Swamped with wildlife

The southwest Floridasanctuary features a 2.25-mile raised boardwalk so visitors can get a close look at the plants and animals.
By LAURIE M. FISHER
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
When someone recommends a visit to swamp land in Florida, skepticism reigns. The infamous get-rich-quick schemes tainted the public's perception of a natural environment overflowing with wildlife.
Corskcrew Swamp Sanctuary in southwest Florida provides the perfect homestead to alligators who sun on a river bank. Blue heron feed on fish and crustaceans. Spanish moss serves as designer decorations hanging from tree branches. Even exotic colored Black and Yellow Argiope spiders create natural art spiral webs while birds provide classical musical interludes.
The wildlife sanctuary sits near Route 75 between Fort Myers and Naples. Managed by the National Audubon Society, the 11,000-acre preserve includes a 2.25-mile raised boardwalk so visitors can wind through distinct habitats of flora and fauna. The swamp is named for a river, so crooked in places it was once called Corkscrew River. The river is now named the Imperial River, but the swamp and sanctuary retained the Corkscrew name.
First, an exhibit: Before exploring the great outdoors, be sure to visit the 3-D theater in the newly constructed Blair Audubon visitors' center. The Swamp Theater immerses visitors in a 365-day, 24-hour life cycle of the swamp. The production mimics fire, drought, flood and lightning as well as bellowing gators. The purpose of the exhibit is to explain what people will see on the boardwalk, according to Audubon literature, and to emphasize that everything is alive in a cypress forest. It also gives visitors hints at what to look for on the swamp journey.
Allow several hours to meander the raised walkway. The flat loop walk is easy for any generation of visitor. The children in our group used a $2 companion field guide published by the Audubon society to make a game out of identifying specific flowers, trees and wildlife. Many nature photographers used the guide to identify their subjects.
Along the trail: The trail begins in the Pine Flatwoods. A forest of pines is home to white-tailed deer, the Carolina wren and longhorn orchid among other species. Along the trail, a naturalist had binoculars set up to get a closer look at a barred owl perched on a tree limb.
Moving from the forest to the Wet Prairie, the trail follows the site of a marsh filled with grasses and sedges. We saw several green anole, which are a type of lizard, crawling through the grasses.
Hawks made their presence known over the Central Marsh, about one-half mile down the boardwalk. The large expanse is home to river otters and pig frogs. From the opening of the marsh to the thick cypress forest, you know you are moving through another ecosystem. The bald cypress trees are estimated to be nearly 600 years old. They are the largest remaining tract in North America.
Co-existing: Various lettuce lakes, named for the vegetation that skims the surface, attract wildlife. Within a short radius, we saw a 12-foot alligator, a blue heron, green heron and turtle co-existing. The park provides benches for relaxation and observation.
The Pond Cypress tree forest separates the bald cypress and the Wet Prairie and Pine Flatwoods. Along the way we spotted baby raccoons near the bottom of the trees and a red-shouldered hawk in an upper branch. The trail then leads back to the visitors' center.
For those who can't walk the entire distance, a short trail of about one mile leads to Lettuce Lakes and back.
More than 100,000 people visit Corkscrew Sanctuary each year. Perhaps word is getting out that life in the swamp isn't so bad.