Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is slowly drying up due to development and flood control projects that have been redirecting the water flow that is the lifeblood of Audubon Florida's popular environmental attraction in the Western Everglades east of Naples.

"Time and time again, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has missed these deadlines for species. They have an incredible backlog of decisions to make, not just for the ghost orchid, and we're really concerned about that," said Elise Bennett with the Center for Biological Diversity.

The “ghost orchid” is the largest one ever discovered, and its blossoms draw international attention among the uber-enthusiastic world of orchid lovers.

Growing ever-closer to the public area in the 13,500-acre Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is a forest of extremely thirsty, ecosystem-changing, shape-shifting, pollen-producing Carolina willows that have invaded the wet prairies.

At Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples, the landscape is quintessential Florida. There's the marsh area with towering cypress trees and there's the wet...

Researchers are examining a half century-old bald cypress tree in Florida's Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary to determine how much wildlife the massive tree…