Florida Gar (Lepisosteus platyrhincus)
It’s Not What It Looks Like
What at first glance may appear to be a piece of wood drifting along could very well be a stealthy gar on the hunt. This prehistoric-looking fish, with its hard and bony armor-like scales, inhabits the waters of south Florida’s muddy-bottomed streams, canals, and lakes where it hunts for fish, insects, and crustaceans. An air bladder enables it to retain air at the surface and in low-oxygenated water.
Bald Cypress (Cupressaceae)
You’re How Old?
Known to grow up to 400 to 600 years old in the wild (the oldest in the world was believed to be 3,500 years old when it died), bald cypress trees are truly a sight to behold. With their flowing feathery branches and massive buttressed trunks, or “knees”, which are believed to be a response to growing in soft, wet soil, these iconic trees are found all over Florida and, though they are conifers, they drop their needles every fall, as a deciduous tree does. The bald cypress attracts seed-eating birds and serves as a nesting and roosting area for colonial wading birds.
American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)
No, I’m Not a Crocodile
With its broad, rounded snout and no lower teeth visible when the jaw is closed, you can be assured that you’re looking at a genuine alligator. Ranging from Texas to North Carolina to the tip of Florida, these armor-clad, cold-blooded wonders of nature can grow up to 14 feet in length feeding primarily on fish, frogs, mammals, birds, and invertebrates. Not classified as endangered or threatened, the primary threat to the American alligator is the disappearance of its habitat due to wetland drainage and development.
Shingle Creek
The headwaters of the Everglades watershed is a slow, meandering, cypress-lined creek just outside the city of Orlando.
Kissimmee River
The restoration of 40 miles of river and floodplain is proof that these massive projects can be completed and show immediate results.
Lake Okeechobee & EAA Reservoir
This is where the southward flow of water was interrupted. The reservoir will clean and store fresh water before it is sent south.
Tamiami Trail Bridges
The roadbed for Highway 41 effectively dammed the shallow “sheet flow” of water from the north, but two new bridges have restored the flow.
Everglades National Park
The major outlet for fresh water from the Everglades, Shark River features the region’s tallest and most productive red-mangrove forests.
Florida Bay
Florida Bay now receives less than 50% of the fresh water it needs to maintain its massive seagrass beds, which are the key to the entire ecosystem.