As we continue our hike along the Golden Orb Trail, the land below the boardwalk becomes wetter and wetter until it's completely inundated. The mangrove forest turns from white, to black, to red mangroves, the walking stick trees. Like the whites and the blacks, the roots of red mangroves help stabilize the land, but they also provide a refuge for the fry of many species, a safe place where they can grow away from predators. Without these trees, the sportfishing that attracts so many to Long Key State Park couldn't exist. By the way, the red-brown color of the water is from tannic acid, naturally occurring from decaying leaves.
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