Scrub Scrub Scrub

I spend a lot of time thinking about how to arrange plants. I spend a lot of time figuring out how to put plant communities together. If you were cruising Captiva Drive last Thursday, you’d have seen me in action - waving my arms around, choreographing the crew, shoving silver saw palmettos into exactly the right position.

Besides pulling together and observing my own designs, the way I learn the most about plant communities is by observing them in the wild.

Today, I took a drive up toward the central part of the state to observe two sites I’d never visited before. The first was Lake June-in-Winter Scrub Preserve State Park, on the western shore of Lake Placid. The second was Highlands Hammock State Park, near Sebring.

I’m tired and stanky, so just going to make this a visual essay for now.  Look at the structure, how these plants knit together. It’s fantastic!