Free nature talk series 

If you are looking for something to do that is fun, free and educational, the Naples Preserve is focusing its Spring Nature Talk Series on the natural habitats and ecosystems of Southwest Florida. Speakers will include rangers, researchers, foresters and other subject-area specialists from a variety of the region’s parks, nature organizations and educational institutions. The series will include photographs and artifacts, and the speakers will inform as well as dispel myths. The programs are free and open to the public. Visitors may also take a stroll on the preserve’s boardwalk and watch the many birds, gopher tortoises and other small animals that call the nature sanctuary in the city home. The presentations are suitable for adults as well as children over the age of 7 who are keenly interested in nature.

Nature Talks are held at 10 a.m. Tuesdays (Jan. 10 – April 25) at The Naples Preserve, 1690 Tamiami Trail North, Naples.

The cost is free. 239/ 261-4290; facebook.com/friendsofthenaplespreserve.

Spring Nature Talk Series topic

• Jan. 10: “Hey Bob, what happened to your tail?” The legends, facts and mysteries of bobcats
• Jan. 17: Florida Forest Service’s champion tree program
• Jan. 24: Artificial reefs along Naples’ coast
• Jan. 31: Bird brains
• Feb. 7: Me and my watershed
• Feb. 14: Long-term hurricane activity in Southwest Florida – what it can tell us about future storminess 
• Feb. 21: Swamp survival
• Feb. 28: Fins and feathers: understanding important links between our freshwater fish and wading birds
• March 7: Estuaries
• March 14: Florida panthers: coexistence and the road to recovery
• March 21: “Walk into my parlor,” said the spider to the fly.
• March 28: Rulers of the forest: eastern indigo snakes in Southwest Florida
• April 4: What’s in a name?
• April 11: Gopher tortoise habitat restoration at Barefoot Beach Preserve
• April 18: Orchid research at Naples Botanical Garden
• April 25: Flying jewels in the sky