Pinelands is a very short and easy walk, but I think it’s one not to miss because it features an important feature of the Everglades National Park that is key to the survival of many species – solution holes.
The Everglades have frequent thunderstorms throughout the summer, which is the rainy season, supplying an abundance of fresh water. This water is relatively neutral in PH, but when it is introduced to the live plant tissue, decaying plant debris and soil, it becomes increasingly acidic. This acidic water settles into the porous carbonate rocks of the soil – mostly limestone and dolomite – and eats away at the bedrock, creating pits. Over time, these become deeper and deeper, and like any pit, they begin to hold water. These water holes become critically important as the season turns from wet to dry, because during the dry winter months, these solution holes can become the only sources of fresh water for the animals that live in these environments.
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