Our
next stop as we were driving down to Key West was to walk a short trail in Long
Key State Park (short only because we were hot, tired, and bored; not
necessarily the trail itself). Though
allegedly named for the spiders that live in the area, the only creatures we
saw were small crabs that carpeted the trail and would scurry ahead of our
footsteps, in search of their hidey-holes.
Mangroves
had also completely taken over the area with their stilt-like roots and small
spattering of yellow leaves spangled amongst the green. Because mangroves typically get their water
from the ocean, they have to desalinize their water before they can use
it. On their own they can remove about
90% of the salt in their water source; the last ten percent is sent to a
“sacrificial” leaf on each branch, which begins to turn yellow and eventually
die. This process allows them to survive
without a freshwater source, which would kill any other vegetation.
Their
interlocking root systems also allow them to survive extreme weather systems,
like hurricanes and small inlets in the mangroves forests, known as “hurricane
holes,” are some of the safest places to seek refuge if you ever find yourself
outside, near a mangrove forest, during a hurricane.
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