401 S. Powerline Road
Deerfield Beach

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A few things might come to mind with Quiet Waters Park. The splash park for one. The annual Renaissance Festival is another. But tucked away in a corner of the park, however, is a nature trail that winds its way through meadows and hammocks and even touches on some wetlands. The park itself is a bird and butterfly sanctuary.

The trail itself is only a few years old and extends for about 3,500 feet. It's an easy walk, wide, closely mowed and trimmed. It is well marked with interpretive signs; the one thing it lacks is a map, which park managers promise is coming soon. On the other hand, the terrain is mostly wide open, so it's not difficult to find your bearings.

We spotted a fair number of butterfly species, during our visit, various sulphurs, whites, tropical checkereds, zebra longwings, skippers, gulf fritillary and monarchs. Birds not so much. We saw numerous northern mockingbirds, heard some warblers in the hammocks but few others. On a different day, different results. Quiet Waters is part of Broward County parks, and admission is free on weekdays, but there is a charge on weekends and holidays.