Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Out of the Jurisdiction: Everglades

The next eight days will be on the other side of Florida.  To begin, Everglades National Park.


The Everglades are often described as a "river of grass."  Everglades National Park is huge -- 1.5 million acres -- one of only three places on Earth designated World Heritage Site,
International Biosphere Reserve and Wetland of International Importance.


We started with a short walk along the Anhinga Trail Boardwalk.  Alligators were everywhere.


Even a small elevation change causes dramatic changes in the vegetation and wildlife.

We biked through a pine forest.  I focused on the bumpy road ahead of me and didn't take pictures.



After the bike ride, a guide led us on a knee-deep walk through a "Cypress dome," a swamp ecosystem dominated by bald cypress.  Birds were plentiful but hidden in the trees.



In some parts of the cypress swamp, the epiphytes -- plants that live on the side of the trees --
were more extensive than I had ever seen.

On to the Florida Keys.

5 comments:

John "By Stargoose And Hanglands" said...

Thanks for that tour. I never realised that it was quite so extensive. Or that much of it was grassland; the cypress swamps are the image I'd always received from photos.

RedPat said...

This looks like an incredible journey, Jack!

Sharon said...

Oh my, did you actually wade in that swamp? Amazing.

William Kendall said...

One of the great treasures of your country. I was there when I was a child.

jennyfreckles said...

It looks very mysterious and other-worldly.