Seeing Stars

At Fort Myers' Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium, my husband and I hoped to explore the pine scrub and cypress swamp habitat and see some of the region's wildlife. We weren't disappointed.

We were greeted first by two hefty alligators (safely behind a fence) sunning on the edge of their pond. Inside the nature center we found gopher tortoises, turtles, fish and snakes-all native to Southwest Florida. We checked out the living beehive and the venomous cottonmouth snake-all safely behind glass, of course-and marveled at the giant toad, bufo marinus, almost a foot long. Wandering downstairs we found the butterfly aviary. As we stepped inside, gentle winged beauties landed to inspect our clothing and fluttered by our faces. I counted at least 20 butterflies hovering over the many flowering plants in bloom in just one corner of the enclosure.

We arrived in time for the feeding at the birds of prey exhibit and listened to intern Melanie Brodhead talk about the birds as she threw each a rat for lunch. The majestic birds here have all been rescued from car accidents or injuries; they include a screech owl, two bald eagles, turkey and black vultures, and red-shouldered and red-tailed hawks. There's even a rare crested caracara, which exists in Florida only in a small area south of Lake Okeechobee. Its ferocious cry inspired the voice of the "velociraptor" dinosaur in Jurassic Park. Near the birds of prey we saw a bobcat, a shy skunk, an opossum and a sleepy albino raccoon. Like their avian neighbors, these rescued mammals all live at Calusa because they cannot survive in the wild.

Our final stop was the planetarium. As we sat in the theater chairs, the lights dimmed and we were enchanted by the brilliant projection of stars as we listened to a live lecture on constellations. Although young children grew restless before the lecture was over, we enjoyed their hushed whispers as the lights went out: "Daddy . . . I can see the stars!" Our show also included brilliant images of planets and photos from the Hubble spacecraft.

Educational talks, a view into the night sky and a peaceful walk through a preserve, all for a bargain price, guarantee you will learn something about the amazing wildlife of the Gulfshore.

3450 Ortiz Ave., Fort Myers. Open Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Take exit 136 off I-75 and go west on Colonial Boulevard. Turn left onto Ortiz Avenue; the entrance is on the left. $7 adults; $4 children. For schedules of shows and lectures, visit www.calusanature.com or call (239)275-3435.