Corkscrew After Hours

Hop to Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary for the

May 22  “Reptile and Frogs” After Hours Event

Wednesday,    5-22-2013  

Experience Corkscrew's moonlit boardwalk and ancient bald cypress forest at the next After Hours event themed "Reptiles & Frogs," on Wednesday, May 22, when the Sanctuary remains open until 9 p.m., past its regular 5:30 p.m. closing. Talks, guided walks, reptile learning stations and live music are among the highlights of the event.

Corkscrew's monthly After Hours events offer opportunities for visitors from the seasoned naturalist to the nature-deprived to experience the pristine forest and prairies of a vast, centuries-old wilderness located 30 minutes from Naples, and protected by Audubon for more than 50 years. Guided and independent forest excursions give visitors rare sunset and night-time immersions into a fragile wilderness accessed by a 2.25 mile boardwalk. 

A manned telescope trained on the stars, learning stations to observe the nocturnal behavior of wildlife, and quiet zones to listen to the cacophany of birds, amphibians and mammals are among the highlights of an After Hours boardwalk experience.

As the weather warms up in May so does alligator mating season, providing a rare opportunity to see the male gators attempting to impress the females by outdoing each other with loud bellowing. The May 22 After Hours event is also notable by the beginning of blooming of the scarlet hibiscus, a deep crimson-red flower native to the marshes of Florida.

Sunset is at 8:09p.m.  The evening light before sunset often bathes the forest in pastel colors while animals begin to stir for a night of foraging.  The moon will be almost full this night.

5-22-2013 After Hours Schedule of Events

5:30 p.m.  Interpretive station on reptiles at the beginning of the boardwalk.

6:00 - 8:00 p.m.  Live Music at the Blair Audubon Center:  Original Florida folk music by Valerie C. Wisecracker.

6:00 p.m.  Program in the Classroom:  The Frogs and Toads in Collier County  with Becky Speer a Naturalist at the Naples Preserve. There will be a limited number of frog call handouts available for participants.

7:15 p.m.   Naturalist Guided Walk with a focus on frogs

7:30 p.m. Program in the Classroom and walk:  A discussion about Bats and Acoustic Bat Monitoring with naturalist photographer Ralph Arwood, followed by a walk with Ralph using acoustic monitoring that converts bat sounds into a spectrogram to identify types of bats.

7:30-9:00p.m.   Star and Planet Viewing:   Linda Jacobsen with Night Sky Tours will have her telescope set up along the boardwalk for night sky viewing.

Corkscrew Naturalist Interpreters will be along the boardwalk throughout the day and evening. 

*Please Note:  It is suggested that participants bring a red light, or cover their flashlights with red cellophane before using them on the boardwalk.  The use of red light reduces the loss of your night vision which occurs when using a white light. 

Corkscrew's scheduled “After Hours” are part of a 10-month series which extends through July 12, 2013, when the Sanctuary will stay open until 9:00pm, past its normal operating hours. Latest admission time is 8:00pm.  Upcoming After Hours dates are listed below.  There is no additional charge beyond the regular admission of $12 per adult; $6 for college students with ID; $4 for children 6 to 18 years old, and free for Friends of Corkscrew Members and children under 6. 

Upcoming After Hours Nights with focus topics:

Friday,  6-21- 2013: Summer Solstice

Friday,  7-12- 2013: Moths, Fireflies & Ghost Orchid