This preserve is going on my list for the fall, when cooler and more bug-free weather prevails. I’ll be back!
Category Archives: Four Mile Cove Ecological Preserve
Please do not feed the critters!
Last week, an ecotour operator made the fatal mistake of enticing an alligator out of the water for the entertainment of the tourists. He lost his hand. The gator, quite unfairly, lost his life. There’s a reason for the law. These are not trained Disney critters. They are wild and real and you’re in their territory. Please keep your hands and feet – and FOOD – inside the vehicle at all times, and don’t mess with the critters. Thank you.
Mystery plant
I’ll need to hit the books when I get home to find out what this is. It was a tree growing by the path in the parking area. Not sure if those are buds or seed pods.
Nature trails
The Eco park includes nature tails but I decided not to brave them – I don’t like to hike an unfamiliar trail alone, plus I got bitten twice in the time it took to stand here and take his shot! I will come back when I’ve got a hiking partner and bug spray.
The Iwo Jima statue
I had to lie on my back at the base of the monument to get this shot. I am grateful that I can still get up from such a position under my own steam! I am not sure why cape coral chose to replicate the statue, and I wonder if it is to scale…
Cape Coral’s veterans memorial
Alongside the road that comes from the bridge, a veterans memorial stands. There’s a vast, shady pavilion, statuary, and you can make a donation to get a paving brick inscribe in memory of a soldier. The World Wars, the Korean conflict, and Vietnam are all represented, as well as more recent wars in the Middle East.
Reading the signs
The kayak rental/launch area is part of the Great Calusa Blueway, and is currently closed for the summer. There’s a nice little picnic area down that way, arranged inside a circular drive.
Wildlife crossing
Your first clue that you’re in a refuge – a sign that warns of slithering, scampering, and sauntering critters. Please do not run them down in your hasty zeal to be one with nature. Thank you!
Today’s adventure: Cape Coral’s Four Mile Cove Eco park
I was in Cape Coral this morning, working on a photo project with a fellow nature geek. On the way over the Midpoint Bridge from Fort Myers, I decided it was high time I’d visited an attraction I’ve passed a dozen times but never stopped. Let’s go!