Dis-tionary

“For central Florida’s residents, the land acquisition would mean a huge economic boost for the sleepy scrub forests, swamps, groves, and grazing lands around Orlando.”
p. 15 Since the World Began

In the current edition of Disney’s Year Book (available through the Wonderful World of Reading program) there is a fabulous section for young botanist called Wetland Wonderlands, which immediately brought to mind memories and images of the untouched areas of central Florida and what the Walt Disney World site was, and mostly still is. The article contains some fabulous details that are screaming to be a Dis-tionary.


Marshes – Marshes are watery places with lots of plants. Tall grasslike plants called sedges grow at the water’s edge. And sometimes there are strange plants like sundew. There are always lots of insects in a marsh.

Bogs – Bogs form where the ground dips low. Water collects in these places. Plants die and rot in the shallow water. Spongy moss grows among the rotting plants. In time, a mat of moss covers the water surface. It may be thick enough to walk on. Rare wildflowers grow in bogs.

Swamps – In swamps, trees grow alongside other plants. Tall sawgrass grows in the water. In other places there are groves of trees. The trees shade the damp ground. The water is dark.

Wetlands – There is dry land. There is open water. And in between the two are wetlands. A wetland is a place where water and land seem mixed together. You may stand on land, but water is all around you.