March 2 2012 Everglades

Finally made it to the Everglades National Park. We did not camp there because they said they had no hookups at the sites. Usually that is not a problem, the bus is self contained, generator etc. But the only thing that you cannot run on the generator or battery is the air conditioning. It has been in the 80’s and humid so we have been running it, esp. at night so we can sleep.  We camped in Homestead instead and drove in. Of course the campground had hookups, they just added them, but we had already paid for where we are.

 

The Everglades used to be a slow-moving fresh water river, 50 miles wide and a few inches deep covering most of southern Florida. Much of the region  is a labyrinth of mangrove waterways and saw grass marsh dotted with hammocks(tree islands) and salt prairies.  The  land areas are no more than 8 feet above sea level.  Only 1.5 million acres are left after man arrived and dammed and canaled the water so that  the water supply to most of it is cut off. There are subtropical plants and animals here. Lots of animals. Near the ocean are 10,000 islands, mostly mangrove islands. There are canoe trails thru them and campsites.  The ocean is no more than 16 feet deep until it hits the keys. Lots of grass, it has been called a River of Grass.

alligator, anhinga-a relative of the cormorant.

tri colored heron, an alligator with a shoe in its mouth. A bunch of people told the ranger about it and she came and looked. She said he can have it, she was not risking her life to take it away. I wonder what happened to the person who the shoe belongs to. . .

Black vultures hanging out with three alligators, a green heron

Anhinga in the trees, alligator in the trees

anhinga with a blue eye, bromeliads – a type of air plant that grows on trees

tri color heron in the lily pads, river of grass

What are the vultures ‘car’nivores?? John in a pine hammock

poison ivy, tree snail

wild flowers

3 feet in elevation?? more river of grass

poison wood tree- a relative of poison ivy-every part of it can cause a rash. . .  Roseate spoon bills

black throated stilts with very, very pink legs, a common buckeye butterfly

gulf fritillary butterfly, the visitors center at Flamingo at the end of the road by the ocean-it is painted pink.

papaya trees on the way back. Coconut palms. This part of Florida, where they drained the swamps is an agricultural area. They call the fruit and vegetable basket. Corn, tomatoes, and exotic fruits grow here.