I heard many people say there were snails everywhere in the Everglades, so I was super excited to catch more breeding stock for my business! I hope to catch around 500 adults, and breed them from there. But even though it rained bunches, I did not see a single snail! We looked and looked. No snail in sight; not even a tree snail. Was severely disappointed in that aspect. However, it was such an amazing experience. Camping in the Everglades for 2 nights straight was one of my life goals. No one in my family, besides the two others that went, can say they camped in the EVERGLADES. I come from a very, very rural town with a population of 2,000 people in Tennessee, so camping every weekend is quite normal. But it was nothing like doing it in the 'glades. Only downside is you can't swim! If you are ever nearby, I suggest booking a camping spot at "Bear Island". It is a spot about 40 minutes in the middle of no where. Very relaxing. It is only $10 per tent, per night, too. Now pictures:
The swamp. This was a very uncomfortable place for me. It was pretty, but my bare feet in this water is terrifying. I have a fear of fish biting me, so walking in muddy water was not so fun..
Green anole on a palm near our tent. There was a fire ant next at the base it was eating from. I'm not sure if it is a Cuban Green, or a native Green.
Seen 3 Deer! Also seen bunches of turkey, as well, but did not get photos of them. There were a lot of hunters down here, so I think they had them scattered everywhere. I cam quite surprised they allow hunting.
One of snakes we seen, a juvenile racer. Anyone that knows racer, knows they are fast! When I seen this tiny snake dashing across the road, I jumped out of the car before we even stopped. Barely caught it, but I did. Was not very happy.
A very large American Alligator in captivity.
Skunk-ape!
It was raining so hard, it was starting to flood. This brought the aquatic creatures out. Some crayfish, species. Or in Tennessee, "Crawdad".
Cuban Tree Frogs were EVERYWHERE. At one end of the spectrum, it is amazing to see how well they established themselves here, but on the end it is a shame how they are so invasive. They eat our natives. You are advised to euthanize them, but I don't kill every feral cat I see, I won't kill every frog I see. This one is yellow. I never seen a yellow one before.
The only native tree frog we seen, a Squirrel Tree Frog.
Lots of mating insects this time of year. Lubber grasshopper pair.
Like stated before, the rain brought out the aquatic creatures. At first glance, I thought it was a large slug, then seen it was a fish. This is a Walking catfish, invasive.
A typical looking Cuban Tree Frog hunting.
Florida Ivory millipede found in a cypress, I believe.
Some species of dragonfly. It was very pretty!
A pair of stick insects mating.
Garden spider. The ones in Tennessee bounce on their webs when touched, but here they just scatter.
Wild American Alligator. It was quite curious of us..
Scenic view!
And not the Everglades, but my city. This is Fort Myers in the AM. Leaving to go south.
And a little story: After the rain calmed down a little, I decided to get out to look for some snails. It started raining really hard again, so we decided to get back in the car (tent flooded). Upon opening the door, I look down and see my phone submerged in the water, almost completely. It is very badly cracked, so this was not good news! Obviously I took it out, it started messing up, and I thought it was a done deal. Then I came up with the idea of letting it bake in the sun. The UV and heat index was VERY high the next day, so it was worth a shot. I put it on the car for about 30 minutes, and seen all the condensation was gone from the screen. I put the battery in, and it turned on with no problem! It works now, which is relieving because I use it to tether data to my laptop for my college assignments. It is a miracle!
I have bunches of more photos to post, but I thought I'd post these while I wait for my classes to start. I hope you enjoyed them.
