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Imagine,
if you will, a series of small, isolated islands of long ago. Born of eroded mountain
sediments that were transported by ancient ocean currents, these islands emerged from
receding seas. The seemingly sterile sands became home to colonizing plants and animals,
afforded access by yet lower seas. But these infant habitats were fated to become islands
again. As sea level rose once more, the plants and animals were cut off from mainland
populations and developed unique traits, even new species. With time, these sandy islands
became scrubby, desert-like hilltops on a narrow peninsula of land, destined to be known
as the "Land of Flowers"... Florida! Thus is thought to be the origin of
Florida's scrub community. It has earned the resectable position as an elder among other
Florida plant communities. It is a veritable treasure trove of unique and ancient life
forms that have quietly watched the millennia pass. Scrub even looks as if it possess the
wisdom of the ages. Lichens cover ground and trees like graying beards. Large patches of
frosty, white sand sit amid the greenery. Leaves on some scrub plants have a soft,
hair-like stubble and many trees look gnarled, bent and stunted, exhibiting the burden of
time in a harsh environment.
Historically, coastal scrub was present, in a patchy fashion, just inland of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Interior scrubs extended down Florida's central ridge, from the vast sand pine forests of the Ocala National Forest to southern Highlands County. Over two-thirds of Florida's historical scrub has been destroyed leaving disconnected islands of unique plants and animals.
In scrub-as in all natural communities-land, plants and animals are inseparably linked. Without wildlands there is no hope for wildlife. Understanding this critical linkage between wildlife and habitat, and taking positive actions, are the scrub's only hope.
Please read on...and enjoy your walk through scrub country. The Unique Wildlife of Scrub
PLACES TO VISIT North Florida Scrub St. Andrews State Park: (850) 233-5140 St. Joseph Peninsula State Park: (850) 227-1327 St. George Island State Park: (850) 927-2111 Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park: (352) 473-4701 Waccasassa Bay Preserve State Park: (352) 543-5567 Central Florida Scrub Ocala National Forest: (352) 625-2520 Wekiwa Springs State Park: (407) 884-2009 Blue Springs State Park: (386) 775-3663 Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge: (321) 861-0667 South Florida Scrub Johnathon Dickinson State Park: (772) 546-2771 Archbold Biological Station (By Appt.): (863) 465-2571 Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge: (772) 546-6141
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