But a nighttime hike changes everything. That's when humans must hone their senses to experience what isn't readily apparent.

The Fort Myers center is normally closed to the public after dark. But occasional evening hikes allow for an entirely different perspective of nature Southwest Florida-style.

It's after the sun sets that crickets scritch and screech, owls hoot and frogs offer up extemporaneous harmonies. And, explains senior naturalist Melissa Stakun, "People like to walk in the woods at night."

A mild winter evening is a prime time to take a nocturnal nature excursion. The number of not-so-welcome wildlife-biting insects-is lower, and cooler temperatures prompt other creatures to grow more active.

Armed with bottled water and flashlights, participants commence a -mile-long journey along a boardwalk flanked by cypress stands and slash pines, all illuminated by a star-studded sky.

It's a time for silent movement and concentration, when noises heard in the distance fire the imagination. Did that snapping branch signal the approach of a bobcat on the prowl? Does the screech of an owl mean it's close enough to see? Is that a gator or a log floating in that pond?

Of course, the number of animal sightings is generally inversely proportionate to the number of children on a particular hike.

"You have to be so, so, so, so quiet to see the animals," says Kim Myers, education naturalist.

Early in the hike, observant participants can usually spot tiny fruit bats as they swoop and soar in the moonlight. Aptly named black racer snakes may scoot quickly across the boardwalk and into the bushes as visitors approach.

On occasions when the local fauna prove elusive, naturalists bring out some of the center's resident animals-an Eastern screech owl, young gators, perhaps even a bald eagle-to make sure that everyone gets a chance to commune with the wild things after dark.

Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium, 3450 Ortiz Ave., Fort Myers. 275-3435. Hikes cost $5 for non-members and are free to members. Night hikes take place at 7 p.m. on Feb. 21 and March 21.