When the weather cools and the mosquitoes wane, an easy must-do nature hike is the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary near Naples.
Home of the largest remaining virgin bald cypress forest in North America, this 14,000-acre preserve features an elevated 2 ½-mile boardwalk for easy and spectacular wildlife viewing. It might be the closest thing South Florida has to a living looking glass into the turn-of-the-last-century frontier.
Acquired by the National Audubon Society in 1954 to prevent logging, the Corkscrew features a variety of habitats — pine flatwoods, wet prairie and cypress forest in rich, undisturbed abundance. The array of plant and animal life is dizzying, and varies with water level and season.
From now through April is the best time for encountering birds — anhinga; heron; ibis; swallowtail kite; red-shouldered hawk; barred owl; wood stork; and limpkin (among others). The marsh holds alligators, otters, turtles and frogs. Occasionally a black bear lumbers through, leaving tall scratch marks on the cypress and depositing tell-tale dung piles on the boardwalk. On the prairie, visitors sometimes spot deer.
Each trip to Corkscrew is memorable — no matter the season. Because the area has been protected for nearly 60 years, the swamp dwellers behave a lot like the creatures of Ecuador’s remote Galapagos Islands: they seem unafraid and nonchalant around human visitors.
Once on a winter trip, I happened by a small lake filled with water lettuce where a little blue heron had speared a frog. When it saw me approach, it hopped onto the railing to make sure I appreciated its hunting prowess.
On another visit, I saw several barred owls perched on tree limbs, including one with chicks, that didn’t fly away when I came close. On the same day, a family of otters swam and played beneath the boardwalk, oblivious to the humans gaping at them.
Then, a few weeks ago, I went on a guided tour with three Audubon volunteers and we all got scolded by a red-shouldered hawk.
You just never know which creatures are going to greet you.
The plant life is just as vibrant and varied as the wildlife. Nearly 40 kinds of ferns decorate the swamp, interspersed with colorful wildflowers that change with the season. I recently learned from sanctuary volunteer Edie Blair that the beautiful pink marsh mallow flowers actually hold a sweet substance. For some reason, I always thought the popular campfire treat got its name arbitrarily.
When you visit Corkscrew in winter, you will see small, brown, dead-looking leaves draping the cypress boughs. It is resurrection fern, which turns into a vibrant green garland with the summer rains after going dormant during droughts.
The Corkscrew drew a flurry of international publicity in July of 2007 when several beautiful and mysterious ghost orchids, never seen before in the swamp, bloomed gloriously on a cypress within sight of the boardwalk. The news drew hordes of tourists and several botanists to view and photograph white petals that resemble the 1960s cartoon character, Casper the Friendly Ghost.
The botanists predicted the orchid wouldn’t bloom again for at least a decade. But Casper had other ideas, and has showed off for visitors every summer since.
Perhaps the swamp’s most remarkable features are the thick, towering cypress trees, some estimated at 600 to 700 years old and standing 130 feet tall and 25 feet in circumference. These enormous trees serve as hosts for strangler figs and homes for birds, while their smaller knees provide nutrients for other vegetation, such as ferns and orchids.
In summer the leaves are feathery green; about now, they fade to brown, and in winter, they disappear, creating a starkly beautiful, haunting effect.
South Florida is entering prime hiking season, and the Corkscrew Swamp should be high on any rambler’s list.
