Tag: water

Florida Cypress Knees

~ Tim Jeffers ~ 3 Comments

A cypress knee is a distinctive structure forming above the roots of a cypress tree. Their function is unknown, but they are generally seen on trees growing in swamps. Some current hypotheses state that they might help to aerate the tree’s roots, create a barrier to catch sediment and reduce erosion, assist in anchoring the tree in the soft and muddy soil, or any combination thereof.

Stilt Houses in the Gulf of Mexico.

~ Tim Jeffers ~ 2 Comments

 

My son and I were out fishing around these stilt houses. There are eight structures that dot the gulf coast are lovely reminders of old Florida, when working fishermen built camps above the water, both as a place to store the mullet they caught and to seek shelter during storms. All are privately owned and have been grandfathered in by the state Legislature, which holds the leases to the land. No new houses can be built, though damaged ones can be repaired depending on the remaining structure.