Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens

Similar to Tree Hill Nature Center in Jacksonville, Florida area, the Jacksonville Arboretum & Botanical Gardens (or JABG) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation with the goal of creating a one-of-a-kind natural attraction on a city-owned 126.8-acre site. As of that November 2008 date, the arboretum was available to the public.

Zircon and other minerals used in titanium manufacture were mined by the Humphries Gold Mining Company between 1941 and 1961. The vegetationless, white sand that was left after strip mining operations had been carried out was a result of the removal of the soil’s organic matter and nutrients. After mining operations ceased, the area devolved into an unregulated dumping ground for household goods, automobiles, and tires.

City of Jacksonville bought the area in the 1970s to use as a buffer from a wastewater treatment plant; after being left alone for 30 years, 13 distinct ecosystems emerged, including an oak hammock, fresh water ravine, upland sand hill, and salt marsh.

The Jacksonville Arboretum & Gardens was established in March of 2004 as a non-profit organization by a group of conservation-minded nature lovers who saw the potential of the location. The board of directors was staffed with experts in fields such as science, ecology, and industrial design.

In contrast to the generally flat landscape of Jacksonville, this area features rolling hills and a ravine 800 feet in length. At JAG, you can see alligators, snakes, lizards, foxes, squirrels, turtles, armadillos, and a variety of other reptiles and amphibians, as well as hawks, osprey, owls, and a wide variety of other bird species.

An artificial lake covering two acres was created in the 1970s by digging a borrow pit, which is now encircled by the Lake Loop. The incline of the Lake Loop is now a manageable 5%. Areas around the lake have been planted with numerous plants of ethnobotanical importance. The canopy still consists of native trees such pignut hickory, tulip poplar, loblolly pine, longleaf pine, southern magnolia, black cherry, laurel oak, and live oak.

In its meandering path along and across Jones Creek, a tributary of the St. Johns River, the Jones Creek Trail passes through swamp bay, tupelo, swamp dogwood, American hornbeam, and bald cypress. Numerous species of Osmunda, including Osmunda regalis, Osmunda cinnamomea, and Woodwardia aereolata, can also be found there.

Signs throughout the arboretum explain the many types of habitats and list the tree species that can be found there. Codes for points of interest are also shown for anyone with smartphones to scan. One of the best parks in the Jacksonville region, for sure. At Mayor John Peyton’s Environmental Luncheon in April 2009, Greenscape of Jacksonville presented the Jacksonville Arboretum and Botanical Gardens with the Civic Horticultural Leadership Award.

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