NPS Photo by Andrew Pringle
After listening to nature sounds, a student raises her hand to share what she heard.
Hayley, 4th Grade
Royal Palm Elementary
Amazing! The Everglades is special to me because there are many different things to see such as unique wildlife and plants. Another reason the Everglades is special is that when you are there you feel like you’re in a different world. My crowning reason is that all you hear is nature. Now come with me to the Everglades and explore my reasons more thoroughly.
To begin with, the Everglades is special because there are many unique things that you can see there. You can see a lot of alligator holes. Also, you can see khaki green alligators and maybe rare crocodiles and softshell turtles. There are many types of amazing birds like the anhinga, the blue heron, the turkey vulture and so many more. It’s a marvelous sight to behold! There are also gumbo limbo trees that are unique. Plant life like periphyton is a very special habitat for microscopic life and fish. It helps keep everything moist and alive.
Also, you feel like you’re in a different world. Seeing trees hovering over you like soldiers. Walking through trails and seeing different spectacular sights feels like you come from a different planet. The flowers lighten up your day. Being in that world is simply breathtaking. Last but not least, all you hear is nature. To me, nature is like a piece of my heart. Some sounds that you can hear are birds chirping, alligators hissing and water moving. You don’t hear one person talking. Another thing you hear is the wind howling like wolves over your ears. There is nothing better than listening to the sounds of nature.
Now you know why the Everglades is so very special. It’s one of the most gorgeous sights you can ever see. The wildlife there is totally unique, and you can actually hear nature all around you like music to your ears. That’s why the Everglades was, is, and always will be the “apple snail” of my eye.
