The winners of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest @nhm_wpy were announced this week and I’m beyond honored and thrilled to have an image awarded in this prestigious contest amongst my good friends and colleagues. The image titled, “The Ghost Orchid and the Thief” was the result of tireless work with @peter_houlihan devising new ways of testing a long standing hypothesis held by generations of Everglades scientists. What resulted during this sleepless summer in @corkscrewswamp was a new understanding of this iconic and endangered orchid through these images and those from @carltonward. Here are some fun behind the scenes videos of our time. This work would not have been possible without Audubon’s brilliant stewardship of this special place, and the support of @insidenatgeo, @ilcp_photographers, @fstopfoundation and Peter Houlihan🙏🙏 Please check out the other winning images in this contest, they are 🤯🤯 and for a more complete picture of how this quest to answer the pollinator question developed, watch the film “Chasing Ghosts” by @grizzlycreekfilms and @biographic_magazine. Second to last photo by @grizzlycreekfilms