Bye Bye Mangroves

I took a walk with Rusty as usual and I made it a point to photograph some mangroves for myself. 

It is not often noticed but in June 2007 when I created this page I called it a Diary and the reason was that it was going to be a record such as I had never had of things I liked. I like mangroves and where I'm going these three weeks I shan't see any. At least I don't think they have red mangroves Up North, that I've ever seen.

So I thought to myself, I shall post some pictures so when I'm on the road I can refer back to what I left behind. 

So this is for me, to remember the heat and the smell and sweat and the irritation of my viewfinder misting up. Of Rusty crashing down the trail and sitting in thick brown water to cool off.

Of the heron that flew straight overhead pushing the air aside  audibly like  a wind turbine.  I saw a white crowned pigeon flying alongside my car as we arrived and I looked to the right and there framed in my passenger window was the pigeon making high speed travel look easy. 

Mangroves are unique and weird and what makes them even more special is they are completely useless to humans. You can't burn them, you build with them,  they are a law unto themselves. You can't even walk among them, they are awful to try to traverse.

For the longest time they were targeted by developers because  they were considered not only useless but obstructive. And then of course they were found to have remarkable properties of great human value...Human beings are quick to pounce in judgement and slow to retract. 

Mangroves protect dry land by absorbing wave action. Mangroves protect fish spawn by giving shade and protection from the sun and from predators. If you want to go fishing protect your mangroves. And because the state of Florida values tourist dollars mangroves are now protected and you can't cut them down. as it always should have been. 

I really like Florida.  Not all of it, but some bits of it quite a lot.