So, it’s easy to see how important the alligator is to the ecology of the park. Unfortunately for this reptile, many people in the past believed only in the value of its hide. Hunting for alligators became profitable in the mid-1880’s and continued until the 1960’s. In 1961 Florida prohibited all hunting of alligators, but poaching continued to take its toll. Finally, the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1969 protected the alligator by eliminating all hunting and trafficking in hides. As a result of complete protection, the alligator has increased greatly in number. They are no longer an endangered species in Florida, and they can easily be found in gator holes and sloughs. Today alligators are eagerly sought by visitors to Everglades National Park who are anxious to see and photograph this unique creature. Once again, the alligator is the keeper of the everglades. [Illustration: ACTUAL SIZE AT HATCHING (8″ to 10″)] [Illustration: Alligator] FOOD FISH (gar, bass, etc.) BIRDS TURTLES (soft-shelled and others) MAMMALS RACCOON SNAPPING TURTLE GREEN HERON [Illustration: 40 TO 60 EGGS LAID IN NEST OF HUMUS IN MAY OR JUNE] [Illustration: MOTHER TENDS YOUNG 1 TO 2 YEARS 1 YEAR OLD: ABOUT 2′ LONG] [Illustration: ALLIGATOR HOLE IN THE GLADES] SNOWY EGRET WHITE IBIS WOOD STORK MOSQUITO (15 species) SNAIL EGGS PIG FROG ALLIGATOR NEST DRY SEASON WATER LEVEL GAMBUSIA KILLIFISH SUNFISH LARGEMOUTHED BASS FLORIDA SPOTTED GAR FLORIDA SOFT-SHELLED TURTLE 1 SPIKE RUSH 2 PINK GERARDIA 3 SPIDER LILY 4 CATTAIL 5 PICKEREL WEED 6 ARROWHEAD 7 WATER LILY 8 SPATTERDOCK 9 BLADDERWORT 10 ALLIGATOR FLAG 11 MORNINGGLORY DISCOVERING EVERGLADES PLANTS AND ANIMALS Everglades National Park, with its array of plant communities—ranging from the pines and palmettos rooted in the pitted limestone bedrock of the park’s dry uplands, through the periphyton-based marsh community and the brackish mangrove swamp, to the highly saline waters of Florida Bay—is an amateur botanist’s paradise. Many of the park’s plants are found nowhere else in the United States. Only here at the southern tip of the Florida peninsula do tropical trees and orchids mingle with oaks and pines. This book is not intended to be a manual for identification of the Everglades plants. You will need to arm yourself with appropriate field guides to ferns, orchids, aquatic plants, trees, or whatever your special interest may be. The reading list in the appendix suggests a few. While the park is a mecca for students of plantlife, you must keep one thing in mind: your collecting will be limited to photographs (and, if you’re an artist, drawings). _No specimens may be removed or disturbed._ Fortunately, with today’s versatile cameras and high-quality color films you can take home a complete and accurate record of your plant discoveries.