Kayaking through the mangroves was
one of the most exhausting but peaceful experiences of this trip so far. Frantically
maneuvering yourself through the mangroves proved to be quite a challenge
especially for us newbie kayakers. So what exactly were these gangly trees my
yak was slamming into and my head was nearly taken off by? Why Rhizophora
mangle of course! Otherwise known as the red mangrove.
This is a tree you will see
constantly throughout your Florida trip, being a species that can withstand the
salt water. How has it become so talented as to be able to accomplish this you
may ask? Well, they are known as salt excluders, which in a nutshell means they
have a membrane in their roots that allow water to pass and salt to stay out. This
makes them the only of the 3 species found in Florida seen directly along the
shoreline. White mangroves are found further behind the latter and black
mangroves behind the white.
Red mangroves also have a special
root system called prop roots. These are the gnarly roots you see sticking out
of the water, trapping your kayak as you try to skirt around them. They are
also what enables these trees to survive in an underwater habitat. They provide
the stability needed to stay put in that quicksand like silty bottom besides excluding
the salt. They even have openings that allow the tree to breathe air! These
roots give the mangroves the nickname “walking trees”, so I like to think I wasn’t
bumping into them, they were the ones walking into me.
By now you’re probably wondering
why they’re called red mangroves when the tree bark just looks like your run of
the mill brown. It’s actually the wood underneath the bark that has the red
color. But this doesn’t mean you should peel back the bark to get a peek, never
disturb nature!
While bumping
into the red mangroves don’t be frightened by the crabs crawling around the trees.
I may or may not have jumped the first time I saw one crawling away, it looked very
similar to a spider. And don’t forget to pick up any trash you see while paddling
through, us humans are destroying the best parts of this planet we live on!
Some other sources for info…
And if you’re looking for a place to rent your yak…
It was interesting seeing the different adaptations that mangroves use in order to deal with their environment. Another adaptation that we saw was pneumatophores, which are root structures that stick straight up out of the ground. This helps the tree take in air since its normal roots are submerged most of the time.
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