River of Grass: Florida’s Everglades

Hundreds of birds fly in a sunny blue sky. The only sounds are their calls and the soft noise of water flowing through tall grasses. Below, dark green alligators move silently, like part of the Earth come alive.

This is the Everglades – ten thousand square kilometers of low, watery land in Florida. The area is nicknamed “river of grass.” But it also contains forests of palm, cypress, mangrove and pine. And it is home to sweet-smelling flowers, well as rare orchids.

Animals found here include snakes, foxes and big cats, called Florida panthers. But the alligators and crocodiles are most famous. No other place in the world is home to both.