Appearing as small marshes or circular depressions, these ponds fill with water during the wet season. They often lack trees and usually are dominated by grasses and herbs. Seasonal ponds are extremely important breeding grounds for amphibians like the gopher frog and for everal species of toads and tree frogs. They are also important watering holes for many mammals and birds inhabiting the surrounding dry uplands. Descending the gentle slopes of the Ridge edges, shin-high spires of cutthroat grass grow.
Water seeps from the surrounding well-drained uplands forming seepage slopes.
Over time, dark organic soils develop on these frequently burned moist meadows. Regular fire, every two to five years, limits shrub and tree growth. Scientists estimate that only 1 percent of this system remains in peninsular Florida. At the base of the Ridge's sandy slopes, where water constantly seeps out of the Ridge, shady forests of tall broad-leafed evergreen hardwoods, grow in organic mucky pockets. These stands, called bayheads, are dominated by several species of bay trees that thrive on thick nutrient-rich soils.