Today, in the 85° (and muggy) heat, I got my "nature on" and took a guided tour of Six Mile Cypress Slough (pronounced slew) Preserve. Amazingly, this 2,549 acre wetland ecosystem is a mere two miles off the 6 lane Daniels Parkway in Fort Myers.
The most important function of the Six Mile Cypress Slough is that it acts as a natural travel corridor for wildlife by connecting northern Lee County to the Estero Bay Preserve. Averaging just 1/3 mile in width, this ecosystem drains a 33 square mile watershed and extends about nine miles in a southwesterly direction. The preserve's land was aquired in 1976 after taxpayers voted to purchase the land and place it in public ownership. Lee County and the South Florida Water Management District own and manage the preserve.
Many animals are permanent residents of the slough, such as raccoons, grey squirrels, red-shouldered hawks, and the Southern black racer snake. Visitors passing through include black bears, white-tailed deer, river otters, and bobcats. Water levels within the preserve fluctuate dramatically, and when the water in the ponds recedes, the wading birds, such as herons, terns, egrets, ibises, wood storks, and spoonbills, find easily obtainable food sources.
This slough is a crowded ecosystem where every available niche is filled by plants and animals adapted to life in a wetland. The boardwalk trail took me through about 80 acres of the preserve and I saw laurel oaks, swamp ferns, cabbage palms (state tree of Florida), bald cypress, strap ferns, saw palmettos, and pond apple trees. Interestingly, the "cabbage" in the name cabbage palm refers to the heart or bud found at the center of the palm fronds. Once an important food source for early Florida inhabitants, hearts of palm are still considered a delicacy. Unfortunately, removal of the bud causes the death of the palm. I also learned that thousands of cypress trees are being cut down to fill the demand for mulch. A better option is Melaleuca chips. This invasive tree is becoming a nuisance in southern Florida so the use of these chips is a win-win situation.
