Florida’s mangroves are called “walking trees,” writes Claire Bullen at Virgin Atlantic, “because of the aerial, stilt-like roots that make them look as if they’re walking on water.” Mangroves serve as nurseries for fish, oysters, crab and shrimp -- “snook, mangrove snapper, tarpon, jack, mullet, sheepshead and a large variety of other Florida fish feed on this tropical plant,” explains Authentic Florida, and its branches and boughs “become nesting rookeries for many species of birds and its root system helps prevent erosion and stabilize the shoreline.”
Visitors to Fort Myers can experience these “amazing forests,” says Bullen, “because they’re only found in tropical and subtropical regions ... due to their inability to withstand the frost, mangroves flourish in southern Florida’s balmy climate.”