South Florida comprises one of the wildest and most inaccessible terrains in the United States. South Florida is flat, and surface water is limited due to the porous and permeable rock foundation. But the vegetation is not limited -- the plants of the watershed are lush and diverse. One reason for this is that south Florida is positioned between temperate and tropical zones, containing habitats for species from both. Additionally, south Florida's peninsular shape, with shores washed by warm seas, provides a humid climate that nurtures plant growth. Some 3,500 plants thrive in the south Florida ecosystem, many found nowhere else.
The Everglades landscape is a unique collage of subtropical wetlands and uplands, including sawgrass marshes, sloughs, marl- and peat-based wet prairies, tree islands, tropical hardwood hammocks, pinelands, and at its southern most extreme, mangrove swamps and the Florida Bay estuary. Tree islands are the most distinct plant communities in the Everglades. Mangrove swamps occupy a zone between the open waters of the coast and the uplands and freshwater wetlands. Mangroves are important to the natural food web, both as a generator of microorganisms and as a provider of shelter for open-water predators. Mangroves also provide roosting and nesting areas for many types of birds.
The wildlife of the Everglades is both diverse and unusual, and includes creatures such as alligators, snail kites, apple snails, wood storks, white tailed deer, panthers, peregrine falcons, bald eagles, short-tailed hawks, smooth-billed anis, mangrove cuckoos, tree snails, manatees, American crocodiles, Florida panthers and Cape Sable seaside sparrows. Perhaps no other animals represent the area's biological diversity and wealth better than the birds. Almost 350 species, both temperate and tropical, have been recorded.
Yesterday & Today
Everglades Tomorrow
