The Orb Trail and Mangrove Hierarchy

Enter the Orb Trail and you soon find yourself in the middle of a mangrove forest. The Orb Trail leads down to the camping area and to the beach, but first you've got to negotiate this forest. The first trees you encounter are buttonwoods and white mangroves like these. There is a hierarchy, or stratification among mangroves. This is the most upland of the mangrove forest, no standing water usually. Farther into the forest, as the land becomes wetter, the whites disappear and the black mangroves take over, their multitude of stick-like roots called pneumatophores sticking up through the muck and signaling their presence. The purpose of these roots is to help the plant breathe. Continue into the forest and the walking trees, the red mangroves dominate the forest. That's our next stop. These mangrove tangles, regardless of species, provide the perfect nesting habitat for mangrove cuckoos, white-crowned pigeons, roseate spoonbills and other birds. One other thing about mangroves: they're mostly found in salt or brackish water but they can live in fresh water. However, they do best in salt because of their adaptions that allow it to handle salt that other tree species lack. In salt or brackish water, they face little or no competition.

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