Aerial view of Everglades National Park, Florida

© Tetra Images/Getty Image

Clouds over the 'River of Grass'

It's the beginning of the wet season in the Florida Everglades, where it's typically hot and humid from May through November. Afternoon thunderstorms are common, bringing heavy rainfalls that subside quickly. The largest subtropical wilderness in the US, the Everglades is essentially a slow-moving river, 60 miles wide and over 100 miles long. The water flows during the wet season from Lake Okeechobee southward across a limestone shelf to the southern tip of the Florida Peninsula. The complex ecosystem here is not found anywhere else on the planet.

Nicknamed the 'River of Grass' by conservationist Marjory Stoneman Douglas, the Everglades wetland is full of sawgrass marshes, cypress swamps, and mangrove forests. In the early 20th century, water flow from Lake Okeechobee was increasingly diverted to support the development of South Florida, and it became clear that the Everglades were quickly vanishing. To help protect the fragile ecosystem, Everglades National Park was established in 1947, preserving about 20% of the original wetlands. While rising water levels can make it challenging to spot wildlife during the wet season, it's a critical time for the birds, crocodiles, manatees, and many more beautiful creatures that call the River of Grass home.