The Everglades

The Everglades

Weird and Wonderful Do you know what a gumbo-limbo is? How about a stinkpot? These funny words are the names of things that live in Everglades National Park.

More Than a Swamp Everglades National Park is in South Florida. The summers there are hot and wet. The winters are mild and dry. There is water every where. Many people think that the Everglades is just swamps, or wetlands partly covered by water. It is much more than that.

There are different types of areas in the Everglades. One of these is freshwater swamps. Cypress trees grow there. Panthers, rabbits, turkey, and deer live there.

The Everglades has saltwater swamps, too. Mangrove trees grow there. They look different from other trees. They have long roots that rise above the water.

The Everglades has wet marshes. The marshes are full of sawgrass. Sawgrass is a tall plant with leaves that are sharp, like a saw.