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A Trail Trek through Boyd Hill Nature Preserve

Today, I’m going on an adventure. Hmm. Is it still an adventure when you have already ventured there? Nature, I think, has a cool advantage where nothing truly stays exactly the same through the passage of time. A barren field one season can be full of wildflowers. The next season, that same field, might have what was once a seedling tower above you. Oh right, adventure. So, where am I trekking today? Boyd Hill Nature Preserve, located in the heart of Saint Petersburg, Florida. The preserve encompasses 245 acres of land that includes multiple habitats and landscapes native to Florida including pine flatlands, sand pine scrub, and hardwood hammocks. This protected land was once called Lake Maggiore Park, but it was renamed after the park’s superintendent Boyd Hill. Before it was deemed protected, the park was a zoo in the 1960s overrun with animals in spaces that were not sustainable for their number. Boyd Hill, as we know it, was re-opened to be a nature center in the 1980s to represent natural Florida. After its revival, the mission has been to restore Boyd Hill to its natural beauty. Staff at the center routinely manage the population of invasive species on the property in pursuit of their goal. Boyd Hill is a protected area, so the shared goal is to keep the preserve beautiful for ages to come.

View of the Boyd Hill Welcome Center -Photo by Moriah W.

I approached the welcome center of Boyd hill the same way I had the tens of times I previously visited. After a short pause, I continued inside. Immediately, my senses were flooded. A welcome desk fills the middle of the room. However, the large reception desk is not what draws the eye. Beyond the desk, I see life-sized models of various animal habitats. Birds, seemingly in flight, soar above, and large fish and a gator stay frozen in a model lake habitat nearby. Further back, another realistic display highlights upland animals with the main focal point being a snake emerging from the grass.

A variety of hand-painted birds perched on the wall of the welcome center

Bark and bare branches line the wall to the right near the entry-point of the preserve trail. Twenty-five birds models are displayed to represent the species that can be spotted in the preserve at various points in the year. A woodpecker is posed to drive a hole into a tree trunk. Two perched yellow finches appear to be chattering away to each other on their branch. I marveled at the many birds and their realism. As I stood closer, I could clearly see the birds were hand-painted onto carved wood. The welcome center is an important space for explorers of Boyd Hill, young and old, to learn about the preserve’s rich history. I have lived down the street from Boyd Hill for more than twenty years but reading each sign in the center surprised me with new information. There are a number of animals that routinely make their appearance in the park, including alligators and otters. I have seen alligators with my own eyes, but I never knew otters regularly appeared in the area. The welcome center replicas are a way for visitors to see animals closer than what is possible along the trail.

From the welcome center, I turn and head toward the trail. Once I opened the door to the outside, I was grateful for the jacket I borrowed. I was chilled to the bone, which I always take offense to as a native Floridian. The day was still, for the most part, and the only activity I could hear was children playing on the playground to my far right. I walked forward onto the plank bridge that passed over a calm stream of water as it made its way through the brush. On the same boardwalk, to my left, was the oak-pine hammock trail. I followed it and saw thick lines of trees hanging over the boardwalk, while the stream continued to flow quietly below me. Mixed in the branching oak trees, stood cabbage palm trees whose fronds contrasted with the leaves of hardwood trees and below them, grew bunches and bunches of saw palmetto which seemed to be sprinkled here and there, not fully filling in the ground, perhaps due to competition for light. If I walked in that direction, I knew just past the outdoor classroom, I would be met with a giant sculpture of a lizard-like animal made from recycled materials perched on a tree.

Sculptures made by the late Paul Eppling can be found throughout the preserve.

Once I completed the loop, I ran into a fork in the road almost immediately and had to decide if I wished to go straight or to the right, the forward path is attached to the main trail where I am most likely to see pine flatlands but for old-time-sake, I choose the right path. As I turn to the right, I remember the trips I made to the park when I was a child and when I volunteered at the park as a teenager. Whenever my siblings and I would visit the park, we would venture a little further than the playground to what seemed like a hidden stage no one else ever visited. All sides were blocked in by woody trees, and the stage itself was built out of wood, but it was framed along its back by a round stone “bridge” that we never missed the opportunity to climb. The sound of children playing pulled me out of my memories, and I couldn’t help but be surprised as I looked up. The stone bridge had crumbled in certain places and collapsed under the weight of time. The thick brush of trees that hid this location from most visitors was cleared away and new seats were lined up in the grass leading me to wonder what additional plans the preserve has for the hidden space of my childhood. I turn around and continued my trek through to the willow marsh trail. The trail I followed was made by clearing the brush and laying down sand and seashells.

This group of pictures show some visual changes that the park has undergone through the years. Thus the first picture is older and is not as clear.

As I drew closer to the marsh, I was able to observe the change in the ground the longer I walked on. Instead of the sandy trail I noticed before, the ground seemed to hold more water and its dark color indicated the rich organic matter it contained. I was sure, after my observation, that during summer months the area would be full of water, and as a consequence, the sandy trail transitioned into a wooden boardwalk that looped around the marsh. As if to prove my point, below the boardwalk, sat a large pool of water which shaped the habitat around it. I came to a stop to observe a felled tree lying in the marsh. Iits exposed roots were covered in the dark mucky soil. I imagined an animal using the downed tree for shelter. I passed by another tree that still stood, but one side of its roots roamed above the soil in a twisting fashion perhaps exposed due to erosion. On those roots were dense patches of pillow moss that I am sure enjoyed in the moist and humid environment. I circled around the loop and could easily identify the dominant species to be arrowhead plants as they created a dense carpet on the ground. If I hadn’t known any better, I would have called the sight, a sea of arrowheads.

