Marshes and Prairies
Betsy Purdum
Pond apple provides food for many animals, including
birds, raccoons, and squirrels.
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Hundreds of small circular ponds dot the landscape of Corbett.
These basins hold water most of the year and support stands of
sawgrass, maidencane, and St. Johns wort. Woody plant species
like wax myrtle and seedling slash pines invade these wetlands
when there is overdrainage or absence of fire.
Marshes are an important source of food and cover for wetland
wildlife species. Herons, egrets, and other wading birds thrive
on the abundant supply of fish, frogs, and invertebrates. Common
yellowthroats use the thick sawgrass for escape cover and nesting.
Apple snails lay their cluster of small white eggs on vegetation
just above the waterline. When other sources of water dry up in
the spring, wildlife such as snail kites, river otters, woodstorks,
and alligators concentrate in deeper marshes.
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