Volunteer Phil Dakin walked along the trails pointing out different flora and fauna on the last nature tour.

BY LIZA STROUT - The 80-acre Wildflower Preserve used to be a golf course, but you would never know it without someone to point out the former fairways and greens. Years of growth have begun to reclaim the land, and the Lemon Bay Conservancy is there to lend a hand.

At a recent open house, volunteeer Phil Dakin escorted a group of interested visitors through the park. Thouroughbred Golf Carts provided a golf cart so that everyone could travel along the trails. The group saw butterflies, native plants, an area that has been planted specifically to attract the endangered gopher tortoise and one of the two orchid trees that grow inside the preserve.

Volunteers have blazed trails throughout the property, and marked three different paths with markers. Boy Scouts earning their Eagle badges have built a kiosk and a bird-viewing area. Knowledgeable volunteer guides can tell you about the plants and animals that live in the preserve, from the different native and introduced plants that grow there to the birds and alligators that frequent the former water hazards.

Wildflower Preserve is usually only open to the members of the Conservancy, but there are tours that the public is encouraged to attend. To find out when the next tour is scheduled, or to get information about the Conservancy, email  info@lemonbayconservancy.org or call (941) 830-8922.View More images >>

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