Celebrate National Great Outdoors Month

June is National Great Outdoors Month. Orange County is fortunate to have a remarkable location to enjoy the great outdoors. 

Oakland Nature Preserve is a place to explore the natural wonders of Florida’s diverse wildlife community. Watch from the end of the boardwalk as an osprey plucks a wriggling fish from the waters of Lake Apopka. Witness ant lions capturing ants in their ingeniously designed pit traps on the sandy upland Orange Trail. Go at dusk and catch a glimpse of the elusive red fox in the hammock along the Green Trail. Observe a gopher tortoise right outside the education center chowing down on Prickly Pear cactus pads – thorns and all. 

Expand your great outdoor experience at ONP by breathing in the lemony fragrance of the lavender flowers on the Passion Vine or crush the leaf of a Hercules Club and smell the strong analgesic that pioneers used to treat toothaches, earning it the name “toothache tree.” Get familiar with a Southern Magnolia by touching the smooth, waxy surface of the large green leaves and then the contrasting fuzzy underside. 

ONP’s trails are great not only for a leisurely stroll, but also for joggers and serious runners who want to get fit without the drawbacks of automobile fumes. For the more artistic outdoor enthusiast, take a sketch pad or camera to capture images. Or bring a book and read while rocking in one of the chairs on ONP’s Serenity Porch.

For more information on outdoor activities at the nature preserve, call 407-905-0054 or e-mail [email protected].