What would happen if a golf course were allowed to return to the wild? That’s what the Lemon Bay Conservancy wanted to know.
In 2010, the organization purchased an 18-hole golf course (80 acres) that had been abandoned four years earlier. The course, which was owned by the Wildflower Country Club near Placida, was active from 1974 until it was abandoned in 2006.
It is known today as the Lemon Creek Wildflower Preserve.
Returning to the wild is like stepping back in time and not knowing the year you landed. In 1951, it was grazing for cattle. In the early 20th century, the site was once pine flatlands before being timbered.
By the time the Lemon Bay Conservancy took an interest in the property, it had a four-year head start in the back-to-nature process. But it turned out that returning to its au naturel state did need human help.
During those four years, invasive trees like Brazilian pepper, carrotwood, and melaleuca were taking over; they simply out-performed Florida’s native plants. Removing them was an impossible task for volunteers alone.