Baby Steps into the Wetlands

In preparation for the Suwannee project I dug out some old books, including Common Marsh Plants of the United States and Canada and Underwater and Floating-Leaved Plants of the United States and Canada, both written more than 40 years ago by U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Neil Hotchkiss. Wanting more, I bought a copy of Field Guide to Coastal Wetland Plants of the Southeastern United States by Ralph Tiner. It is a good one. I also bought another tree guide, Native Trees of the Southeast by Kirkman et. al. I am disappointed that I have yet to find two tree guides that agree on certain questions that have been vexing me. I feel I will have little trouble identifying the animals; I know the birds, mammals, and herps reasonably well, and suspect that paddlers will be likely to encounter only the best-known kinds of fishes.

Black Mangroves and Marsh near Cedar Key

We will be hoping to take to the waterways soon, but in the meantime we can do some coastal exploration on foot when we are in the Cedar Key area. Before then we can begin to learn about freshwater wetland plants close to home, as we encounter wetlands almost every day in our walks.