Researchers returned to the Everglades expecting scorched earth after the fires, but what they found instead stopped them cold. The flames had torn through the wetlands, leaving a landscape they thought would take decades to recover.
Everglades wildfires burn on a regular basis, but researchers have found that the aftermath of these fires offers an unusual opportunity to study an invasive species that has reshaped the region over the past few decades. When sawgrass burns away, the exposed ground reveals evidence that is normally hidden beneath dense vegetation and dark water. Survey crews have used these windows to document ne…