Everglades National Park

An American alligator in the Florida Everglades.

Ferns growing on trees in Everglades National Park.

A monarch butterfly seen in Everglades National Park.

The bark of a tree in Everglades National Park.

A flower in Everglades National Park.

An American alligator in the Florida Everglades.

An American alligator in the Florida Everglades.

The Ivey House is a guest house/hotel in Everglades City, Florida, close to the northwest corner of Everglades National Park. The Ivey House is also the hub for Everglades Adventures and Eco Rentals, which provided canoe, kayak, and other tours.

The Ivey House is a guesthouse/hotel in Everglades City, Fla., close to the northwest corner of Everglades National Park.

A blooming lily pad (left) and boaters rowing through the wetlands of the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, the most northern remnant of the historic Everglades wetland ecosystem, which includes 145,800 acres of northern Everglades habitat.

A great white heron seen on the tram tour at Shark Valley in Everglades National Park.

A female anhinga bird rests on a branch in Shark Valley in Everglades National Park.

An endangered wood stork seen near Pa-Hay-okee in Everglades National Park.

Kayakers head out on Coot Bay Pond in Everglades National Park.

Herons fish in the swampy waters near Coot Bay Pond along Route 9336 in Everglades National Park.

A kayaker heads out on Coot Bay Pond in Everglades National Park.

White pelicans feed during low tide near Joe Kemp Key in Florida Bay off of Flamingo Visitor Center in Everglades National Park.

A pair of osprey tend to their chicks in a nest near Flamingo campground in Everglades National Park.

A crocodile gets some sun at the boat dock at Flamingo, Everglades National Park.

An American crocodile rests in the sun on a dock near Flamingo in Everglades National Park.

Park ranger Ryan Hess talks to a visiting school group at Royal Palm, one of the most popular stops in Everglades National Park.

Visitors walk along the elevated decks of the Anhinga Trail at Royal Palm, one of the most frequently visited walks of Everglades National Park.

A group of ibis seen in Ten Thousand Islands in Everglades National Park.   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times )

Daniel Wilson is a naturalist on the Ten Thousand Islands boat tour that leaves from the Gulf Coast Visitor Center in Everglades City.   (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times )

White pelicans gather on a point in Ten Thousand Islands along with other birds in Everglades National Park.

Seabirds sun on a rocky point in Ten Thousand Islands along with other birds in Everglades National Park.

Dolphins play in the wake of the boat on a tour of Ten Thousand Islands. The tour leaves from the Gulf Coast Visitor Center near Everglades City, Fla.

At Coopertown, air boat tours take you through the Everglades.

Visitors can hold a baby American crocodile at Coopertown air boat rides headquarters.

At Coopertown air boat rides headquarters, signs show the way.

The Snook Inn is a popular seafood restaurant and bar on Marco Island, Fla., not far from the northwest corner of Everglades National Park.

Alligator tenders are one of the dishes at the Snook Inn, a popular seafood restaurant and bar on Marco Island, Fla., not far from the northwest corner of Everglades National Park.

Stone crab enchilado (with an “o”), made of red sauce over stone crab and rice, served at the Havana Cafe on Chokoloskee Island.

A sign that hangs on the deck at the Snook Inn.

A manatee swims on his back in the waters near Big Cypress Swamp Welcome Center on Highway 41 in Everglades National Park.

At Robert Is Here Fruit Stand and Farm you can buy all types of fruit and also milkshakes, Key lime being a favorite flavor. It’s west of Florida City on the way to Everglades National Park.

In the city of Naples, not far from Big Cypress Swamp, signs indicate the presence of panthers that are seen at night in the area.

Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) in Florida.

Florida manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) as it breaks the surface of the Crystal River.