Spring Trip to Florida, 2000

South Florida Wetlands, include the Everglades and Big Cyprus Swamp.  Numerous ecosystems in these areas depend on a complex cycle of precipitation, surface flow, fire, hurricane and drought.  These systems are home to a diverse set of organisms, including large beautiful water fowl and abundant alligators.  Pictured above is a White Ibis, photographed in Cork Screw Swamp Sanctuary.  Below is an alligator, photographed along the Anhinga Trail in the Everglades.

Water management is a major environmental issue in south Florida.  Water naturally flowing through the Everglades is diverted for agricultural uses, flood control, and use domestic use by the rapidly growing coastal urban areas.  The picture below shows some of the fields near Homestead.  Outside of the areas protected in Parks and preserves, much of the everglades have been converted to areas such as this that shown below:

Next: Central Florida uplands