When the American artist and writer Paul Gervais first stumbled upon Palm Beach’s Hypoluxo Scrub Natural Area, he immediately recognized the historical and ecological importance of this unassuming patch of shrubs. Located in the small coastal town of Lantana, Hypoluxo Scrub is one of the last protected oases for the endangered Florida scrubland, a native plant community that has declined critically in recent years due to residential and commercial development. Moved to do his part in preserving Florida’s native ecological heritage, Gervais set about capturing the white sands and windblown bushes in a series of landscape paintings. Intentionally not including any signs of human presence, the paintings exist outside of time, capturing the spartan beauty of the native terrain. —Paulina Prosnitz