Exploring Marine Ecosystems and Native Plants: Insights from Coral Reefs to Backyard Gardens
Although we are pretty unlikely to get to see a Porcupinefish while snorkeling, I just can't resist adding this striking fish to the fish coloring book. Their enormous eyes, wide mouth, and large extended lips give them the appearance of a half smile as though they’re just about to share a good joke and (in my opinion) make them pretty irresistibly adorable.
Barracuda are a fairly common sight almost everywhere I been diving or snorkeling. Although they are sleek, powerful swimmers that can sometimes look intimidating, they mostly hang out around reefs alone or in small groups. Sometimes they open and close their mouths showing off all their big teeth but don’t worry - this is just to help with their breathing.
This collection of Butterflyfish make up the second installation of my fish coloring book. My plan for this coloring book is to represent either fish that my niece would be most likely to see when snorkeling or fish that would be fun to color. While I'm not sure we'll be so lucky as to get to see butterfly fish while snorkeling (fingers crossed), I think Butterfly fish are really beautiful and definitely meet the second criteria!
My six-year-old niece is coming to visit and we are going snorkeling! I'm very excited! Not only because she's a fun kid to hang out with, but also because she shares my love of fish and learning about the ocean. So, I've been thinking about all the things we could do together and how I might need to adapt them a bit for a tiny person.
I've read about manatees before but never really knew much about them. They always seemed like such an exotic and bizarre animal - the kind you have to travel around the world to see. Now that we live in Florida, how could I possible not go swim with these amazing, gentle giants?
Erica Lauer Vose 