See the Everglades online and prepare your photo itinerary with the help of these webcams, podcasts and videos. Unfortunately, the Everglades NP and the National Park Service in general have a tendency to remove what should be evergreen links for videos, webcams and audio tours.  If a better version is made it should use the the same link for continuity...

The Flamingo Visitor Center is located on a second story landing that once connected to the Flamingo Lodge Restaurant. Both the restaurant and lodge were heavily damaged by 2005 hurricanes and replacements have yet to reopen. The modest visitor center remains open most of the year but is staffed for only limited periods. Regular hours are held from mid-November through mid-April. No regular hours...

The Gulf Coast Visitor Center serves as the gateway for exploring the Ten Thousand Islands, the mangrove maze that extends from Lostman’s River to Cape Romano. The region is accessible only by boat. Located 5 miles south of Highway 41 (Tamiami Trail) on State Road 29 in Everglades City, the Gulf Coast Visitor Center includes educational displays, orientation films, brochures, and...

The liguus snail, which probably should be called a tree snail, is notable for its large size and colored shells often with complex patterns. They seem to prefer trees with smooth bark, such as the false tamarind. Unfortunately, because of their visual appeal, these shells were a favorite of collectors who were willing to burn down hammocks in order to...

In ENP, wherever you find water and fish you’ll usually find an osprey, one of the largest birds of prey in North America. This fish hawk nests everywhere including the limbs of dead trees as well as many man-made structures such as the tops of channel markers and atop telephone or electrical transmission poles. Fish account for almost 99% of...

Paurotis Pond, located 24 miles from the main park entrance in Homestead, has multi-seasonal use. The small pond attracts canoeists and hopeful bird watchers and photographers. Paurotis Pond is seasonally closed to protect nesting roseate spoonbills, wood storks and other birds. It may close in January when spoonbills begin nesting and not reopen until the end of July or August. When the pond...

The pileated woodpecker is the largest woodpecker in Florida and ENP. About the size of a crow, the pileated woodpecker is known for the red crest on its head. Its favorite foods are insects, especially carpenter ants and wood-boring beetle larvae, along with fruits and nuts. The pileated woodpecker digs into trees enthusiastically, the sound carrying for hundreds of yards–something...

For most visitors, the colorful pink and white roseate spoonbill is the representative bird of ENP. Hunted almost to extinction for its colorful plumes, the population has made an impressive comeback.  The roseate spoonbill is known for its broad, flattened bill. The bill is important for feeding as the bird moves it underwater from side to side, searching for shrimp...

U.S. 41, which crosses the Everglades to link Miami and Naples, is better known as the Tamiami Trail (pronounced “tammy-ammy”). The main access route from the Homestead section of ENP to the Shark Valley and Gulf Coast sections. The Tamiami Trail, considered of Florida’s most scenic drives, takes its name from the contraction of Tampa and Miami, which U.S. 41...

For anyone staying in Florida City and visiting the Homestead section of ENP, the non-profit Tropical Everglades Visitor Association is a good place to stop for basic but limited information on lodging, restaurants and area attractions outside of ENP. The Historic Redland Tropical Trail, for instance, is a series of stops full of local history. These include R.F. Orchids, one...

With its long, down-curved, bright red bill and long red legs and all-white body, the American white ibis is a striking bird, a study in color contrasts. Juveniles, however, are mostly brown with duller legs and bill. An adult white ibis grows to 26 inches high. It is found in ENP marshy wetlands and on the edges of shallow pools....

The Florida panther, the state’s true wild cat, is one of the earth’s most endangered animals. Only an estimated 50 to 80 remain in the wild. The Florida panther is a subspecies of what is called a mountain lion, cougar or puma in other parts of the country. Although cougar attacks have occurred in western states, there has never been...