The Corkscrew Swamp Preserve featured a 2.5 mile boardwalk trail through woodland and through swamp, as well as above "wet prairie" and "lettuce lakes" filled with greenery. Here's a view of a portion of the trail:
The trees were alive with air plants and bromeliads, such as this one:
We saw these baby alligators huddled on a limb, just above a bit of "lettuce lake":
At the J.N. "Ding" Darling Nature Preserve on Sanibel Island, we got quite close to this red-shouldered hawk:
When we went out fishing in the mangrove shallows, one fisherwoman caught (and released) this puffer fish:
We saw lots of great shorebirds hunting food and fun in the waves. This is a picture of a white ibis at work:
We saw so many things more than I captured on film, but I hope this gives a small taste of what was a large and great trip.
