Tree Islands

Tree Islands are one of the most ecologically distinctive features of the Everglades landscape — elevated areas within the marsh that support dense clusters of tropical trees and shrubs rising visibly above the surrounding sawgrass. These hammocks and bayheads are the Everglades' answer to variation, offering islands of forested shelter in an otherwise horizontal world. Visiting the Everglades makes tree islands visible from many vantage points along trails and routes through the park. They serve as wildlife refuges, nesting sites, and dry-season refugia for animals that need raised ground. Seeing them from a raised observation platform or airboat gives a vivid sense of how the ecosystem is structured.