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| Swamp Trail | Marsh Trail | Map showing location of Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. Much of the land within WCA-1 consists of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). The Refuge consists of sawgrass marsh and some cypress forest and covers about 146,000 acres. It is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and is located within the northernmost part of the Everglades, on US 441/State Road 7, southwest of West Palm Beach. To the west of Loxahatchee NWR is the Everglades Agricultural Area and to the east are urban communities. Take a walk along the Swamp Trail, through the center of a cypress swamp. A photo gallery is available for this page. Cypress Swamp Boardwalk Trail [larger image] The 0.4-mile Cypress Swamp Boardwalk trail starts and ends at the Loxahatchee Visitor Center. Butterfly garden [larger image] Tiny blue flowers of nettleleaf velvetberry grow in the butterfly garden in front of the Visitor Center. This shrub generally prefers moist, fertile soils, but tolerates drought. It generally blooms year-round and grows quickly. [larger image] Hot-pink pentas (nectar plants) star-shaped flowers bud and grow in the butterfly garden in front of the Visitor Center. Pentas are popular butterfly garden plants. Freshwater swamp [larger image] The cypress swamp at the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge is a freshwater swamp. Freshwater swamps are generally wet, wooded areas where standing water occurs for at least part of the year. Freshwater swamp in front of the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center. [larger image] Freshwater swamp near the beginning of the Cypress Swamp Boardwalk. [larger image] Aquatic plants duckweed and water spangles carpet the swamp waters in front of the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center and near the beginning of the Cypress Swamp Boardwalk. Duckweed and water spangles are floating plants that are found throughout Florida. Water spangles have paired rounded leaves with stiff, hairs above and roots beneath. Duckweed has oblong leaves that are usually attached to one another; each leaf has a root beneath. Close-up of the small aquatic plants that cover the swamp waters. [larger image] Pickerelweed Long heart-shaped leaves and a few violet-blue flowers of the pickerelweed extend above the swamp waters. Pickerelweed commonly grows in calm waters throughout Florida and generally blooms in all but the winter months. [larger image] Epiphytes - "Air Plants" [larger image] Epiphytes thrive among the tall cypress trees. The most abundant epiphytes found within the swamp include spanish moss, ball moss, reflexed wild pine and cardinal wild pine. The gray leaves of spanish moss can be seen dangling from cypress trees all along the Cypress Swamp Boardwalk. Spanish moss is an epiphyte that is related to the pineapple. It does not have roots and is not a parasite; it uses trees for support only. Spanish moss is commonly found throughout Florida. [larger image] A cypress tree supports the flowering cardinal wild pine bromeliad. [larger image] Bromeliads are members of the pineapple family. The pineapple-like leaf arrangement is common to the family. The leaf arrangement of this epiphyte, "air plant", helps it to accumulate water. This collection of water between its leaves provides a habitat for mosquitoes and other aquatic insects, small tree frogs, frogs, and lizards. IPIX - Cypress Swamp Boardwalk   Stop on the Cypress Swamp Boardwalk and take in the scenery. Vegetation abounds! Ferns, cypress trees and air plants are abundant here. Navigate around this 360° view of the Cypress Swamp Boardwalk at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.   Note: You will need the free IPIX viewer to view this 360° image   Insects These are but some of the colorful flying insects you can see while walking along the Cypress Swamp Boardwalk at Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. [larger image] [larger image] [larger image] Lichen Red patches of "baton-rouge" lichen stand out against the lush, green, fern-covered understory of cypress swamp. [larger image] Lichens are made up of two symbiotic organisms, algae and fungus. The fungus collects water and provides the basic structure while the algae makes food via photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process of transforming light energy (the sun) into chemical energy (sugars, food). Lichens are good biological indicators of air quality as they will die when exposed to air pollutants. Types of lichens found within the swamp of Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge include foliose, "baton-rouge", fruticose and old man's beard. Foliose lichens on a tree trunk. [larger image] Fabulous Ferns! Many different fern species prosper in the water and shade of cypress swamp. Some of the ferns found within the swamp include: cinnamon fern, wild Boston fern, royal fern, strap fern, giant leather fern, sword fern, swamp fern and shield fern. [larger image] The red-tinted fronds of a swamp fern. The swamp fern is native to Florida. [larger image] Dark green fronds of a shield fern stand out against a mostly royal fern background. [larger image] A reddish-colored swamp fern frond family sits amidst the predominately green understory. [larger image] Brown anole [larger image] Brown anole on the Cypress Swamp Boardwalk. Brown anoles can camouflage themselves by changing from brown to very dark brown, and some can become black. In the early 1970s, this lizard was introduced to Florida from the Caribbean. Since then, (native) green anole populations have decreased. More Swamp Shots! Looking through the swamp understory around the Cypress Swamp Boardwalk. [larger image] A view of the swamp near the end of the Cypress Swamp Boardwalk. [larger image] Cypress trees with red, baton-rouge lichens and dangling spanish moss. [larger image] Looking up or looking down? The swamp canopy and the sky are being reflected in the swamp waters so you are actually looking down! [larger image] Related SOFIA Information Below we have listed science projects and publications from studies that are being conducted, or have been conducted, in the area of the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. Follow these links to read about each project and to see project-related publications and data. Science Projects: Abnormal Groundwater Conditions and Network Redesign Project Across Trophic Level System Simulation (ATLSS) Application of Stable Isotope Techniques to Identifying Foodweb Structure, Contaminant Sources, and Biogeochemical Reactions in the Everglades The Aquatic Cycling of Mercury in the Everglades (ACME) Project Bacterial demethylation of methylmercury in the South Florida Ecosystem Color Infrared Digital Orthophoto Quadrangles for the South Florida Ecosystem Comparison of the South Florida Natural System Model with Pre-canal Everglades Hydrology Estimated from Historical Sources Compilation of Alligator Data Sets in South Florida for Restoration Needs Cycling and Speciation of Mercury in the Food Chain of South Florida Ecological Risk Assessment of Toxic Substances in the South Florida Ecosystem: Wildlife Effects and Exposure Assessment Florida Cooperative Mapping Ground Water Cooperative Program Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions and Relation to Water Quality in the Everglades High Accuracy Elevation Data Collection (Everglades) Integrated Biogeochemical Studies in the Everglades: Nutrients and Sulfur Integrated Geochemical Studies in the Everglades Interactions of Mercury with Dissolved Organic Carbon in the Florida Everglades Interagency Synthesis of Scientific Information, South Florida Land Characteristics from Remote Sensing South Florida Information Access Surface Water Cooperative Program Synthesis by the Aquatic Cycling of Mercury in the Everglades Related Publications: The Florida Everglades Geologic Map of the State of Florida A GIS Interface for Environmental System Analysis: Application to the South Florida Ecosystem Hydrogeology of the Gray Limestone Aquifer in Southern Florida (from the Water Resources of Florida website) Relations of a Heterozoan Carbonate-Particle Association to Aquifer Characteristics in a Pliocene Mixed Siliciclastic-Carbonate Ramp (Tamiami Formation), Southern Florida South Florida Ecosystem Program The South Florida Environment: A Region Under Stress USGS Science for Restoration of South Florida: The South Florida Ecosystem Program U.S. Geological Survey Program on the South Florida Ecosystem: 2000 Proceedings U.S. Geological Survey Program on the South Florida Ecosystem Proceedings of the South Florida Restoration Science Forum Water Quality in Southern Florida (from the Water Resources of the United States website) Water Resources of Southeastern Florida TOP

U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Center for Coastal Geology
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Last updated: April 05, 2007 @ 02:00 PM (HSH)