Due to high water the roots of this oak are exposed.

After I walked completely around the loop, I had to backtrack through the same path to continue onto the main trail. There was a stark shift between the dense canopy seen leading up to the willow marsh trail and the main trail that I now followed. Much more of the environment could be seen in just a glance and even the composition of the plants changed noticeably. Before a dense oak canopy dominated the landscape, but now, more of the sky above was visible. Oaks still stood but were growing farther apart. Instead, a looser canopy was composed mostly of cabbage palm and tall pine trees that dropped their brown needles on the trail and instead of thick bush the midstory was made up of saw palmetto that popped up every once in a while, and tall grass. Pine Flatwoods burn in cycles of three to seven years which greatly shapes the vegetation to allow grasses and smaller plants a chance to reach light versus trees closing the canopy. As I walked, I could see signs of prescribed burns on different trees that the park implements.

Duckweed, water lettuce, and water hyacinth cover the lakes surface.

I could see the lake maggiore peeking through the trees to the right and turned to look closer. As I approached the water the fauna changed once more. The closer I ventured towards the water the more plants I found that were adapted to flooding. Some trees leaned over the embankment providing a perching spot for double-crested cormorants’ scouting for fish. Other trees sent roots to form knobs above the soil to draw oxygen into the plant in case the soil becomes water-logged. There is another boardwalk that loops around some dense vegetation in a portion of the lake, but to my surprise, I noticed it was closed off for repair. Instead of walking around, I stood on the bridge looking down at the lake. The water was a sight in and of itself. For quite a distance the water was shrouded by green vegetation to the point that I was sure some might mistake it for a field and attempt a trek. I looked out farther and could see the vegetation becomes sparser, and the water peeks out. Occasionally the sound of Florida Gallinule could be heard as they dive below vegetation scouting for food. I couldn’t help but wonder if an alligator was swimming below out of sight.

Two different aquatic plants are responsible for this impenetrable shroud, duckweed, and water hyacinth. Giant Duckweed is native to Florida and floats on the surface of the water in rivers, lakes, and ponds acting as a food source for fish and birds.

Water Hyacinth however is not such a welcome sight in Boyd Hill because it is an invasive species. Invasive species move in very sneaky ways, often hiding just out of view until it is too late. Water Hyacinth is one such sneaky plant that's only goal in Lake Maggiore is to gain territory. It conducts its conquest in two ways. Quietly and innocently, it floats on the surface of the water trying to assure its harmlessness. Small flowers nestled between its leaves attract pollinators tricked into fertilizing it. Once the flowers drop below the water, the seeds grow into new invaders. A secondary force is formed below the surface of the water, stretching out from its stems a new plant that shares the same desire of conquest. In a mere two weeks, the Water Hyacinth has doubled its forces due to its aggressive growth.

Water Hyacinth invaders cast shadows on the lake below, forcing the vegetation underneath to live in darkness. Sometimes, they go as far as pulling their competitors from the soil. As the invasive pushes further into the lake, its dense population blocks waterways, and as parts of the vegetation dies, it becomes poison for nearby wildlife. I thought about other invasive species as continued in the direction of the island. Unfortunately, Water Hyacinth is not the only exotic and invasive in the park, I also took part during my volunteering days collecting air potato. Air potato is a heart-shaped vine with potato-shaped fruit that can produce thousands of seeds in each fruit that is dropped.

I reached Lake Maggiore Island, and I immediately noticed a crane perched on a tree near the lake's edge. Carefully, I approached it scanning the path in front of me and the water to my side, cautious of one particular species of reptile that could be lurking below the Duckweed. I reassured myself with the thought that cold weather would likely mean no alligator would be willing to venture out today. I stepped forward once again, checking my surroundings and before I took my fifth step, I heard a loud sound from the direction of the water. I couldn’t identify the sound. Was it a bird’s call, a woodland creature, or a warning hiss from an alligator? After exiting the brush as I saw a bench where I could dangle my feet over the lake. I thought better of sitting there, especially when I remembered the picture, I took of alligators in the very same location a few years earlier.

My visit to Boyd Hill Nature Preserve was a trek down Memory Lane. I reminisced about the past as I walked through the trail. I was equally thrilled to see evidence of present-day efforts to restore portions of the park. Some of the paths and shorelines were closed for improvements as both volunteers and city employees pursue the goal of reverting Boyd Hill back to its natural state. These efforts will ensure the preserve can be enjoyed for generations to come. Personally, I look forward to the restoration efforts because Boyd hill is a beautiful place to absorb beautiful nature and knowledge. I encourage you to visit Boyd Hill, a preserve in the heart of Saint Petersburg.

Armadillo sculpture by Paul Eppling

Replica showing the burrow of a gopher tortoise that could be seen in the park.

Author Bio

Hello, I’m Moriah Williams, a master’s student studying organic and sustainable crop production at the Gulf-Coast Research and Education Center. I chose to write my Nature Narrative about a place that is close to me literally and figuratively. Boyd Hill is located a short distance from the family home where I grew up, and I visited the preserve frequently. Though it had been some time since I had been able to visit, many childhood memories from my Boyd Hill visits remain vivid in my mind.