The Everglades

wetland · Florida · ecosystem · water

A River of Grass. The Everglades is like a massive, slow-moving river that's 60 miles wide and over 100 miles long, but instead of deep water, it flows through grasslands and shallow wetlands across a limestone shelf.

Wildlife Paradise. This ecosystem is home to alligators, manatees, panthers, and hundreds of bird species that depend on the flooded grasslands to survive and raise their young.

Wet and Dry Seasons. The Everglades experiences dramatic changes throughout the year, with heavy flooding during the wet season and dry periods that can last months, shaping how animals live there.

Water's Long Journey. Water starts near Orlando at the Kissimmee River, flows into Lake Okeechobee, and then slowly travels southward for over 100 miles until it reaches Florida Bay at the state's southern tip.

Habitat Under Threat. Throughout the 1900s, the Everglades lost huge amounts of its wetland habitat due to development and drainage, endangering many species that had lived there for thousands of years.