We found carnivorous plants! Specifically, sundews. Probably pink sundew, though we aren’t really sure. (Photo by quoderat.)

Aren’t they cool? This was at Prairie Pines Preserve today, near Fort Myers. We went there thinking it’d be less crowded on a Sunday as it’s not a real destination for most people — not a state park, no beaches, no swimming holes, and thus no crowds. Perfect for us!

We only ran into a few people on the trail whom we chatted with a bit. The social climate in Fort Myers seems in general more friendly for some reason than we are used to.

Here’s what the preserve looked like for the most part. (Photo by zanna.)

The preserve would be nearly impossible to visit in summer as it’d be very hot. As it was, it got into the low 80s and even at that temperature we were overheating near the end as the sun got brighter.

One of the people we passed said the preserve was devoid of wildlife. However we saw hundreds of birds — including at least two bluebirds and a dozen woodpeckers — and all sorts of plants and butterflies. I will sound like Yoda a bit perhaps, but many people look but do not see. (Photo by zanna.)

This is one of the many skippers we spotted. Species unknown. They are very hard to identify. (Photo by quoderat.)

Tomorrow we will probably head out to look at some birds of prey being rehabilitated and a few other adventures.

So far, this still feels much like a weekend adventure, just with more stuff and more free flowing. We are still deciding where we will go tomorrow. This morning we chose Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve near Fort Myers. It has a 1.2 mile boardwalk with several viewing platforms looking out at ponds. We gave ourselves two hours (parking is $1 per hour or $5 for the day) and had to take the shortcut to get back in time, but we were also really ready for lunch by then. After working so hard on moving, this short walk seemed like it was long enough for today and we rested up during the afternoon.

This was the second use of our new Canon 70-300mm DO lens, and the first while using its lens hood, which makes a huge difference with this lens. We are quite pleased with the results. While not quite as good as our Canon 100-400mm L lens (the lens quoderat shot with) and obviously without as much reach, it’s looking like with its compact size and lighter weight it will be well suited for our purposes. Quoderat converted all of the photos below to blog format.

There were lots of other birders and photographers around, and several kindly let us know where a creature had recently been spotted. Several volunteers were guiding groups along the boardwalk as well.

Gator bike rack at the Preserve parking lot (zanna)

Looking back at the amphitheater across a lake formed when soil was removed for building a nearby roadbed. (zanna)

These cypress were planted in 1990 as 8 year old trees. (zanna)

When the cypress balls (seeds) drop into the water, they release oils that shimmer on the surface. (quoderat)

One of many small birds we saw, perhaps a palm warbler? (zanna)

The water, flowing slowly towards Estero Bay, was quite clear. As in all of Florida, the mosquito fish are everywhere there is a few inches of water. We saw several larger fish as well.

This lovely black crowned night heron stood stone still for us quite near the boardwalk. (quoderat)

Boardwalk (quoderat)

Looking into the ferns (zanna)

There were bromeliads everywhere. (zanna)

Mushrooms circling above the water line (quoderat)