Figure 29. This tidal forest (Zone II) of sweet bay, pumpkin ash, swamp tupelo, and 

 cypress at West Pass (Suwannee River, FL) has a characteristic interwoven mat of large 

 roots close to the surface. This extremely tough layer protects the forest and the 

 shore from the destructive erosion of constant wave action and storm tides. There is 

 no natural levee. High tide comes nearly to the top of the root crowns. Fiddler crabs 

 and olive nerite snails are abundant on the forest floor. Showy herbaceous plants such 

 as iris, butterwort ( Senecio gl abellus ) and aster (Aster vimineus ) are surprisingly 

 common. 



52 



