Recent rains have water standing on some panhandle Florida real estate which was dry only a few weeks ago. Ponds, natural and dug, are brimming with water, reflecting the excessive outpouring from the slow and wet weather system which passed listlessly over the region.
The rain-water surplus is also filling the natural geographical low points known today as wetlands or, the relatively more archaic term, swamps.
In the dictionary a swamp is defined as a forested wetland. Some occur along the flood plain of rivers, where they are dependent upon surplus flow from upstream and from local runoff.
Other swamps appear adjacent to ponds in shallow depressions which fill during wet periods. Their landscape is covered by aquatic vegetation or trees and plants which tolerate periodical inundation.
Swampy areas are intimidating, but they are a necessary part of Florida’s environment. Slimy creatures notwithstanding, the wetlands are a critical component to a properly functioning aquifer and safe water for the human population.
Historically, swamps have had an image problem. Legend has all sorts of unsavory creatures, degenerates, and spectral beings occupying these locales, waiting for an unsuspecting traveler.
Even the proper British used the term as a pejorative to describe Francis Marion during the American Revolution. The Swamp Fox engaged in guerilla warfare against the more conventional forces and hid in the swamps to avoid capture.
Economically, these watery regions have had very low values. Their only significance was as sites for trapping, hunting or for logging in dry years.
Medically, swamps were seen as a quick and painful way to the grave. There were all those creatures which could inflict pain such as leaches, snakes, gators and the like.
Then there was disease. As an example, the term Malaria originated from the swamps of southern Europe, where the term translated to bad air in medieval Italian. The mosquito connection was unknown until the early 20th Century.
Hollywood piled on the problem with a series of swamp monster movies. One notable for a regional connection, “Creature from the Black Lagoon” was partially filmed at Wakulla Springs.
Reality, as is often the case, is quite different than the initial perception. Even the term swamp has fallen out of favor in some circles, being replaced with wetlands.
Swamps are home to more than gators and snakes. Many native wading birds make swamps their home for both hunting and nesting.
Swamps or wetlands serve a variety of functions in north Florida. Possibly the most critical is as a filtration system for the water table.
Excess rain is held in these shallow depressions and allowed to percolate or filter slowly through the soil. The screening effect of the soil and subsoil layers, along with the slow progression, cleanses the water of numerous impurities from the surface.
Without the holding capacity of local swamps, most rainwater would end up in streams and rivers. In addition to being a loss for the water table, the excess water would cloud waterways with a glut of surface debris and nutrients.
It is true mosquitos favor the still swamp waters, but so do many birds, fish and animals. Swamp rookeries are the nesting homes for many wading birds. Mosquito larvae are an important link in the food chain which supports much of the life in the swamp, and far beyond.
Even some of the swamp’s most ostracized residents, snakes, have an important part to play in the overall environmental balance. These reptiles control the population of many destructive insects and rodents.
While not the ideal site for a campout or cookout, swamps are still beneficial. After all, the creature from the black lagoon has retired to Florida, and who would argue with him?
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