Florida swamps

This article is about the wetland habitats in Florida. For the real estate scam, see Swampland in Florida.

Cypress and white ibis during the winter dry season in Big Cypress National Preserve

Swamp lily (Crinum americanum) on the Pa-hay-okee Trail in the Everglades

Tricolored heron in mangrove swamp

Swamp buggy tracks in the Big Cypress Swamp, 1972

Florida swamps include a variety of wetland habitats. Because of its high water table, substantial rainfall, and often flat geography, the U.S. state of Florida has a proliferation of swamp areas, some of them unique to the state.

Swamp types in Florida include:

• Cypress domes - most common swamp habitat in Florida
• Strand swamps
• Floodplain swamps
• Titi swamps
• Tupelo gum swamps
• Mangrove swamps

Notable swamps

• Barley Barber Swamp, in Martin County
• Big Cypress Swamp, in southwest Florida
• Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in southwest Florida north of Naples, Florida
• Everglades, in south Florida
• Green Swamp (Florida) (including the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve), Polk County
• Okefenokee Swamp, straddling the Georgia–Florida border
• Santa Fe Swamp, in north central Florida

Animal species

Rare animals inhabiting swamps include:

• the Florida panther, an endangered subspecies of cougar (Puma concolor).
• the American alligator

Plant species

Some of the species found in the various types of swamps include:

• Cypress
  • bald cypress (Taxodium distichum)
  • pond cypress (Taxodium ascendens)
• red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle)
• Palms
  • cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto)
  • Florida royal palm (Roystonea regia)
• sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense)
• Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides)