History Lessons

 

Any history buffs out there?

While most of our guests visit Southwest Florida for our year-round sunshine and abundance of outdoor activities, it’s sometimes easy to overlook the rich history of our area.

To date, there are 57 places that have been named to the National Register of Historic Places in Lee County, Florida.

In addition to the well-known Edison and Ford Winter Estates,  » Read more

White Peacock

Photo by Kyle Sweet, Santiva Chronicle

 

Next time you’re out on a wildlife walk on Sanibel Island, keep an eye out for the White Peacock, one of the most common butterflies in Florida, and one of the most beautiful.

The name “Peacock” comes from the large “eye spot” on each of the butterfly’s four wings.  These eye dots have the appearance of peacock feathers.   » Read more

Googling the Gulf: #5

 

Did you ever wonder why the Gulf of Mexico is not an ocean?  They are both very large bodies of saltwater, after all.

For those who remember grade school geography, while both oceans and gulfs are indeed large bodies of saltwater, gulfs are smaller and are bordered on three sides by land.  Oceans, the largest bodies of water in the world, have no exact boundaries,  » Read more

Googling the Gulf: #4

 

Outside of Hawaii, Florida is the only state to have extensive coral reef formations near its coasts.

Coral reefs grow only in specific ecosystems with the right depth and temperature of water, and the right mix of nutrients and wave action.

In addition to being some of the most beautiful and biologically diverse habitats in the ocean, coral reefs are also some of the oldest.  » Read more

Googling the Gulf: #3

 

You can call the Gulf of Mexico an “Aquatic Highway” if you’d like!

The Nature Conservancy recently analyzed data on 26 species identifying four major migratory pathways — dubbed “blueways” — that criss-cross the Gulf.

These routes are used extensively by fish, mammals, sea turtles, and birds, with migrations occurring year-round.

However, less than one percent of these aquatic corridors have been classified as marine protected areas,  » Read more

Googling the Gulf: #2

Photo from the NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program

 

As you can imagine, the water surrounding Florida has become a graveyard of sorts for many a shipwreck.   

In fact, scientists estimate that more than 4,000 shipwrecks are now resting on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico, casualties of centuries’ worth of shifting sands and treacherous storms.  

Since a large part of the Gulf is right over the North American Continental Shelves,  » Read more

Googling the Gulf: #1

Photo from Jetsetter

 

Without a doubt, the sugar white sand beaches that line the Gulf of Mexico are among the most beautiful in the world.

But there’s so much more to the waters we call home, as the Gulf is a diverse ecosystem with a long and interesting history.  We thought we’d spend this week learning a bit more about it!  » Read more

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