1751 West Camino Real
Boca Raton

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Blazing Star Nature Preserve is named after the rare blazing star wildflower, said to exist on the property. After a number of visits, we've yet to spot it. We're not giving up yet. And even if we don't find it, there are other things here that catch our attention, something different every time.

The preserve is 26 acres of pine woodlands, scrub and wetland tucked in between I-95 and the Amtrak/Tri-Rail railroad tracks in the south end of Boca Raton. It is one of three undeveloped tracts of land in the vicinity of Camino Real and Palmetto Park Road owned by Boca Raton. The others are Sugar Sand Park across the railroad tracks, and Cypress Knee Slough, an undeveloped 29-acre preserve north of Palmetto Park.

Blazing Star has a parking lot, kiosk, bike rack and unimproved hiking trails that loop through the property. The proximity of I-95 makes Blazing Star noisy at times but paths are wide and the hiking easy. Saw palmetto, scrub oaks, sand and slash pines are among the dominant species on the site, but we've also spotted, greenbriar, staggerbush, large-flowered rosemary, Florida rosemary, east coast dune sunflower, love vine, pricklypear, blue mist, tar flower, Feay's palafox and hog plum. We've seen butterflies and birds, even a gopher tortoise within the preserve.

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