Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

From every angle, a new view

By THERESA BLACKWELL
Published April 29, 2007

Guide to the Natural Communities of Florida lists 81 diverse habitats in the state. You can find 14 of them at Wall Springs Park in Palm Harbor, including Sandhill, Aquatic Cave, Coastal grassland, Marine consolidated substrate, Marine grass bed, Marine mollusk reef, Marine unconsolidated substrate, Maritime Hammock and Scrubby flatwoods. Here's a closer look at the remaining five habitats.

XERIC HAMMOCK: Deep land upland with live oaks, sand live oaks, laurel oaks, sparkleberry, saw palmetto; rare or no fire. Habitat for treefrogs, spadefoot toad, gopher tortoise, black racer, red rat snake, hognose snake, crowned snake, screech-owl, turkey, blue jay, eastern mole, gray squirrel and eastern flying squirrel.

DEPRESSION MARSH: Rounded depression that fills with water seasonally, and plays host to maidencane, fire flag, pickerelweed and other plants in concentric circles; frequent or occasional fire. Habitat for salamanders, striped newt, frogs, toads, white ibis, wood stork and sandhill crane.

MARINE TIDAL MARSH: Tidal area with expanses of grasses, rushes and sedges such as cord grass, needle rush, saw grass, saltwort and saltgrass. Habitat for snails, spiders, fiddler crabs, marsh crab, green crab, diamondback terrapin, wading birds, waterfowl, osprey, rails, marsh wrens, seaside sparrows, muskrat, raccoons and fish.

MARINE TIDAL SWAMP: Gently lapping shorelines with low forests of buttonwood and red, black and white mangroves; salt grass, glasswort, sea purslane. Habitat for mangrove water snake, brown pelican, white ibis, osprey, bald eagle, shorebirds, herons, egrets, raccoons, fiddler crabs, fish, oysters and mosquitoes.

MESIC FLATWOODS: Sand flatland with slash or longleaf pine, saw palmetto, gallberry, wiregrass or cutthroat grass understory; frequent fire. Habitat for oak toad, little grass frog, narrowmouth toad, black racer, red rat snake, pine warbler, sparrows, cotton rat, cotton mouse, black bear, raccoon, gray fox, bobcat and white-tailed deer.

Source: Guide to the Natural Communities of Florida by the Florida Natural Areas Inventory and Florida Department of Natural Resources

[Last modified April 28, 2007, 20:19:03]