It's been a fun couple of weeks especially since my friend, Paula, decided to visit me for the holidays. I've had a lot of fun exploring Miami with her. One of our adventures included a trip to the Everglades.
Everglades National Park is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States and is home to many rare and endangered species. Freshwater once flowed freely from the Kissimmee River and Lake Okeechobee (near Orlando) southward over low lying limestone down to Biscayne Bay and Florida Bay to create an 11,000 square mile ecosystem of ponds, sloughs, sawgrass marshes, hardwood hammock, and forested uplands. Beginning in the early 1900's, a series of canals and waterways was constructed to drain the Everglades for development. In 1947, the Everglades National Park was established to help protect what was left of the natural habitat.
(photo courtesy of Paula)
We went to Shark Valley and one of the best ways to tour the park is by bike. They have a fantastic paved path that covers the 15 mile loop.
One reptile which depends on the Everglades for vital habitat is the American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis).......
......and this is the first alligator that Paula has ever seen in the wild. At Shark Valley, you can see alligators sunning themselves all along the banks.
Some of my favorite things to see in the Everglades are the wading birds such as herons, egrets, cormorants, wood storks, and, if you are lucky, roseate spoonbills. It is estimated that the number of wading birds found in the Everglades has decreased by 93%. Many birds were hunted almost to extinction during the early 19th century when their feathers, or plumes, were used for decorations on women's hats. In 1915, plumes sold for $32 an ounce- the same price as gold.
The Everglades was first described as a "river" rather than a swamp in Marjory Stoneman Douglas' 1947 publication of The Everglades: River of Grass. Marjory studied the local ecology and history of the Everglades for almost 5 years before publishing the first description of the area, as well as, bringing attention the conservation needs of the ecosystem.
Brought to the brink of extinction by habitat destruction and over hunting, the American Alligator is still listed as a federally threatened species. Although it is estimated that up to a couple thousand gators now thrive in the Everglades, they are still protected and monitored by the Fish and Wildlife Service. The observation tower along the bike path is a great place to see lots of gators.
(photo courtesy of Paula)
And be on the look out for birds. We didn't see any spoonbills up close, but we did see some flashes of pink as flocks of egrets and wood storks took to the sky!
(Photo courtesy of Paula)
The weather was beautiful- average winter temperatures are 77degrees with nice cool breezes. Much nicer than the average summer temperature of 90 degrees with 90% humidity and 100% mosquitoes!
Along with alligators, the Everglades is home to 15 other endangered and threatened species including the Florida panther, the Florida black bear, the Indian manatee, and the wood stork.
You can see lots of cormorants and anhingas drying their feathers in the sun. Because they are diving birds, their feathers are not waterproof like a duck so they sit around with their wings spread to dry their feathers before flying.
This alligator looked so happy warming himself in the sun!
The tricolored heron is also one of my favorite birds- they are very colorful with blue, yellow and white feathers.
Nature is so amazing! Walking along the path, I heard a noise which turned out to be the distressed calls of a little green tree frog who was being eaten by this snake in a mangrove tree- wow!
After our bike ride around Shark Valley, we visited Everglades Safari Park and took an airboat ride.
The water is typically 3 feet deep and full of plants like sawgrass, lillies, and seagrass. Regular boat props would have to tear through the vegetation or would simply get stuck in the mud. Therefore, airboats are perfect for navigating the shallow waters of the Everglades.
And they are a lot of fun!
Our airboat captain!
Our tour guide did an excellent job of informing us with cool facts about the Everglades.....like how a human could survive for up to a month by eating the roots of the sawgrass plant.
After our airboat ride, we got to see an alligator show and Paula got to make friends with Snappy, a 2 year old alligator.
Aren't they cute!
After spending the day seeing the alligators and holding the alligators, Paula saw fit to end the day by eating the alligators. Fried alligator bites- taste like chicken!
With a cold snap coming through, we sat by the fire pit (after a 3 hour search for firewood) and enjoyed a nice glass of wine while wearing reindeer antlers!
