Journal Entry #8 Floridiana Book

"The Everglades River of Grass" by Marjory Stoneman Douglas provided great insight into this mysterious area of nature in Florida. For a long time, I have been unclear as to exactly what the Everglades are, knowing simply that they are just there. I've come to find out that there is only one Everglades in the entire world. To a dork like me, that's really cool!

I've come to understand that the Eveglades is a river flowing from Lake Okeechobee to the south of Florida. Sawgrass grows within the water, dying off and then rising up from its own debris, interestingly. The water comes from a variety of sources, such as the Kissimmee River, all of which are located north of Lake Okeechobee, flowing south into it. Lake Okeechobee then overflows south into the Everglades. This unique system has allowed us in Florida to host the only Everglades situation on the planet.

Within the Everglades are many forms of plant and animal life, in addition to the notable saw grass. There is also a layer of rock beneath the surface, on which many plants grow. Mangroves, black and red, can be found, their source being unknown. This leads us to believe that these Mangroves within the Everglades are in fact the original mangroves, which have spawned many other mangrove habitats throughout Florida. I thought that was pretty neat.

I appreciated this book, because as someone who is fairly new to Florida, I really had no idea what the Everglades were! I just knew that it was some element of nature that was vast. I think I assumed it was some sort of forest situation, being from New England. I am glad that I am now knowledgeable about this special place in nature. It sounds very cool to me, and I would love to check this place out in the near future, as much as I love being out in the elements. I am grateful to be in Florida and proud that we possess such an amazing environmental feature.