Sanibel Island ~ Bailey Tract
/Sanibel Island is known for its beautiful beaches and abundance of sea shells, however the interior of Sanibel is also beautiful. If you’re looking for a place to get away from people, the trails inside the island are wonderful escapes. On this day Clyde was resting, so I decided to meander around the island and check out a few things. I came across the Bailey Tract, was curious, so I took the short 2 mile hike. I enjoyed it so much that I returned to Clyde and he joined me for the afternoon.
The beginning of the trail
Bailey Tract 1 ~ for sizes and prices CLICK HERE
Hairypod Cowpea
Beach wire grass
Spurred butterfly pea
Weeping love grass
The Bailey Tract is named for its first owner, Frank P. Bailey, who was a settler on Sanibel Island in the late 1800’s. His descendants own Bailey's, General Store. Like much of Sanibel's interior before the 1950's, the Bailey Tract parcel was a pristine marsh, full of cordgrass and sawgrass - and wet seven to eight months of the year.
Marshlands provide major water filtration. It's a microcosm of what you see in the Everglades. However, as more humans moved to Sanibel, the marsh started shrinking.
Like the Everglades, the marsh is home to mosquitoes, so in the late 1950's Lee Country Mosquito Control dug ditches in the tract to reduce standing water to discourage mosquitos.
Today Most of the habitat in the Bailey Tract has been highly altered by humans, but it is still a wonderful place filled with wildflowers, beautiful Weeping Lovegrass, buttonwoods, cattails, native palms, and so much more.
Scarlet Sage
Wild Poinsettia
Powder Puff
As you know, I LOVE flowers. I’m always amazed at a how many different kinds we are surrounded with. I managed to capture a few more images of flowers before the wind in the storm became overwhelming for close up photography.
The storm begins to build… love all of the textures at Bailey’s Tract
The storm was getting closer and closer, but, wow, it provided some wonderful photography!
me - Niki - photographing the storm
Clyde photographing the storm
Bailey Tract 7 - For sizes and prices CLICK HERE
As soon as Clyde felt like he got the image he wanted, I grabbed his camera and walked as fast as I could to the car with our gear. After putting it in the car, I walked back to be with Clyde. The storm was very, very close to us by the time we reached the car. The minute Clyde closed his door, it began to rain! Whew!
We had a fun day out in the wilderness of Sanibel. It was refreshing and photogenic.
