A Cypress Dome Swamp

There are nine distinct habitat types in Everglades National Park; the cypress swamp or forest is one of them. These trees often grow in the shape of a dome or strand with open water at the center. Trees growing near the center tend to grow taller than outlying trees because growing conditions are better — more water and nutrients. This creates the illusion of a dome. Trees are absent from the very center, because the water here is too deep for trees to take hold and grow.

A strand is similar except the center body of water is flowing and elongated.

If you make the drive to Flamingo and Florida Bay, you'll pass by a dwarf cypress forest. These trees are mature, decades, if not centuries old, but stand only a few feet tall, their growth stunted by a lack of nutrients in the soil where they reside.

Dome and strand swamps provide the perfect environment for a variety of orchids and bromeliads to grow on the surrounding trees; the water hole in the center provides a refuge for fish, turtles, alligators and other water-dependent creatures especially during the dry season. It might seem suicidal for anything to hang out in a gator hole, but it a) beats the alternative and b) alligators don't eat all that frequently, so the odds are good that the refugees will live to see the next rainy season.

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