The River of Grass.

Unlike any other river on Earth, the Everglades is a sheet of water fifty miles wide and only six inches deep, moving imperceptibly slowly over a bed of limestone.

The Everglades is an immense Karst landscape. Its foundation is porous limestone formed millions of years ago when Florida was a shallow sea. Water from Lake Okeechobee spills southward, creating a massive, slow-moving flood that supports a mosaic of sawgrass marshes, cypress swamps, and mangrove forests.

The Periphyton Foundation

The health of the Everglades is determined by Periphyton—a complex mixture of algae, bacteria, and detritus that coats the underwater surfaces of the marsh. This biological layer is the base of the food web and serves as a sensitive indicator of water quality. It absorbs excess phosphorus and provides oxygen, maintaining the delicate chemical balance of the ecosystem.

The Alligator Hole

During the dry season, the "River of Grass" stops moving. Survival for aquatic life depends on "alligator holes"—depressions in the limestone created by American Alligators. By clearing muck and debris, these apex predators act as ecosystem engineers, creating permanent deep-water pools that serve as lifeboats for fish, turtles, and wading birds until the rains return.