Corkscrew Swamp Revisited

This was about the third time John and I have visited this swamp.   Our expectations of what we would see there this time were low because of the damage incurred by Hurricane Irma.  Sections of the boardwalk had been destroyed by large trees.  There was only one small loop on which we could walk to view the swamp.

According to a park ranger whom we met while there, the water level in the swamp is the highest he has seen in about 15 years.  At 4 feet not many wading birds are eager to be here at this time as the fish are harder to find.  However we did espy one blue heron.

As I mentioned earlier, many large trees had fallen in the swamp.  There was a blessing to be found in that,  because it opened up the swamp to a lot more light.  We noticed quite an array of wildflowers which seemed to be taking advantage of the extra sunlight.

We also saw patches of purple morning glories, blooming pickerel weed and water lilies.  My brother Marcus declared that it all was still quite beautiful, and I would have to agree.
We had lunch in the small town of Immokalee, which had also experienced a lot of destruction from the storm.  In the town were many buildings with blue tarps on the roofs, an indication that they had to either be replaced or repaired.  After lunch we drove over to Lake Trafford in search of an air boat ride over one of the many marshes in the area.  We had neither the time or desire to drive further south into the Everglades as we would continue to find many more parks and preserves closed due to storm damage.

We had a wonderful boat ride through a swamp, thank to the Air Boats and Alligators Company.  Our driver stopped at different places to point out flora and fauna.  Pictured above is a swamp lily, the one white spot in the mass of green foliage.

He also stopped the boat to allow the bittern in the picture above to give us a close look over.  Many herons, and egrets, took to the sky from their watery havens as our noisy boat approached.  On the lower branches of trees and shrubs we saw a few anhinga drying out their wings.   And hanging out in the high tree tops were the ever watchful osprey.  There were also many sightings of  alligators in the water.

 

Our driver pointed out an alligator nest, it is in the lower left corner in the picture above.  It was a brownish mass of twigs and grass.  That organic mess serves to keep the eggs warm and covered until the babies are ready to emerge.  He said that about a week ago there were about 30 hatchlings swimming around in this area.
That was our two day trip to southern Florida, we certainly saw and experienced a lot.  It was a good trip, and if you are a Floridian you should certainly get out and explore the wonders of your state!