Happy Trails Wonders Galore: The view from the South Lido Park shore (left). The splendor of morning glories, a red-bellied woodpecker, a tricolored heron, and a gulf fritillary butterfly (right). ( St. Armands Magazine, pages 54 - 55 ) ONLY A FEW BLOCKS AWAY FROM the busy shops of St. Armands, South Lido Park offers a world of nature with meandering trails surrounded by towering pines. Known locally as a place for family picnics, fishing and sunbathing, South Lido Park can also be a place of quiet reflection and retreat, and a convenient opportunity to experience nature in Florida. The park is physically divided into two sections. The southern section includes a delightful nature loop that wanders through sheltered groves of Australian pines, grassy lowlands and along the beach. The trail begins among the tall pines, providing an almost mystical atmosphere. The wind through the trees drowns out all audible evidence of the hustle and bustle of close by contemporary society, and footsteps are muffled by the layers of pine needles covering the ground. It's as though you've walked through an invisible curtain and back to a quieter time. This quiet, however, might be punctured by the shrill cry of an osprey as it sits in a dead tree with its fish dinner clutched firmly in its talons, or the staccato calls of woodpeckers as they fly from tree to tree. Butterflies are abundant in the grassy lowlands. Monarchs spiral aloft in groups of three or more before settling onto blooming shrubs. You're likely to see Florida buckeye butterflies hiding in the tall grass along the path or a solitary Gulf fritillary basking in the sun. At the end of the outward half of the southern nature loop, you can retrace your steps or take a short path through a curtain of sea oats emerging onto the shoreline. Here, herons, egrets and other wading birds are regulars as they fish in the shallow waters. The shoreline of Big Pass, artistically chiseled by the receding tides, is often adorned by the pink and purple flowers of railroad vine and wild morning glories and always, soft breezes caress your face. — |