Six Mile Cypress Slough is an ecosystem and protected refuge located in Lee County near Fort Myers, Florida. Visiting this protected preserve, gardeners will see examples of native plants that can be incorporated into local wildflower plantings.
Six Mile Cypress Slough is wetlands, which covers 2,500 acres. The abundance of plant material, some endangered, grows in a sandy loam and silt soil that is covered by water 4 – 6 months of the year. The dense tree canopy at the cypress slough shades much of the refuge and trails that are formed by boardwalks and observation decks.
Native Deciduous Conifers
The native deciduous cypress conifers, Taxodium ascendens and Taxodium distichum are found throughout the cypress slough. The tall pyramidal shaped trees have flat needle type leaves that turn from green to a yellowish brown in late autumn, and then drop.
Pond and bald cypress trees are appropriate for wetland habitats assisting in flood control and water quality. In the cypress slough, visitors will see small oily surfaces in the fall where the round cones have dropped into the water, releasing a citrus scented resin, similar to pine sap. Taxodium trees develop knees, outgrowths from its roots, when growing in very wet environments.
As the benefits of bald cypress trees have become known, they have been planted as street trees in many cities. Although they are native in the southern United States and thrive in wet soils, Taxodium trees are hardy as far north as zone 4 and will adapt to many types of urban soils.
Wildflower Plants at Cypress Slough
Many perennial and tropical wildflower plants are at Six Mile Cypress Slough including epiphyte species. Air plants, like bromeliads and orchids, grow clinging onto the trees.
Ferns are also air plants, seen on tree limbs sometimes in the company of Spanish moss. The resurrection fern, Polypodium polypodioides, has green fronds that during periods of drought dry up looking dead, then after it has rained, suddenly arise green, living and refreshed.
Coreopsis, a perennial with species hardy to zone 3, is the official wildflower in Florida where 13 species are native. For native plant gardeners in southwest Florida, the daisy flower with yellow petals and a brown or yellow disk is easy to grow in full sun.
Salvinia minima is a fern, although not classified as a native plant at Cypress Slough, seen free floating on the water. This fern plant with its round green leaves grows in water where there is a high content of organic matter.
Sabal Palmetto Florida Palm
A Florida gardener would be remiss in not including a palm tree in a native planting. The Sabal palmetto, called the cabbage palm and seen at Six Mile Cypress Slough, is Florida’s state tree.
The native palm, Sabal has at the base of the leaves organic material collected in the pockets formed along the tree. Here will be seen another air plant, Vittaria lineata called the shoestring fern, that grows fronds longer than 3 feet.
Sabal palmetto is a slow growing palm that is hardy in zones 8 – 10. Cabbage palm has long creamy white flowers that bloom in mid summer. It grows best in full sun with some shade during the day and adapts to a variety of soil types. Sabal palm is very salt and drought tolerant but is most often planted where standing water collects.
Flora and Fauna Water Protection
Six Mile Cypress Slough is a nine-mile long ecosystem that protects flora and fauna while acting as an essential corridor for wildlife to travel through southwest Florida. It empties into the Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve and connects to the Gulf of Mexico.
The result of intermingling the fresh and salt water creates an estuary for sea life to thrive. The slow movement of the water acts as a filtering system, removing toxins, further protecting the estuary and removing pollution before refilling ground water reservoirs.
Visiting the Six Mile Cypress Slough provides reliable plant information gardeners can use planting a garden devoted to natives. It is also an opportunity to learn about local environments that benefit everyone. Readers interested in more public gardens might be interested in the Global Village Demonstration Gardens in North Fort Myers.
Permission received for all photos used in this article.
Chris Eirschele - Chris writes on plants grown and gardens explored; she is a member of the Garden Writers Association.
