The Everglades: River of Grass

 

Earth and Its Wonders

"The Everglades was declared as a series of vast, miasmic swamps, poisonous lagoons, huge dismal marshes without outlet, a rotting, shallow, inland area, or labyrinths of dark trees hung and looped about with snakes ad dripping mosses, malignant with tropical fevers and malarias, evil to the white man."(Douglas p.105)

This was meaningful and stuck out to me most. I have been lucky enough to have been and stayed for a few days in the everglades an even though it might be filled with what the quote says its vast majority to provide a home to so many species of wildlife is amazing. I felt a sense of belonging when I was there the land was marsh but it was like being in a whole other world where life is simple and everything was at piece with itself; no fighting, no arguing, and taking only what is needed to survive just like Tobias in the Land Remembered. I guess I feel that a life I wish I could of been born in.

Photo by https://www.flickr.com

Photo by Everglades swamp.JPG
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Everglades_swamp.JPG

“To understand the Everglades one must first understand the rock.”(Douglas p. 122)

I believe for people to truly understand the Everglades we must try to learn everything we can about it, not just rocks, but how it affects us and influences everything that lives there. I love how the author talk about the Everglades not in such an abrasive way but an informative way. It's calming and creates a picture to the reader on what the Everglades is about and what it looks like. She is very informational going into such detail in the fact she tells the reader everything that plays a factor is creating the majestic Everglades it makes me want to know more.

Photo by Everglades National Park
 http://www.floridaadventuring.com/images/porous-limestone-rock.jpg

 

"Two kinds of mangroves dominate this association, the black and the red. "(Douglas p.148)

I chose this quote in the fact that I never knew that the different types of mangroves. Each type provides home and shade for animals who need it. They help build the land and they are mysterious because the author doesn't even know where they have come from originally. This fascinates me into thinking that there is so much that we still may not know everything about the Everglades but it is a place of beauty and I will always remember it from the I took of it being full of life. It does sadden me that people don't take the time nor care about the plants or animals that life there.

Photo by Ocean Portal http://ocean.si.edu/sites/default/files/styles/colorbox_full/public/photos/Mangroves_in_Puerto_Rico.jpg?itok=novDafai