The Refuge is home to a great diversity of butterfly species; up to 55 different types have been documented during annual butterfly counts. With abundant, naturally occurring plants that provide food for caterpillars and nectar for adult butterflies, wetlands like...

One of the most beautiful, yet mysterious habitats of the Refuge is the Cypress Swamp. The majestic cypress trees, wavy ferns and thick Spanish Moss hanging down from the tall trees evoke images of what the swamp must have looked...

Welcome to the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, located in the historic and picturesque northern Everglades. It is one of the more than 560 national wildlife refuges across the United States. Our National Wildlife Refuges are very different...

Welcome to LILA, operated by the South Florida Water Management District. This is a unique outdoor working model of the Everglades, whose proper name is the Loxahatchee Impoundment Landscape Assessment. You can see why we at the U.S. Fish and...

Birds of prey catch and eat animals like lizards, snakes and mice. These birds are called raptors. Here at the Refuge, the most common raptor is the red-shouldered hawk. Florida has its own sub-species of Red-Shouldered Hawk. It is paler...

Plants, or any living organisms that occur naturally in an ecosystem are considered, “native.” Ones that are not found naturally are called exotic. A plant can be exotic and not cause damage; such as many of the crops we eat...

Natural Fire is an integral part of the Everglades plant system. Many low growing plants, such as sawgrass, depend on fire to maintain their communities. Without fire, the marsh and wet prairie would be taken over by trees and turned...

Welcome. The Everglades is a vast system of wetlands that includes the Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National WIldlife Refuge is home to at least 56 kinds of nesting birds. However, over 200 species use the Refuge either as a year...

The Everglades ecosystem depends on the natural seasonal water patterns of South Florida. These patterns rely on rain. South Florida naturally experiences a dry season with little rain in the winter and a wet season with plentiful rain in the...

Reptiles and amphibians are “ectothermic” or “cold-blooded” meaning they cannot regulate their own body temperatures. Ectothermic animals depend on sunlight to become warm and active, but if they get too hot, they must find shade, a burrow or water in...