Lemon Bay is a long, narrow and shallow body of water covering 8,000 acres in

Charlotte County, Florida Charlotte County is a U.S. county located in southwestern Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 186,847. Its county seat is Punta Gorda. Charlotte County comprises the Punta Gorda, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is i ...

and

Sarasota County, Florida Sarasota County is a county located in Southwest Florida. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 US census, the population was 434,006. Its county seat is Sarasota, Florida, Sarasota and its largest city is North Port, Florida, North Port. Sara ...

. It is protected as the Lemon Bay Aquatic Preserve, designated in 1986. It is one of five Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves. The bay is fed by one Gulf pass, Stump Pass, and seven tributaries and includes areas of

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows mainly in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. Mangroves grow in an equatorial climate, typically along coastlines and tidal rivers. They have particular adaptations to take in extra oxygen a ...

marsh grass ''Hymenachne'', synonym ''Dallwatsonia'', is a genus of widespread wetland plants in the grass family Poaceae. They are commonly known as marsh grasses. They are distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, the Americas, and the Pacif ...

, and

seagrass Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine (ocean), marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four Family (biology), families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and ...

. It provides habitat for bird, invertebrate and fish species and offers fishing, kayaking, birding, wading and beachcombing opportunities. The Lemon Bay Park and Environmental Center is a 210-acre natural county park in

Englewood, Florida Englewood is a census-designated place (CDP) in Charlotte and Sarasota counties in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 20,800, up from 14,863 at the 2010 census. It is part of the North Port-Bradenton-Sara ...

Sarasota County Sarasota County is a county located in Southwest Florida. At the 2020 US census, the population was 434,006. Its county seat is Sarasota and its largest city is North Port. Sarasota County is part of the North Port–Bradenton–Sarasota, F ...

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. It includes black mangrove forest, mangrove fringe along the shoreline, and pine and scrubby flatwoods. Educational classes, guided nature and bird walks are offered at the site. The park has 1.7 miles of shoreline on the Lemon Bay Aquatic Preserve. The park includes a butterfly garden, canoe/ kayak launch, and interpretive nature trail.Lemon Bay
Sarasota County The park is located at 570 Bay Park Boulevard.

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