Mangroves live in the salty, water-logged soil of tidal areas. This environment forces them to evolve in special ways. Some mangroves block salt with their roots, while others excrete salt through their leaves. Tidy Island has all four kinds of mangroves common to this region: red, black, white, and buttonwood. Mangroves, even of the same kind, vary greatly in size; from small shrubs to large trees, depending on their local environment. For example, storm-related wave action affects the mangroves on the south shore. But the north shore is sheltered by the mainland. On the other hand, regular variation in tides is usually the only thing affecting mangroves in the swamp that makes up most of the island.

Florida is the only U.S. state with mangroves. Mangroves once dominated the coastline between Tampa and the Everglades. But human activity has since removed many of them. More about the three species definitely recognized as mangroves (red, black, and white) is here. More about the fourth, Buttonwood, which is “almost” a mangrove, is here.

Mangroves on Tidy Island – how to tell them apart

You can identify the kinds of mangroves on Tidy Island just by looking at their leaves. Red mangrove leaves are usually smaller than the other mangrove types. The top is a shiny green without veins. The bottom is a bit lighter in color. Black mangroves are a duller green on top and much duller on the bottom. This makes blacks easy to recognize.

White mangrove leaves have a similar color to the reds but are usually larger and more rounded. Some of their leaves have a small notch at the tip. The bottom of the leaf tends to be lighter in color. Buttonwood leaves have prominent veins and a pointed tip, unlike the other three.

Also unlike the other mangroves, buttonwood leaves appear in clusters, as shown by this photo.

Differences in bark, root structure, and kind of environment are additional ways to tell Tidy Island mangroves apart. All of this is described in this post.