The School of Outdoors

Feathery orange, blue, yellow and black wings fill the air at area wildlife preserves as butterflies feast on the nectar from wildflowers and even small, inconspicuous mangrove blooms. Weedon Island Preserve Cultural & Natural History Center in St. Petersburg is a good place to see a variety of butterflies, and you can go behind the scenes by helping biologists count them at the end of the month.

The fall butterfly count is just one of the free programs that St. Pete/Clearwater area wilderness preserves offer, proving that learning doesn't have to be dull or cost a bundle. And it's a great opportunity for students of all ages to get involved. The hands-on, outdoor programs are a fun way to boost your knowledge of zoology, history and archeology.

After all, who isn't fascinated by snakes and alligators? Herpetologist George L. Heinrich mesmerizes audience members as he holds a snake and explains how it thrives in the area. He will hold a presentation at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21, at Weedon Island Preserve (727-453-6500; www.pinellascounty.org/Environment/pagesHTML/se10.html).

See even larger, toothier reptiles during Boyd Hill Nature Preserve's Alligator Walks, held at 11:30 a.m. the second Sunday of every month (free with park admission of $3 for adults, $1.50 for children, 727-893-7326, www.stpete.org/boyd/walks.asp).

Every weekend and many weekdays, environmental experts guide visitors through wetlands and pine woods at Weedon Island, Brooker Creek and Boyd Hill preserves. One morning a month, you can canoe through the mangrove bayous that skirt Tampa Bay at Weedon Island with a guide who shares interesting tidbits about the shorebirds and marine plants you encounter. (Cost is $10 per person or $20 per canoe; preregistration is required.)

Many of the hikes and environmental programs, including the snake presentation, are open to all ages. Several guided hikes are for those 10 and older, while storytime programs for tikes (those under 5) are held at Weedon Island and Brooker Creek preserves' education centers the second and fourth Thursdays of every month.

The butterfly count, held at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 27 at Weedon Island, is for those 12 and older, and you have to attend a one-hour butterfly identification seminar at the Weedon Island Preserve Cultural & Natural History Center on the Thursday night before the Saturday morning count.