Photo taken at Lençóis Maranhenses
I arrived in Basil, in the Maranhão state. For the next few days I will explore the Lençóis Maranhenses, a unique humid desert landscape
Photo taken at Everglades National Park
Goodbye the Everglades. Hasta luego Florida.
I had a nice time here, exploring the landscape, meeting locals and even meeting some followers in real life!
Unfortunately I didn’t have much luck with the weather. I had to cancel an airboat ride twice because of two different storms.
This means I have an excuse to come back florida
Photo taken at Mack’s Fish Camp – Gladesmen Airboat Tours
Looking for a place to shoot some sunset timelapse I ran into Keith and his beautiful daughter Bryanna.
They are part of the current generation of “Gladesmen”, a part of local population that built temporary and permanent housing in the Everglades developing an intimate relationship with the land. They understood how to adjust to the seasonal shifts, changing water levels and wildlife.
In the past, as other Gladesmen before him, Keith served as knowledgeable guide to incoming researchers coming to discover, map and monitor the Everglades.
“To me the Everglades is simply home, my friend” he proudly told me
Photo taken at Fakahatchee Strand Preserve
A great egret posing in the early morning in the Fakahatche Strand Preserve
Photo taken at Buffalo Tigers Fl Everglades Airboat Tours
Betty is a Miccosukee, entrepreneur and environmentalist. Without losing her beautiful smile, she explained to me how the Indian reservation is situated in a portion of the Everglades that is expected to act like a natural filter to clean the (often polluted) water that comes from the North before it gets into the territory of the National park.
This creates a lot of troubles for both local flora and fauna
Photo taken at Miccosukee Indian Village
In Shark Valley I was able to learn more about the Miccosukee, a Native American tribe that migrated from Lower Chiaha to Northern Florida in the early 18th century under the pressure of European encroachment in their territory.
What is interesting of this people is that they never tried to modify the ecosystem of the Everglades but rather adapted their way of life to its evolutions
Photo taken at Everglades National Park
The mix of water near the Florida Bay is also ideal for some plants, like the Red mangroves. These trees also thrive in tidal waters, where freshwater from the Everglades mixes with saltwater. Everglades National Park boast contains the largest contiguous stand of protected mangrove forest in the hemisphere.
Mangrove habitat serves as a valuable nursery for a variety of important marine species. During the dry months, wading birds congregate here to feed and nest. And during the summer months, these mangrove forests provide the first line of defense against the howling winds and storm surge of hurricanes
Photo taken at Everglades National Park
At the southern end, in the Florida Bay, the fresh water of the Everglades meets the salt water of the Gulf of Mexico, creating a unique ecosystem for some species, like crocodiles, that like both
Photo taken at Everglades National Park
While canoeing in the Everglades I also met the real boss down here, the alligator. This reptile is actually more harmless and meek than the way it’s depicted in Hollywood movies. Just don’t bother him