Scrub Jays were not the only wildlife of interest in the reserve as a squirrel thought that I was an intruder, a catbird continued to watch me carefully and a rufous-sided towhee (Eastern Towhee) blasted me with its song only a few inches from my ear before disappearing in the vegetation as soon as I stopped to look for it.
The Florida scrub ecosystem is like a large infertile sand dune where many of the unique species are specially adapted to the harsh conditions. To survive in this ecosystem, plants need to conserve moisture and then be able to respond quickly when times are wetter. Cactus are one example of the adaptive plants but at Lyonia Preserve there are many others.
The preserve also has its own ‘pond’ in which the water level fluctuates greatly and is entirely dependent on the amount of rainfall. (***Can’t remember the name of this type of body of water***)
As with any good hike, I have to find at least one new thing and for this location, the new thing was the mounds of crusty sand. I have no idea what makes them!
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