Most art galleries have walls behind the artwork. National Geographic photographer Mac Stone’s new portfolio of ancient cypress trees is set against ancient cypress trees.

More than 50 of Stone’s large-format photos of cypress trees will be mounted along the 2.25-mile boardwalk that winds through Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, which has one of the oldest, untouched, bald cypress tree forests left in America. Some of the massive 500-year-old cypress trees are just yards away.

The work explores the rare wetland forests that remain after centuries of logging and development, revealing their scale, complexity, and quiet power.

Through images of towering cypress trees, flooded forests, and the wildlife that lives within, Stone hopes people see the swamps not as dark or empty places, but as ancient, fragile, and full of life.

The exhibition follows the release of Stone’s latest book, Cypress: The Last Old-Growth Swamps, published by University Press of Florida.

Stone is not a stranger to the sanctuary near Naples several times on expeditions. In 2018, Stone and colleague Peter Houlihan took a shot a fig sphinx moth pollinating the sanctuary’s famous super ghost orchid, which changed the scientific understanding of the type of moth that does so.

Stone’s photography focuses on raising awareness for threatened landscapes, wildlife, and wilderness areas around the world.

Systematic logging of South Florida cypress forests started in 1944. In Corkscrew, it ended soon after loggers eyed the very trees that remain today but a community backlash was so great the sanctuary was established.

Stone’s exhibit runs from October 27 through March 31, 2027, and admission to the sanctuary includes a chance to stroll through the exhibit.

For ticket information click here.

WGCU is your trusted source for news and information in Southwest Florida. We are a nonprofit public service, and your support is more critical than ever. Keep public media strong and donate now. Thank you.