May 28: Urban Nature

Those two words don't seem to go together, do they? Urban. And nature. But of course they do. Trees, rocks, lakes, wild animals are part of any great urban environment, whether Central Park in New York or the Tuillerie Gardens in Paris. Cities and suburbs alike also must offer small, intimate parks of various kinds in addition to their sprawling green spaces. In Greater Fort Lauderdale we're lucky because we've got lots of options, many places where our urban lifestyle connects with natural sights and sounds and smells. The Everglades is a unique environment on the planet, nothing else like it anywhere - and we have the opportunity to enjoy its beauty just a half hour from downtown Fort Lauderdale. There are state parks and city parks spread all through Broward County as well, offering everything from tranquil seashores to lakeside picnic tables.

But sometimes small gems get overlooked, partly because we do have so many natural areas around here. Last weekend, I rediscovered one of them. In north Broward, there's an arboretum sitting smack beside busy Hillsboro Boulevard. If you're in the vicinity and looking for a breath of nature, it's worth a stop.

The Deerfield Beach Arboretum has some 325 species of palm trees, bamboo, exotic flowering and canopy trees, tropical fruit trees and more. The place is even nicknamed, "the Tree Zoo." Sitting on about nine acres, this "zoo" for plants is free and a pleasant spot to hang out for a while when you're passing by. On Memorial Day, I popped into the Tree Zoo with Gwendolyn for a quiet stroll, looking at trees from five continents including the lovely African Tulip Tree. The park has the feel of a place that's underused, quite honestly. I've been there just twice and found it nearly empty, even on the recent holiday. Some of the helpful signs identifying species are fairly worn and some of the grounds could use a bit of sprucing too. But despite these small niggles, I've really enjoyed myself both times I dropped in. There's a curving sidewalk that winds through this park, with benches and small gazebos for sitting and contemplating. The whole atmosphere is relaxed, an escape from the traffic and noise that's just beyond the dense barrier of foliage. I'm not aware of anything in South Florida exactly like it. For more info, check out http://www.treezoo.com/. Next time I'm in that part of town and need to exchange all this urban for a little bit of nature, I'll be back.