Library, research space and a computerized conchological data bank are on the second. The museum is open 10-4 Tuesday through Sunday all year. Alligators are most plentiful in winter, but tall birds and small animals appear happily unafraid year around. Nature has a lot of friends on Sanibel-Captiva. Saving the freshwater wetlands and restoring habitat for native animals are well-supported causes, and residents keep the needs of butterflies and birds in mind when they plant their gardens.
Early habitation goes back a long way.
The shell mounds of Calusa Indians still rise on the Darling Refuge and on Captiva. Captiva is said to have been named for another Spaniard who was held prisoner there by the Calusas in 1528. Pirates aplenty haunted the coast, leaving behind legends of dastardly deeds and buried treasures. Centuries ahead of the crowds, they could have cornered the market for junonia. They might not have got their pictures in the papers, but some things have to be saved for the Emilys and Annas of the world.