Many waterbirds and wading birds nest and forage in marshes as well. Wet prairie, Everglades National Park. Pond in Taylor Slough marsh, Everglades National Park. Freshwater swamps are generally wet, wooded areas where standing water occurs for at least part of the year. During the dry season, their muck soils may dry out and burn.
Many animals spend part of their lives in the swamp, moving as water levels rise and fall.
Wood storks, herons, many other birds, otters, black bear, and the Florida panther are only a few of the animals that find food, homes and nesting sites in Florida's swamps. Hardwood hammock in Fern Forest. Hardwood hammocks are localized, thick stands of hardwood trees that can grow on natural rises of only a few inches in the land. In South Florida, hammocks occur in marshes, pinelands and mangrove swamps. Hammocks rarely flood because of their slight elevation.