Sunday, March 11, 2007

Everglades






I spent a couple of days in South Florida this week after a business meeting in Miami. I went to Everglades National Park, Biscayne National Park, Big Cypress National Preserve and Key West.

It was certainly different than the places I usually take photos. The highest point in the Everglades is 7' above sea level. The lowest point in Rocky Mountain National Park is 7850'. I thought RMNP was a pretty big park, but the Everglades is 6 times larger. It also includes Florida Bay.

I definitely had some misconceptions about the Everglades. I was expecting a more swampy, wet, dark environment. Some of it was, but a large part of it is grassland. It looks a lot like the photos of the savannahs in Africa. I guess if you view it from above, the grassland is covered with a layer of water. Hence, they call it a "sea of grass". I was there during the dry season so it was a bit brown.

Unfortunately, we are slowly drying up the Everglades due to development, irrigation for farming, etc. It would be a shame to see it change drastically. It's such a diverse place. I saw so many varieties of wildlife I've never seen anywhere else.

The top photo is from the south side of Key West. The next landmass south from here is Cuba. The next photo is the grassland. Then a couple of birds. Bottom photo is a wicked looking gator.