Resurrection fern growing on an oak tree thrives in the humid air.
A family enjoys a walk on one of the trails.
INSET BELOW: Beauty berry lives up to its name.
Photos by Jerry Lower/The Coastal Star
By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley
Deerfield Island Park has much to teach us about what happens when man intrudes on nature. Keep that in mind as you travel the half-mile Coquina Trail that explores the eastern side of this 53.3-acre piece of land.
“This park is a hidden gem in the middle of the urban wilderness,” says naturalist Katharine Hendrickson, who works for the Broward County Parks and Recreation Division.
But to discover the island, you’ll need a boat. Free dockage for moderate and deep-water boats means you can bring your own or you can hop aboard the weekend pontoon shuttle that leaves Sullivan Park on the mainland.
Once on the island, find a picnic spot or take the opportunity to learn more about the ecology of this natural jewel.
“We are working to make this park less passive and more of an educational experience,” says Hendrickson — mentioning guided bird walks, kayak tours and more.
While walking on the boardwalk and sandy paths, you’ll see many plants and animals up close and personal.
On our visit, we were greeted by raccoons (there are three troops on the island), an orb weaver spinning an intricate web that she will destroy at the end of the day, a cardinal couple, an iguana that probably swam over to look for lunch and a gopher tortoise.
Hendrickson tells us there are about 50 burrows the tortoises have built on the island, of which 30 are actively populated.
Because the tortoises are a protected species, the island is closely monitored to be sure there are plenty of safe areas for them to find sandy land in which to burrow and plenty of vegetation for them to eat.
To understand the plants you will see along the way, you need to jump back in time to when Deerfield Island was still a peninsula surrounded by fresh water. In fact you’ll still find pond apples growing on the island that probably took root when the western part of the peninsula was a fresh water marsh; the eastern side was covered with slash pines.
Beginning in 1895, the lazy river to the east of the peninsula was widened and deepened to become the Florida East Coast Canal and later the Intracoastal Waterway.
What sand and sludge was removed to deepen and widen these waterways was dumped on the peninsula, raising its elevation, destroying the native vegetation and creating an open expanse of sand.
In 1904, the river on the south side of the peninsula was “improved” to help drain the Everglades. And in 1961, a waterway was built to connect this canal with the Intracoastal Waterway — turning the peninsula into an island.
With its habitat cut off from the mainland and little else growing, it was ripe to be invaded by Australian pines, Brazilian peppers, morning glory vines, wandering sailor and schefflera.
You’ll still find these on the island today, but Hendrickson and her small crew are slowly removing them.
“As we remove the invasives, we see natives starting to flourish. They are just waiting for their time to shine. It’s fantastic to see them rising up out of the sand,” she says.
Some of the natives such as wild coffee, mangrove trees, gumbo limbos, sea grapes, saw palmettos, coconut palms, ferns and oaks have arrived naturally. But others such as the stoppers and slash pines were planted.
A butterfly garden also was recently created, which was a big undertaking. Almost 30 volunteers, the plants and 27 bags of soil had to be transported to the island by boat and moved to the site on ATVs.
“It was a major logistical effort,” says Hendrickson. But like everything else in this island park, it is much appreciated.
“I’ve never met anyone who has come here and not felt a connection to this island. It’s a very special place,” says Hendrickson.
Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley is a certified master gardener who can be reached at debhartz@att.net.
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