Overview: Acreage Pines Natural Area in northern Palm Beach County ain't big but it plays big. It is only 124 acres of pinelands, marsh and wet prairie, but offers a large variety of birds, butterflies and wildflowers, including some quite rare.
A large portion of Acreage Pines is either seasonally wet or wet year round. These places attract egrets, herons and ibis, and are host to the carnivorous and rare horned bladderwort, pipeworts and pink sundew. In the drier places, we found loggerhead shrikes, red-bellied woodpeckers, cardinals and mockingbirds, some rare asters, passion flowers, tarflower and more. We saw phaon crescent butterflies, swallowtails, white peacocks, gulf fritillary, ruddy daggerwings and more.
History: Palm Beach County made the last major land purchase for Acreage Pines Natural Area on March 1, 2001. Palm Beach County's Department of Environmental Resources Management added trails, boardwalks, observation platforms and other amenities in 2011-12.
What You'll See: As we said above, Acreage Pines Natural Area plays much bigger than its size. So much is here, so much wildlife and wildflowers that it literally wore us out. Also as noted above, much of Acreage Pine is wet either seasonally or year-round, yet when we visited in mid summer we could move about easily while keeping our feet dry. There is a boardwalk that leads into a marsh and a trail that leads through a meadow. The north end is dry, almost scrub-like.
Acreage Pines is not listed on the Great Florida Birding Trail, but we found a wide range of our feathered friends hanging about. There was as wide a range of wildflowers in bloom as we've seen anywhere.
Amenities: There are two accessible paths and boardwalks (one very short) that provide intimate access to the wet prairies, an observation platform with seating, two natural suface trails that are reached by way of the neighboring Acreage Community Park. There is plenty of parking, toilets and an informational kiosk; full restrooms and drinking water are available in the park.
Nearby: Royal Palm Beach Pines Natural Area is about a 10-minute drive away. Both J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area and Hungryland Slough Natural Area may be reached by going north on 140th Avenue to Northlake Boulevard and head west to the roads terminus at Seminole Pratt. Turn right and follow to the road's end. Grassy Waters Preserve is east on Northlake.
Of Note: Acreage Pines Natural Area is open sunrise to sunset every day of the year. Admission is free.
Cover Photo: A yellow-crowned night heron flies over the marsh.
A large portion of Acreage Pines is either seasonally wet or wet year round. These places attract egrets, herons and ibis, and are host to the carnivorous and rare horned bladderwort, pipeworts and pink sundew. In the drier places, we found loggerhead shrikes, red-bellied woodpeckers, cardinals and mockingbirds, some rare asters, passion flowers, tarflower and more. We saw phaon crescent butterflies, swallowtails, white peacocks, gulf fritillary, ruddy daggerwings and more.
History: Palm Beach County made the last major land purchase for Acreage Pines Natural Area on March 1, 2001. Palm Beach County's Department of Environmental Resources Management added trails, boardwalks, observation platforms and other amenities in 2011-12.
What You'll See: As we said above, Acreage Pines Natural Area plays much bigger than its size. So much is here, so much wildlife and wildflowers that it literally wore us out. Also as noted above, much of Acreage Pine is wet either seasonally or year-round, yet when we visited in mid summer we could move about easily while keeping our feet dry. There is a boardwalk that leads into a marsh and a trail that leads through a meadow. The north end is dry, almost scrub-like.
Acreage Pines is not listed on the Great Florida Birding Trail, but we found a wide range of our feathered friends hanging about. There was as wide a range of wildflowers in bloom as we've seen anywhere.
Amenities: There are two accessible paths and boardwalks (one very short) that provide intimate access to the wet prairies, an observation platform with seating, two natural suface trails that are reached by way of the neighboring Acreage Community Park. There is plenty of parking, toilets and an informational kiosk; full restrooms and drinking water are available in the park.
Nearby: Royal Palm Beach Pines Natural Area is about a 10-minute drive away. Both J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area and Hungryland Slough Natural Area may be reached by going north on 140th Avenue to Northlake Boulevard and head west to the roads terminus at Seminole Pratt. Turn right and follow to the road's end. Grassy Waters Preserve is east on Northlake.
Of Note: Acreage Pines Natural Area is open sunrise to sunset every day of the year. Admission is free.
Cover Photo: A yellow-crowned night heron flies over the marsh.
.jpeg)
