bobcat tree frog2020page0020page0020.xhtmlbottlenose dolphin manatee2121page0021page0021.xhtmlJump Right In! Some boat tours may let you swim in the water outside the park. There are plants below the surface that you cannot see from the boat. Just make sure you do not swim inside the park. The alligators there are not great swim buddies! These groups take a canoe trip through the Everglades.2222page0022page0022.xhtmlAn alligator swims through Everglades National Park.2323page0023page0023.xhtmlHiking Trails Many visitors explore the park on foot. They use hiking trails to see nature up close. They may even see a bear or two. In those cases, guests do not want to be too close! The truth is, it is best to give wild animals space. Remember, you are a visitor in their home! Be a good guest. A man gazes at the Everglades along the popular Pa-Hay-Okee Overlook Trail.2424page0024page0024.xhtmlA bike rider stays far away from an Everglades alligator. LET'S EXPLORE MATH On2525page0025page0025.xhtmlIf you plan to hike, be sure to wear good hiking shoes. The trails can be long and muddy. But you should still stay on trails when you hike! Going off the trails may harm plants and animals. The Everglades have been there a long time, but they are fragile. It is up to us to protect and preserve the park for the future. A man hikes on a trail in the Everglades. This park ranger's job is to help preserve the park.2626page0026page0026.xhtmlLET'S EXPLORE MATH Imagine that some visitors are riding bikes on a trail. Then, more bike riders join them. Now, there are 27 bike riders. How many bike riders might have been on the trail at the start? Could there have been only 2 bike riders at the start? Why do you think so?2727page0027page0027.xhtmlA World You Will Not Forget However you see the park, you will not forget it. It is not like any other place in the world. Look at the sights. Listen to the sounds. Land and water create striking nature scenes. Wildlife is all around you. Take a picture in your mind. You will want to remember this place forever.2828page0028page0028.xhtmlA heron touches the water as the sun sets over the Everglades.2929page0029page0029.xhtmlProblem Solving Your family is visiting Everglades National Park. You and your sister are excited to see some of the 360 types of birds in the park. During your visit, you keep track of the birds you see. Use the table to answer the questions. 1. How many flamingos and storks did you see? 2. How many cuckoos and spoonbills did you see? 3. How many storks and spoonbills did your sister see? 4. Who saw more birds : you or your sister? 5. Which type of bird was sighted most often? 6. Which type of bird was sighted least often?