Ferns in the shadows of oaks and cypress
When the boardwalk ends, the trail becomes a bark-chip path under a tall canopy of laurel oak and water oak. Sword ferns crowd together under the saw palmetto on the right. On the left, there are netted chain ferns; on the right, cinnamon ferns. Turn right and cross the bridge. The forest crowds close and dark. Cypress knees poke out of the rolling terrain that the trail now follows. The rich black soil is lush with ferns and strewn with tangled knots of roots snaking away from magnolia trees. Rays of sunlight filter through the dense canopy.
When the trail turns to gravel, you’ve walked a mile. Turn left at a sharp intersection, almost doubling back on your route, to cross a small bridge. An education center will be built near this site. More trails lead further into the fern-dense forest, including a newer boardwalk that traverses the floodplain forest to hook into the main maze of boardwalks along Lake Lotus. Explore and enjoy – there are many possible routes to take, many ferns and flowers and birds to enjoy.
Central Florida 
