During the winter mosquitoes are all but gone. Pine needles carpet a wagon trail wandering among the pines and palmettos. The handsome slash pine's cork-like bark is layered onto the trunk in distinctive patches. The ruddy colored bark is not only distictive but important. Lightening storms trigger the release of seeds from the pines' cones and clear out the understory growth of vines and shrubs.
Sunlight now reaches the ground, giving energy to the pine seedlings.
Beneath the pines saw palmettos stretch along the ground rather than standing upright like other palms. Their large clumps of fan-shaped fronds are easy to recognize. The pine flatwoods beckon an assortment of wildlife into its shady realm. Gopher tortoises burrow into the sand, providing living space for numerous other animals. Some biologists claim that at least 100 varied species cohabitate with the tortoises.