Naples•ism: All Things Naples Florida
Over Labor Day weekend, we drove out to Clyde Butcher’s place to participate in his infamous Swamp Walk.
If you’re not familiar with Clyde Butcher, he’s a legendary photographer whose black-and-white photos capture the essence of Florida’s Big Cypress Preserve and the Everglades. His home and gallery just happen to nestle right in the heart of Big Cypress Preserve, and on Labor Day weekend, President Day weekend, and every Saturday September through March, he invites one and all to experience the beauty of the area through a Swamp Walk.
Yes, a Swamp Walk is exactly that … a walk through the swamp.
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Many of our friends and family questioned our sanity, calling attention to the alligators and snakes and hoards of mosquitoes living in the swamp. Believe it or not, throughout our 1.5 hour excursion we saw no snakes, no alligators, and the mosquitoes were non-existent! And this is coming from a girl who is allergic to mosquito bites … whose bites blow up to the size of a quarter and last for weeks.
It was recommended that we wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts, plus wear closed-toed shoes. Sounds like hot attire in Florida, but the water of the swamp is cool and therefore refreshing. I think our guide called it “natural air-conditioning.” We didn’t break a sweat the entire tour.
The ground under the water is not muddy like you might think. Our shoes didn’t sink in. At some points, the water was around my shins; at other points it was at or just above my waist. But it’s fresh rain water and so amazingly clear!
Along the tour, our guide pointed out various flowers and plants, one of which is responsible for eating mosquito larvae, resulting in very few mosquitoes in the swamp, and others that produced edible fruit. We even stood in an alligator’s nest! (No alligators were present.)
The tour itself was amazing and I would recommend it for anyone of any age. Our group included a family with two twin boys who couldn’t have been more than 6 years old. Needless to say, the boys loved it!
We even got to meet Clyde Butcher, an extremely nice guy who looks like Santa Claus. I can’t wait to do it again!
Click here to find out more about Clyde Butcher’s Swamp Walks.
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Alysia Shivers Realtor | Naples Florida Real Estate | 239.877.9732
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