The Sea Beckons

Big Cypress National Preserve, Ochopee, Collier County


mangroves
The 779,000 acres that make up Big Cypress National Preserve are part of the giant river that begins in Central Florida and ends in Florida Bay. It's a slow-moving river to be sure, dotted with a few islands where trees can grow. For most of its course, the water is fresh; Here in our explorations of Big Cypress is the first major clue that things are beginning to change from a freshwater environment to saltwater: the presence of mangroves, red mangroves in particular. This is part of an estuary, a place fresh and salt water come together. Plant and animal life changes with the water. We took this photo several miles north of Everglades City at the southern end of an RV park within Big Cypress.

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Published by Wild South Florida, PO Box 7241, Delray Beach, FL 33482.
Photographs by David Sedore. Photographs are property of the publishers and may not be used without permission.