🌿 For years, our little corner of Plant City, Florida, has been alive with the quiet rhythm of ponds and wildlife. Among the waddling Muscovy ducks who shared our yard, none stole our hearts quite like Irma — a gentle, determined mother with a mission.

🥚 About a month ago, Irma chose the base of our old Live Oak tree to build her nest. There she laid thirteen perfect eggs, tucking them carefully into down and moss, keeping them warm with unwavering devotion. Day after day, we’d watch from our window as she left only briefly to sip water or nibble grass, always hurrying back with a determined wiggle to cover her little treasures.

🌪️ Then came the storm. As Hurricane Irma — a namesake both chilling and uncanny — roared toward us, the winds reached over 100 mph. Sheets of rain battered the windows, trees bent under the force, and still, through it all, there she sat. From our bathroom window we could see her, head tucked in, feathers plastered by rain, enduring the fury of a Category 2–3 hurricane without moving an inch from her nest.

🌌 When the eerie calm of the eye passed over, we ventured outside with flashlights, hearts pounding. There she was — Irma, steadfast under the battered Live Oak, her body soaked, Spanish moss draped across her back, but alive, unshaken, and unrelenting. I whispered, “Hang in there, girl.” And she did.

🌈 By morning, our yard was wrecked — fences toppled, branches scattered, power lines drooping. But under that same tree sat Irma, guarding thirteen untouched eggs. Nearly 24 hours she had braved wind and rain, refusing to give in. We brought her food and water, which she accepted with quiet dignity before fluffing herself once more to shield her precious brood.

💧 The next day, as the winds eased, she finally stretched her wings and slipped into the pond with a gentle splash, as if saying, “I survived.” Then, as always, she returned to her vigil. Day after day since, she has remained at her post, waiting for the moment when her ducklings will break free and follow her in a waddling parade of new life.

💚 Irma is more than a duck. She is a reminder of resilience, a lesson in courage wrapped in feathers. While storms uproot trees and scatter the world, she showed us what it means to face fear with steadfast love.

✨ So here’s to Irma — the little mother who defied a hurricane, guarded life against all odds, and proved that true heroes sometimes stand only a foot tall, wings tucked tight, whispering to the storm: “Not today. Not on my watch.”

We can’t wait for the day she marches proudly across our yard with her fluffy crew. She’s earned her crown — our Hurricane Hero. 🌟🦆