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The Gumbo Limbo Trail |
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The Gumbo Limbo Trail The Gumbo Limbo Trail is located to the right of the Royal Palm visitor center. Be aware of the vehicle damage vultures cause here. A short, 1/3-mile walk, the dirt path winds through a hardwood hammock that is truly jungle-like. The trail wanders among ferns, orchids, air plants, and long trailing woody vines (you can’t help but look for Tarzan), all the classic characteristics of a lush Caribbean forest. The dense foliage of the Gumbo Limbo Trail is a reliable place to locate the Liguus tree snails that graze on the algae, fungi and lichen growing on tree bark. For photos, if possible use a detached flash to capture true shell color and detail; pop-up flashes may create a hot spot on the snail shell, most often predominantly white. . The effects of past storms on some of the gumbo limbo trees will be demonstrated here for years to come. The winds toppled a number of the trees but did not destroy them. Native to a part of the world where hurricanes frequently occur, gumbo limbo trees survive—even if toppled sideways—by sending out a new root system. The gumbo limbo is a true survivor, and the hurricane’s destructive effects graphically demonstrate this.
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