Huge mangrove trees

I think of mangroves as bushes growing in the swamp-like conditions of an estuary, but this photo shows that mangroves in Costa Rica can be large trees. In the center of this photo you can see the distinctive airborne root structure of a mangrove, but it is supporting a large trunk towering skyward like a regular tree.

The most common of the 6 types of mangroves in the Tamarindo estuary is the red mangrove, which is also the largest. It can reach 90 meters (98 yards, or 295 feet) high. Imagine, a mangrove as tall as a football field!

In a few days I will show you a photo of a tree that we saw on our hike in this visit to Las Baulas National Park that is even larger than the mangrove shown today. IN fact, it is the Costa Rican national tree.