A photo for your Sunday

Reptilian invaders from South Florida

Green Iguana (Iguana iguana) at Wakodahatchee Wetlands, FL | © Jason P. Odell

Ah, Florida. In addition to being a great place to photograph birds, there’s been an explosion of invasive species that’s happened over the last 20+ years. You’ve probably heard of the issue of Burmese pythons taking over the Everglades, but the green iguana population has also soared, also the result of people keeping them as pets but releasing them into the wild when they grew too large to manage.

I grew up in South Florida. I hiked in the everglades, and in and around many of the local wetlands and parks. In the early to mid-1908s, you’d almost never encounter an iguana outdoors. Now, they are everywhere. They’re in trees, they’ll cross major streets, and if it gets cold, they’ve been known to fall out of trees in their torpid state. I’m sure Dave Barry’s probably written about this, too, in a way that only he can.

Since it’s Sunday, I’m making the shooting specs available to everyone. Enjoy your day!

Shooting Details

• Camera: OM System OM-1 Mark II

• Lens: OM System 150-400mm f/4.5 TC PRO

  • Focal length: 256mm (equivalent to 500mm in 35mm format)

• Exposure: 1/1000s f/6.3 ISO 200 (Auto)

• Location: Wakodahatchee Wetlands, FL

• Processing: Lightroom Classic with the Fujifilm Provia Profile from Cobalt Imaging