Slogging through the Everglades

 We have been soaking up the Everglades for the past week now.  It is an awesome, diverse park with lots to see and explore.  I have been amazed at the diverse ecosystems that are present here.  It is not a swamp, as one is led to believe, but actually a massive slough of slowly flowing water, dotted with pockets of trees, shrubs and other vegetation that gain a hold when there is a slight elevation change.  The "slough" flows into the Florida Bay, adding the marine estuary as its final distinct ecosystem.  We have spent our time biking, hiking, canoeing, and even "slough slogging".

Anhinga

Alligator

There are lots of alligators in this park.

This is the Strangler Fig.  It starts out life as an air plant clinging to the bark of another tree.  Its roots grow downwards to the ground.  The tree continues to grow until it eventually chokes off the host plant.

Bromeliads growing on Cypress

On our Slough slog.  We wandered through about three miles of this stuff and we didn't see any snakes!

More of our slog.

The bromeliads are just starting to bloom.

An American Crocodile.  I didn't know we had crocs in the US.

An osprey with a fish for lunch.

A mangrove full of White Ibis.

We found this little guy (gal?) as we were riding our bikes.

A badder wort 

A White Heron

Part of our 17 mile bike ride.  It got worse than this.

Paddling through the Nine Mile Pond canoe trail.

Sydney working hard on the canoe trip.