Photo by: Alexa Elliott

NO SALAD DRESSING PLEASE
What do you get when you mix 200,000 acres of oyster bars, mangrove islands, fresh and saltwater, along with a variety of South Florida’s unique aquatic plants and wildlife? The Ten Thousand Islands of course!

Located 20 miles southeast of Naples, Florida, this cluster of mangrove islands is part of the largest mangrove estuary in North America. Starting from the northwest portion of Everglades National Park and extending northward approximately 60 miles along Florida’s gulf coast, the Ten Thousand Islands are a delicate and intricate ecosystem that provides food, refuge, and nursery grounds for a multitude of plants and animals.

Photo by: Alexa Elliott

TINY GIANTS
Around here, oysters don’t mind giving piggy-back rides. Mangrove Islands form when Red Mangrove seedlings become trapped inside beds of oyster shells that have grown tall enough to break the water’s surface. As time passes, these mangroves grow and trap soil, eventually creating tiny islands.

Once these islands grow large enough to restrict and alter the area’s water flow, the oyster colonies begin to die out; essential nutrients washed in with the tide are no longer accessible. But don’t be sad, the death of these tiny mollusks gives birth to a vast array of plant and animal species that can now call this island “home.”

Resources for this article have been provided by Wikipedia and the US Fish and Wildlife Service.