Beyond Butterflies: Reading Flint Pen Strand as Habitat

Join us for a guided Walk & Talk exploring CREW Flint Pen Strand through the clues found along the trail. Butterflies will be our starting point, but we’ll also look at plants, water, sunlight, insects, birds, and signs of habitat change. Together, we’ll search for host plants, nectar sources, feeding damage, leaf shelters, eggs, caterpillars, and other details that are easy to overlook.

This March walk is the first in a two-part seasonal series, but each event can be enjoyed on its own. No previous experience is needed—just curiosity and a willingness to look closer.

Connie Nagele is the founder and organizer of Friends of Collier County Butterflies, a Southwest Florida citizen-science and conservation initiative centered on butterflies, their habitats, and the landscapes that support them.

Her work combines field observation, butterfly surveys, habitat projects, photography, and citizen science with a strong emphasis on helping people become more curious and observant about the natural world around them. Through community butterfly counts, educational programs, guided walks, and habitat projects, Connie encourages participants to look beyond simply identifying a butterfly or plant and begin noticing the relationships, changes, and sometimes unexpected stories occurring in the landscape.

Based in Collier County, her work also extends into neighboring Southwest Florida communities through partnerships and field projects. Connie believes that careful observation—returning to a place, asking questions, documenting what changes, and sharing what we learn—can help ordinary people make meaningful contributions to conservation.