The Lettuce Lakes

Calling them lakes is a bit of an overstatement. They're really a series of ponds that string through the swamp where water too deep for emergant plants to take root, creating opening water. But there is lettuce growing here, and plenty of it. Water lettuce. If you're not familiar with the stuff, it's a blue-green plant that somewhat resembles head or leaf lettuces and grows on the surface of still waters. Most experts categorize it as an invasive plant, though some believe it is native to Florida. Either way, it can be a major pest. If left unchecked, it can take over a body of water, completely covering it, blocking out sunlight and reducing the amount of oxygen in the water to the point that fish and other aquatic animals can't live in it. But that hasn't happen here, as this foraging white ibis demonstrates.
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