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Biscayne - Florida
Descriptive:
Along the southeast edge of the Florida peninsula, the pristine wilderness of Biscayne National Park straddles the Intracoastal Waterway, with an extensive mangrove forest at shoreline, the narrow Elliott Key in the middle, to extend another 3 miles out to sea where the Park's living rock gardens, the coral reefs, begin. Biscayne National Park is mostly water, and offers vistas that are sandwiched between vast stretches of water and sky, overwhelming the scene in every direction. In the middle of the Park, running parallel to the shore, run a series of small islands, or "keys", which reach like a slender finger up the coast, and begin the Florida Keys archipelago, which reaches southward. Whether on land or under water, this tropical paradise is an exceptional setting of strange and wild beauty.
A ride aboard a glass-bottom boat provides an unusual look at the teeming life beneath the sea. Spotlights are trained at the seabed below and the ever-changing sub-marine landscape. Tours set out daily from Convoy Point.
A gentle giant, the manatee, visits the bay in winter to graze on turtle grasses. Unfortunately, the manatee is an endangered marine mammal.
Vegetation:
Mahogany
Gumbo limbo
Jamaican dogwood
Lignum vitae
Wildlife:
Manatee
Cotton mouse
Woodrat
Bald eagle
Peregrine falcon
Wood stork
American crocodile
Sea turtle
White ibis
Heron
Brown pelican
Egret
Key locations:
On the mainland, the nutrient-rich mangrove forest is a rich and teeming ecosystem, critical to the survival of the outlying wetlands. This dense tangle of mangroves is a natural buffer against strong winds and hurricanes, protecting ecosysytems inland as well, and preventing erosion of the shoreline. Tidal creeks and swamps provide narrow passageways inland, and can be explored with a canoe. Because the water is stained brown by tannins from trees it is hard to see the rich abundance living under the water's surface.
Beneath the sea, in Hawk Channel, a kaleidoscope of life opens up in rich colors and fervent activity among the reefs. These shallow water reefs show a diversity of exotic wildlife, bustling with the energy of a busy underwater city. These reefs are the northernmost part of a larger chain of reefs which extend south to the Dry Tortugas.
The Bay of Biscayne is effectively a lagoon, making it a rich environment as well. Its waters are filled with undersea grasses, which create a shelter for numerous fish seeking shelter from predators in these transparent waters. Numerous birds, however. find the Bay an excellent feeding ground and patrol its clear, shallow waters.
Activities:
Snorkelling
Swimming
Scuba Diving
Boating
Canoeing
Fishing
Lobstering
Geology:
Coral reefs are composed of millions of tiny creatures called polyps, which are soft-bodied animals like the sea anemone. Extracting calcium from the sea, polyps create a hard outer skeleton for protection. Hundreds of polyps together form a coral, and hundreds of corals form a reef. These creatures are rarely seen in the daytime.
Trails:
Spite Highway
