Mangrove Forest

The next day I did a mangrove boat tour. That was awesome! It's a fascinating land. And pretty important for the larger region. 90% of fish in the Gulf are born here. They have some problems, though, since all the activity upstream drains the Everglades. Conservationists are still fighting.

Into the mangroves!

An osprey on patrol.

The Everglades are brackish water, i.e. a mixture of salt and fresh water, the ratio changing with the tides. Mangrove trees are one of the few kinds of trees that can stand it. They are also called "Island Builders," since they grow ever closer together until they drive out the water, then die, and over a long time, an island results. But until that point is reached, there's only a thick field of roots where the trees stand. If you would walk through the mangroves, the guide's short summary was that you'd have to climb over the root network, would slip, break your ankle between the roots, sink into the mud hip-deep, loose your shoes and pants, and stink like rotten eggs. Nonetheless, some native Americans lived there. They built artificial islands from oyster shells. These islands were pretty big, with hills above trees' height to escape the mosquitoes, and had cisterns and other stuff, including some ingenuous systems to entrap fish using the tides. The black water by the way isn't dirty. It's falling leaves acting like tons of tea bags that color the water! There is also a lot of wildlife to see. Many kinds of birds. And I finally saw one of my buddies with the nasty, scheming smile!

The Artful Dodger.