Overview: The Leon M. Weekes Environmental Preserve is 14 acres of tough, tough land. It is a remnant of coastal scrub once common in South Florida now largely gone except for a few scattered tracts that somehow avoided the bulldozer. It's tucked away between a residential neighborhood, busy Dixie Highway and the FEC Railroad. It's a spot unlikely to be found unless you know it's there.
Saw palmetto, staggerbush and various scrub oaks present are the telltale signs of an ancient beach dune. Thick tangles of muscadine grape vines, love vine, virginia creeper and greenbrier overgrow everything, and give the impression of a place impenetrable. Perhaps too impenetrable for its own good and the good of things that call this place home. A few gumbo limbo, scheflera, carrotwood and other trees break up an otherwise flat landscape. Other plants spotted include natives painted leaf, hog plum, gopher apple, prickly pear, partridge pea, silk grass and milk pea.
History: The name honors the late Delray Beach mayor and civic leader Leon M. Weekes. Delray Beach, with the assistance of Palm Beach County, bought the land in 1988; the Leon M. Weekes Environmental Preserve opened in 1999.
What You'll See: As you might expect given its size, Leon M. Weekes is a place of small things. Butterflies, dragonflies and spiders abound. There are birds here and spotting a snake or two is far from out of the question, though we've seen none in our visits. Scrub oaks dominate; love vine blankets the preserve. Gopher apple and red bay are found here. There are also invasives: carrotwood is all too common as is schflera. Trails are well kept and easy to negotiate, a mix of hard and natural surface. It's the kind of place where people from the neighborhood go for a pleasant evening walk.
Amenities: There is a parking lot with ample space for the traffic Weekes receives, natural surface trails that loop through the property. There are interpretive signs, a small playground with a gazebo, a butterfly garden but no restrooms or drinking water.
Nearby: Atlantic Dunes Park is to the northeast, perhaps a five-minute drive away on A1A. Both Spanish River Park and Gumbo Limbo Nature Center are 15 minutes away on A1A in Boca Raton. Delray's Municipal Beach is farther north. Delray Oaks Natural Area is to the west on Congress Avenue.
Of Note: the hours are 8 a.m. to sunset every day of the year. Admission is free.
Cover Photo: A gulf fritillary butterfly showing off his (or her) underside versus the more commonly seen topside. Second photo: a halloween pennant dragonfly. As we said, Leon M. Weeke Environmental Preserve is a place of small things
Saw palmetto, staggerbush and various scrub oaks present are the telltale signs of an ancient beach dune. Thick tangles of muscadine grape vines, love vine, virginia creeper and greenbrier overgrow everything, and give the impression of a place impenetrable. Perhaps too impenetrable for its own good and the good of things that call this place home. A few gumbo limbo, scheflera, carrotwood and other trees break up an otherwise flat landscape. Other plants spotted include natives painted leaf, hog plum, gopher apple, prickly pear, partridge pea, silk grass and milk pea.
History: The name honors the late Delray Beach mayor and civic leader Leon M. Weekes. Delray Beach, with the assistance of Palm Beach County, bought the land in 1988; the Leon M. Weekes Environmental Preserve opened in 1999.
What You'll See: As you might expect given its size, Leon M. Weekes is a place of small things. Butterflies, dragonflies and spiders abound. There are birds here and spotting a snake or two is far from out of the question, though we've seen none in our visits. Scrub oaks dominate; love vine blankets the preserve. Gopher apple and red bay are found here. There are also invasives: carrotwood is all too common as is schflera. Trails are well kept and easy to negotiate, a mix of hard and natural surface. It's the kind of place where people from the neighborhood go for a pleasant evening walk.
Amenities: There is a parking lot with ample space for the traffic Weekes receives, natural surface trails that loop through the property. There are interpretive signs, a small playground with a gazebo, a butterfly garden but no restrooms or drinking water.
Nearby: Atlantic Dunes Park is to the northeast, perhaps a five-minute drive away on A1A. Both Spanish River Park and Gumbo Limbo Nature Center are 15 minutes away on A1A in Boca Raton. Delray's Municipal Beach is farther north. Delray Oaks Natural Area is to the west on Congress Avenue.
Of Note: the hours are 8 a.m. to sunset every day of the year. Admission is free.
Cover Photo: A gulf fritillary butterfly showing off his (or her) underside versus the more commonly seen topside. Second photo: a halloween pennant dragonfly. As we said, Leon M. Weeke Environmental Preserve is a place of small things
