Sweetwater Strand – A Green Mile

 

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Slow moving nutrient rich wetland waters of Florida can often be covered with tiny aquatic plants called duckweed which float on the surface or just beneath. The plant is a good food source for water fowl as it is high in protein and is often distributed when carried on their feet or feathers. Many times I have shot images of the wading birds which having fished and taken food back to the nest have as evidence bits of duckweed stuck to their long legs. While one would think the presence of such a carpet of plants would lead to eutrophication or stagnation actually the opposite is true. This aquatic species can shade and reduce light generated algae species and even provide nitrate removal. Wikipedia as a reference says that duckweed can be important in bioremediation as they absorb excess nutrients as nitrogen and phosphates and “they are touted as water purifiers of untapped value.” From my first ‘swamp walk’ in Big Cypress I found instead of decay and well, icky, water, that the water is actually cool, clear and part of the slow movement of water that flows to Florida Bay serving as a great aquatic filtration system for our glades environment. Despite the values duckweed (Lemnoideae) does seem to have, some consider the plant a nuisance. As it will proliferate where agricultural pollution runoff have introduced nutrients into the Everglades, there is concern this fast growing plant will displace other species native to that environment such as sawgrass. It’s nutrient absorbing properties though, seem to offer perhaps some form of solution for this. Although, there is no excuse for the agricultural industry not being required or simply not cleaning up after itself. While that is another story, perhaps the humble duckweed may be more than simply an element that practically glows in the sunlit waters of a swamp as seen through the eyes of a photographer.

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Cypress knee looks interesting as a substrate for
vines insinuating themselves into its structure. They
seem to come alive crawling along its surface like
the legs of a spider.

 

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A lush carpet of brilliant duckweed serves as a canvas
for leafy shadows in the sunlit swamp.

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As custodians of our planet, hopefully with good science, wisdom and with a  little help from some tiny plants, perhaps some solutions may be found.

 

Judy

~ by Judy on June 27, 2019.