Guest Blog Author Jaye Patrick, Conservation Florida Volunteer

There are some assignments that require little more than showing up with a camera. And then, there are the ones that remind you why you became a photographer in the first place.

Recently, Ross Merrigan and I had the opportunity to visit Conservation Florida’s D Ranch Preserve in Osteen, Florida, with a very specific mission: photograph one of Florida's more elusive native wildflowers - the pine lily (Lilium catesbaei).

Ross - who is not only one of the best photographers I know, but also my best friend - was really excited to explore D Ranch and possibly get to photograph a rare flower that not a lot of people get to see.

At first glance, the assignment seemed simple enough. Find the flower, compose the shot, press the shutter.

It didn't take long to realize that photographing a pine lily in its natural environment was going to be about much more than simply finding a flower.

Into Wild Florida

D Ranch Preserve is a special piece of Florida. The 476-acre preserve, located along Reed Ellis Road in Osteen, protects a mixture of habitats including wetlands, pine flatwoods, scrub and other native landscapes. Conservation Florida permanently protected the property in 2019, and today it provides an opportunity to experience a piece of Florida that could easily have been lost to development.

For Ross and I - places like this are irresistible.

There's always something happening if you're willing to slow down and look closely.

On this particular visit, however, our attention was focused on a single plant.

The pine lily.

Finding the Subject

The pine lily is one of those plants that can be easy to overlook until it blooms.

Then suddenly, there it is.

A flash of brilliant red-orange rising above the surrounding grasses.

The flowers are striking, with recurved petals and a yellow center marked with dark spots. The long, upright stamens give the flower an almost delicate, architectural quality. And when the morning light catches the petals and the drops of moisture clinging to them, the entire flower seems to glow.

The species, also known as Catesby's lily, is state-listed as threatened in Florida. It is associated with open, wet-to-seasonally-wet habitats such as pine flatwoods, savannas and prairies.

That knowledge changes the way you approach photographing it.

You're not simply photographing a pretty wildflower. You're documenting a small piece of Florida's natural heritage.

*Ross Merrigan Photography & Jaye Patrick Foto*

More Than a Photograph

D Ranch Preserve is more than just a place to go looking for photographs

It represents the importance of protecting the remaining pieces of wild Florida.

The preserve's trails pass through a variety of habitats, and Conservation Florida notes that more than 60 species of native plants have been documented on the property, including rare pine lilies and orchids.

For me, being there with a camera created an opportunity to do more than make a nice photograph.

It allowed me to slow down.

To pay attention.

To appreciate something that most people could easily walk right past.

The pine lily may not be the largest or most imposing thing in the Florida landscape, but its presence tells a much bigger story about the habitats that support it - and what we stand to lose when those habitats disappear.

Why I Photograph Wild Florida

Photography has a way of making you stop and look.

A flower that might otherwise receive a passing glance can become the subject of an entire morning.

You start noticing the way the light falls across a petal. The dew collecting along its edges. The insects moving through the grasses. The spider webs stretched between stems.

You start seeing details that were always there.

That's what I took away from my visit to D Ranch Preserve.

We went there with a job to do: photograph the pine lily.

We left with a greater appreciation for the landscape that allows the pine lily to exist in the first place.

And perhaps that's the real purpose of nature photography.

Not simply to show people what something looks like, but to make them care enough to want to protect it.

The pine lily is a beautiful flower. But in a place like D Ranch Preserve, it's also a reminder that wild Florida is still out there. We just have to slow down enough to see it.

Keep up with Ross and Jaye’s adventures photographing Florida’s water, wildlife & wild places by following them on Instagram:

Ross Merrigan Photography

Jaye Patrick Foto