Walks through the newly acquired preserve are helping us discover
many important native wildlife and
plant species. To see a photo gallery
of what we have discovered so far
click here.
A SLIDESHOW BY EVA FURNER
(click here)
A SLIDESHOW BY EVA FURNER
(click here)
On land-use maps, the 80-acre Wildflower Golf Club in Cape Haze was always called a park.The Lemon Bay Conservancy was happy to announce in September of this year its purchase of the defunct 80-acre Wildflower Golf Course. The Conservancy has set aside $50,000 to build trails, remove exotics, plant native species and pay for other improvements.
Groups such as the Audubon Society and the Native Plant Society will lend their expertise. The neighbors have said they will help maintain the park and keep an eye on it. Nature has already obscured the former golf course, enabling the park to live up to its name. Native plant enthusiasts Al Squires and Denny Girard took an inventory of wildflowers in the spring. They came up with five pages of species.
In 2007, the Charlotte County Board of Commissioners was approached by a Miami developer requesting a change in the Comprehensive Plan to facilitate development of over 400 units as condominiums on the defunct Wildflower Golf Course. The project went to the County Board three times, the last time with a “developers agreement” presented without notice, which gave the project the density units.
Local citizens, members of the Wildflower neighborhood, environmental groups, and homeowners associations fought the approvals. Eventually, with the help of the Department of Community Affairs and the Southwest Regional Planning Council, were able to show when originally developed Wildflower’s density had been essentially used by the surrounding condos. (Some 40 density units are under dispute as possibly remaining available to the owner). The County Board, in the face of wide community opposition, overturned its approval.The property stands vacant with native and exotic vegetation and re-colonized by wildlife.
Lemon Creek flows through this property from Lemon Lake, under Placida Road (CR775) through Lemon Bay Golf Course and eventually feeds into Lemon Bay.
Besides the preservation of conservation land, residents of the Cape Haze Peninsula will benefit from the removal of the threat of additional traffic along Placida Road, a coastal high hazard area and hurricane evacuation route, as well as further pressure on our already scare water supply.
The property will be managed as an extension of county-owned Amberjack Park. Funding to rehabilitate the wetlands may be available from the Southwest Water Management District. The U. S. Forest Service has already committed to maintaining the edges of the property and to do a limited burn this summer for fire control. Our long-term goal is to convey the property to a park system—either county or state.
Without the unifying intervention of Lemon Bay Conservancy, the Wildflower community would be unable to preserve this land for conservation —conservation that will further defend our quality of life in the environs of Lemon Bay and Gasparilla Sound.
CLICK ON MAP FOR LARGER VERSION
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WILDFLOWER PRESERVE
TOUR AND EVENT SCHEDULE
Second Year Eagle
Third Year Eagle
click either to enlarge
Where Eagles Soar
An immature bald eagle quickly soared by at Wildflower Preserve in Charlotte County, FL, yesterday. It is obviously one of the two "white-bellied" plumage stages, and based on the relatively smooth trailing edge of the wing I am guessing a Basic 3 (in third year). But retention of a distinct diagonal white underwing band is interesting.
Compare this with a definite stage basic 2 eagle (in second year) which was seen Dec. 27. Note the uneven trailing edge feathers. The diagonal white underwing band is indistinct in comparison.
click here to see them at work
as featured in local magazine
and newpapers, simply select a
link below.
CLICK HERE TO THE WILDFLOWER PRESERVE BROCHURE
CLICK HERE FOR WILDFLOWER USER RULES
THE ENGLEWOOD SUN ARTICLE
Conservancy Buys Wildflower
THE SARASOTA HERALD TRIBUNE
Wildflower battle royal has a happy ending
WILDFLOWER VIDEOS
Wildflower Preserve volunteers have developed a series of short videos describing topics of interest around the preserve.
(CLICK HERE TO VIEW THEM)
A perfect marriage of form and function- the outside view of the wings of a Gulf fritillary butterfly as it sips nectar from the flower head of Spanish needles at Wildflower Preserve. The bright outer colors and pattern are likely disruptive and serve as camouflage.
The caterpillar of this species eats passionvine and is thus toxic to predators- the inside reddish orange color of the wings advertises this fact to birds and is a form of mimicry with the monarch.
Spanish needles is a "weed" in southern Florida but is extremely attractive to butterflies, even more so than anything that one might plant. For this reason it is being encouraged to flourish naturally at Wildflower Preserve by minimizing mowing in open areas, except on the immediate areas needed for trails.
Bill Dunson
2980 PLACIDA ROAD
SUITE 201
ENGLEWOOD, FLORIDA 34224
info@lemonbayconservancy.org
941.830.8922