Reunion Voyage: Everglades National Park

Up close and personal

Yesterday, we visited the Everglades by car with Bob, Martha, Marilyn and Curt a two hour car ride up the Keys, across Biscayne Bay, through Homestead, and passing the agricultural area of southeast Florida. The Everglades is the largest wilderness east of the Mississippi, with many different ecosystems based on the height of the land. A few inches of elevation can change the ecosystem from a freshwater habitat to a prairie to a Hardwood Hammock (dense forest) to a saltwater habitat. Alligators, crocodiles, turtles, several fish species and numerous birds populate the area. Along the main road there are six short hiking areas to view the different types of habitats.

Strangler Fig wrapped around a tree trunk

Mahogany Hammock

This is one of the Hardwood Hammocks with giant mahogany trees and very dense foliage. Interesting to see this habitat in a fairly untouched condition. Each of the small hiking areas have a boardwalk that was constructed years ago allowing people to visit and view the habitats without disturbing them. They were disturbed when the boardwalk was built but have returned to a mostly undisturbed state.

Flamingo Visitor Center and Marina

On the tip of land adjoining the saltwater Florida bay with a dam that retains the brackish water up stream. The Everglades are generally covered with slow moving water from Lake Okeechobee to the Florida Bay. The land is very flat so the flow is very slow, the water we saw was from a few feet deep to an inch or less and each area has a different habitat.

Paurotis Pond

We encountered a bird watching group with a Park Ranger at this stop. They pointed out a Green Heron, a Vulture, Roseate Spoonbill, and a Wood Stork around the pond. Mullet join in the fun by jumping out of the water 4-5 feet into the air.

Pay-hay-okee Overlook

The view over the Freshwater Marl Prairie is a long flat plain covered with grass where the native Indians lived. Florida has a wet season and a dry season and the habitats change based on the season. Winter is the dry season and as an example the bald cypress lose their needles and grow them back during the wet season.

Bald Cypress leafing out

Purple Gallinule

Royal Palm-Anhinga Trail

Arriving at dusk we immediately began to see the wild life. As we walked the trail we saw alligators, vultures, cranes, turtles, anhinga, a beautiful purple gallinule and plenty of mosquitoes. There were quite a few people on this trail, but the evening brought out the wildlife and all the alligators were moving about. There was a spectacular sunset over the marshes.

We walked many boardwalks and spent about 8 hours in the car. After a stop at Key Largo for supper we arrived home safe and tired.