Breathing Trees
SOPHIE RAN AHEAD and came back with
disappointment on her face.
“The end of the boardwalk is
just around that corner, and then it’s just water.
But, Grandma, I don’t see any forest. The trees are so scrawny and short.”
“But that is the mangrove forest,” she explained.
“And those are the mangrove trees. They don’t get tall like pine trees or oaks.
They grow where the land meets the ocean, along tidal creeks and bays.
They had come to the end of the
boardwalk and stood looking at the glistening Gulf.
“Look, this sign tells us there
are several types of mangrove trees. Let’s see if we can find them all.”
“I just never thought the trees
would be so little,” said Sophie.
“Well,” Sam said, “you’d would
be short too if you had to live where hurricanes and waves kept knocking you
around!”
Grandma looked around at the
island that supported the mangroves. “OK, white mangrove
trees and buttonwood
trees grow at the edge of the tidewater. Can you figure out which
tree is which?” she challenged Sam and Sophie.
At another turn in the
boardwalk, they came upon a sign for a different type of mangrove.
“Look at the legs on that tree!”
exclaimed Sam.
“They look like fingers,” said
Sophie.
Sam read the next sign. “Red mangrove
trees have aerial prop roots that grow from the trunk and lower
branches. Since the tree stands in tidal water for most of the day, these roots
help the tree take in oxygen. Black mangrove
trees sprout thin, pencil-like breathing tubes called pneumatophores, around the trunk.”
“I see a black mangrove,”
cried Sophie. “There are the breathing tubes!”
“How do the animals that live
here get from place to place?” asked Sophie. “The branches and roots are so
tangled, nothing could get through!”
Just then a snowy egret lifted
off from the water and landed in the top of a white mangrove tree.
“Maybe the animals use the tree
tops, Sophie!” suggested Sam. “After all, this is a different kind of forest. I
don’t think a bear could live here,” he added.
All of a sudden they heard a
splash.
“Not just the tree tops,” said
Sophie. “There’s fish in the water!”
“I can’t see a thing in this
dark water,” complained Sam as he peered over the edge of the boardwalk, still
hoping to catch a glimpse of a crocodile. “It is muddy and murky down there.”
“It’s an odd sort of
place,” remarked Sophie. “It’s just these shrubby trees in the saltwater and
hot sun. I don’t see how anything could like living here.”
“Let’s ask the naturalist tomorrow
about the wildlife that lives in this habitat,” suggested Grandma. “Then we’ll
understand better about this ecosystem.”
When they finally arrived back
at their campsite, Jean had a picnic dinner set out. The explorers were starved
and ready to dive into the food, but Sam insisted on taking a shower first.
“So, how was the walk?” their
mom asked as they sat down to eat. After hearing the story, she laughed and
understood why Sam was off taking a shower.
