The Everglades River of Grass One of the Greatest Ecosystems on Earth: The Florida Everglades

The Everglades is located on the southern tip of the Florida peninsula The Everglades is located on the southern tip of the Florida peninsula. It is the largest remaining subtropical wilderness in the United States. http://theevergladesstory.org/journey/

The Everglades is actually a very slow moving system of rivers fed by Lake Okeechobee and the Kissimmee River. It is actually a system of rivers with wetlands, featuring broad, shallow, slow moving water. Some call it a giant swamp.

The "River of Grass" is the iconic landscape of the Everglades ecosystem. Broad plains of tough saw grass growing in shallow waters stretch as far as the eye can see. For a long time most people considered the Everglades to be an evil swamp that should be drained of its water.

Now we know that the Everglades is an environmentally important ecosystem. The "river" that flows through it is some 60 miles wide and stretches 300 miles from the Kissimmee River to Florida Bay.

Saw grass has needle-sharp leaves that can grow to six feet or more Saw grass has needle-sharp leaves that can grow to six feet or more. The saw grass depends on fires, which limit shrub growth and create an environment that encourages saw grass and other marsh vegetation growth.

Known for its rich animal and plant life, the Everglades is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles exist side by side. It is a refuge for large wading birds, such as the roseate spoonbill, wood stork, great blue heron and a variety of egrets.

The Everglades includes several different ecosystems: both fresh and saltwater areas open prairies pine rocklands tropical hardwood forests offshore coral reefs mangrove forests The interaction of the powerful natural forces of sun, water, wind, and fire create this unusual landscape. Scientists agree, there is no landscape on earth quite like the Everglades.

The many ecosystems of the Florida Everglades.

During the dry season from December to April , water levels drop off and most of the animals gather around central water holes (gator holes). The alligator is important to the ecology of the area. These gator holes, which are dug out by the alligators serve as a refuge for other animals.

The wet season runs from May to November and brings humidity levels above 90% and temperatures consistently above 90°F. Rainstorms are frequent and drenching downpours can drop 10 to 12 inches of rain at a time. Be sure to bring a rain jacket or poncho!

Last year’s group in the Shark Valley hammock . Because most of the land is flooded with water at some point during the year, tropical hardwood hammocks are often the only dry land around. The hammocks are small, isolated oak woodlands that rise only a few inches above the flowing water. Hardly anything grows taller than 50 feet. The hammock base is usually so overgrown that it is nearly impenetrable, but that provides an excellent habitat for animals.

Many reptiles and amphibians, bald eagles, northern cardinals and barred owls often make their homes in the trees of the hammocks. There may also be white-tailed deer, bobcat, Everglades mink, raccoon and opossum living in the hammocks.

Pine rocklands form where the underlying limestone has been worn away and the area filled in with real soil. The South Florida Slash Pine is a species that needs fire to open the pine cones and allow the seeds to get out. Prescribed burns are a regular feature of management practices in the National Park. Most plants in the pine rocklands bloom about four months after a fire has passed through.

Much of Miami-Dade County used to be covered in pine rocklands but the trees were logged off long ago and now, only about 4,000 acres of this threatened habitat still exist, all of it within the boundaries of Everglades National Park.

Nearer the coast are the habitats known as the coastal lowlands (sometimes referred to as "wet prairies"). These areas can be under water for long periods of time, then above water and completely dry. There are very few trees in this habitat.

Closer to the ocean waters is the largest continuous mangrove system on Earth. Mangroves are well suited to exposure to salt water, extreme tides, high temperatures, muddy soils and high winds. This habitat supports a huge number of species and is a nursery for many of their young.

In the mangrove areas you'll also find cypress strands: areas where the cypress grow together thickly. Cypress do well in standing pools of fresh water, and they support large populations of Spanish moss, bromeliads, orchids and ferns that grow in their branches and along their trunks.

(Above) Hoover dike was built with digging spoils obtained from a navigable channel. Lake Okeechobee is at the top of photo. (Left) A network of canals serves to control water movement to provide optimum irrigation and drainage for sugar cane. It was in 1882 that the drainage of the region for residential and agricultural use began. Since then, the ecosystems of the park have suffered significantly.

Everglades National Park is the third largest National Park in the lower United States (after Death Valley National Park and Yellowstone National Park). At 1,508,571 acres, it is also the largest subtropical wild area in the lower 48 states. http://www.tidewater-florida.com/national-parks/everglades-national-park.htm

The park has been declared a Wetland of International Importance, a World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve. It is in the Everglades where you will begin your Splash into Science Florida adventure.