January 11--Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary

Boardwalk at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary.

Because the drive to Fort Myers Beach was a reasonably short one from Naples, we planned on spending much of the day at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, just outside of Naples. This National Audubon Society Sanctuary is a delightful place full of interesting sounds and fascinating plant and animal life. We walked most of the 2.25-mile boardwalk, which meanders through pines and a wet prairie, around a marsh and finally into the largest old-growth Bald Cypress forest in North America.

One of the beautiful scenes at this sanctuary.

Swamp lily (a member of amaryllis family).

These cypress trees are really amazing! The oldest ones are 130 feet tall and 25 feet in circumference. They stand majestically over the swamp with their ring of knees jutting up through the water. Wading birds like ibis, egrets, and herons hop on the low branches and wade through water, some of which is covered with swamp lettuce. We could hear songbirds and hawks along with the occasional squawk of an anhinga and grunt of an alligator. And the swamp lily is in bloom. This place is truly magic!

White ibis.

White ibis closeup, showing beautiful blue eye!

I loved that a sign at the beginning of the trail encourages visitors to walk quietly so as not to disturb either the wildlife or other visitors. For the most part, we found that people we passed were being very considerate of each other and the creatures who call this swamp home.

Adult black-crowned night heron.

Juvenile black-crowned night heron.

Little blue heron.

Closeup of little blue heron's feet as it walks through the swamp.

A mid-afternoon rain storm caused us to seek cover in a rain shelter along the trail. From the railing, we watched the raindrops falling into the swamp, thinking that the resurrection ferns hanging in trees all around us must have been most happy to see the rain.

If you are in the Naples/Fort Myers area, add Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary to your list of places to see. We think you will be most happy you did.

From Corkscrew, Fort Myers Beach is about an hour's drive. We arrived at our motel, the Dolphin Inn Resort, just as the sun was setting. Travis is the owner/manager of this small "old Florida" type motel, located across the highway from the beach. I told Travis I liked his place as soon as I walked in and saw the wall of books in his small reception area. He explained that visitors left books with him all the time when they had no extra room in their luggage. He told us to take all we wanted. I chuckled as I looked through the shelves. Most were in foreign languages!

Our small room opens onto a waterway on the bay side of Fort Myers Beach. Tomorrow morning, we'll walk across the highway and down a short path to the beach. Not too far down the beach is a favorite gathering place for shorebirds. We'll be taking binoculars and cameras!

By the way, yesterday's photos have been added. Take a look!

--Shann