The Everglades Awakening

Some mornings in the field feel almost otherworldly. The Everglades has a way of revealing its beauty in quiet moments—no fanfare, just nature unfolding as it always has. I was trekking through the wetlands at dawn, the air thick with humidity, the ground soft beneath my boots. The world was still in that in-between place, where night surrenders to day, and shadows stretch long and deep.

Then, as the first golden light cut through the horizon, I stumbled upon them—an entire grove of wild Butterfly Orchids, their pale, delicate blooms almost glowing in the soft morning haze. Hovering above, flashes of crimson caught my eye. Red dragonflies danced in slow spirals, their wings shimmering as they skimmed the humid air.

It was a moment of perfect stillness, a scene so striking I felt like I had stepped into a painting—light, color, and movement suspended in time. This is why I do what I do. Nature tells its own story, one of resilience and quiet elegance. And in that moment, I was simply an observer, privileged to witness it.