outcrops common in southern Florida. Mangrove forests grow in the channels and estuaries at the tip of Florida where the water runs into the Gulf of Mexico. These water ways are nurseries for a variety marine species. The mangrove forests are the first line of defense against hurricanes.
Abundant wildlife is present in the park and easily seen at different time of the year. Many species of birds visit from northern latitudes in the winter which makes is a destination for bird watchers fro around the world. Winter time is also a good time to see alligators as the water levels are low and the alligators congregate in areas near the established park visitor areas. It is also the time of year when the mosquitoes are not present. They can be brutal during the wet summer months.
The Everglades National Park, created in 1947, is located in the southern part of Florida and has been designated a World Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve, and Wetland of International Importance. It is comprised of Coastal Lowlands, Mangrove forests, Hardwood Hammocks, Freshwater Sloughs, Freshwater Marl Prairie, Cypress Groves, Pinelands, and Marine and Estuarine areas.
Often mistaken for swamps, most of the Everglades is actually a slow moving river, nicknamed 'River of Grass', with the water moving only about 100 feet per day. It drains the excess water that comes down from Lake Okechobee through the Big Cypress National Preserve, a swamp to the north of the Everglades.
Scattered throughout the low lying river are dense stands of hardwood trees sitting on islands that rise only a few inches in elevation. Pine forests grow on the limestone