This year our Winter Swamp Walk rolled
around on one of the coldest days of the
year in Florida. We honestly didn't think
we'd get many folks out into the swamp
when the weather was so cold, but they came
anyway! Hardy folks is what they are!
Bob Nesmith, one of our guides, discusses
the basics of the environment before everyone
jumps into the swamp
Walking through a winter forest
Rick Cruz explaining the environment
As you can tell from the clothes
everyone is wearing, it looks more
like they are headed out into the
snow than into a sub-tropical
environment!
The campfire came in really handy after each
swamp walk. Everyone was able to get their
feet warm again...
On one of Donna's swamp walks that she led,
she came across an injured Sphinx Moth struggling
in the water. She scooped him up, hoping she
might be able to save him.
The Sphinx Moth is responsible
for pollinating the Ghost Orchid. Rarely do folks
get to see the real thing, so not only was this an
exceptional experience, but the images here
give you an idea of the size of this species.
Donna placed the Sphinx Moth in a safe
place, but it felt insecure, crawled
somewhere and probably died. The body
was badly injured...the lower half was
broken. It was sad to see it struggle, but
I'm thankful we finally have a photo of
this wonderful creature.
Clyde with Richard Weisskoff, PhD of
the Department of International and
Comparative Studies at the
University of Miami
Richard has been bringing his students
out to experience the Everglades
ecosystem for almost as long as we have
had our gallery. It is always good to see
him and each new group of students.
University of Miami group around campfire
University of Miami group defrosting their toes
University of Miami group warming
up around the campfire
The University of Miami group with Clyde
and Mike Owen, who was their guide
Clyde signing books and enjoying the
conversations from the great folks
who came to the walk
Niki talking with visitors
(photo by Robby)
Niki working on painting an image
(photo by Robby)
All of our employees and volunteers joined us
at the end of each day for dinner. We also
celebrated the birthdays of both Robby & Lu
Robby
Robby & Lu
Relaxing at the end of the day
We all sat around the campfire and talked as the
sun went down on the last day of the swamp walk
...and the day ended with the warmth of friends around the campfire....
1 comment:
Hello! I was one of the students in the University of Miami group that came for the swamp walk on February 14th. Glad to see the pictures you were snapping posted here. Just wanted to say that I really enjoyed my Swamp Walk experience and I will definitely be there again next year!!
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