NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



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ginica), laurel-leaved smilax (Smilax 

 laurifolia), trumpet flower (Tecoma 

 radicans), and a host of other shrubs. 



"Low hammocks" can be subdivided 

 according to the dominant trees. In 

 the lower, more swampy places where it 

 merges into the cypress ponds the sour 

 gum is often dominant. In other places 

 the cabbage palmetto is the most com- 

 mon plant. In the less swampy parts 

 there is a greater variety of trees, the 

 water oaks (Quercus nigra), and the 

 swamp oak (Q. palustris] are often the 

 common trees. In many wet boggy 

 places at the heads of streams and along 

 their banks the bull bay (Magnolia 

 glauca] is the dominant tree, and with a 

 heavy undergrowth, forms a dense 

 thicket. These are commonly called 

 "bay-heads." 



These hammocks are the home of the 

 gray squirrel, Florida opossum (Didel- 

 phus virginiana pigra), raccoon, marsh 

 rabbit and an occasional gray fox, and 

 in the larger remoter ones occur the 

 Florida black bear (Ursus floridanus], 

 the Florida wildcat (Lynx rufus fiori- 

 danus) and deer. Here nest the great 

 horned owl, the Florida barred owl, the 

 black vulture, the turkey vulture, doves, 

 hawks and numerous small birds. The 

 little poisonous coral -snake (Micrurus 

 fulvius) is occasionally seen, and its 

 mimic the scarlet king-snake (Lampro- 

 peltis c. elapsoides). 



Characteristic butterflies of the low 

 hammocks Papilio glaucus and Enonia 

 portlandia, of moths the Polyphemus 

 (Telea polyphemus), and several species 

 of Catocala. The locust (Melanoplus 

 furcatus) is characteristic. The cricket 

 (Nemobius carolinus} is typically found 

 in the black gum swamps. The follow- 

 ing craneflies are characteristic of the 

 low hammocks, Molophilus forcipula 

 M. Hirtipennis, Pilaria recondita, Lim- 

 nophila macrocera, Bittacomorpha clav- 

 ipes, Pseudolimnophila luteipennis, 

 P. contempta, Brachypremna dispellans 

 and Epipmagma solatrix. Mosquitoes 

 are very numerous and so are tabanids 

 (Chrysops). 



6. High hammocks: The high "ham- 

 mock" occurs in well drained but good 

 moisture holding soils, usually those 

 containing considerable clay or under- 

 laid with limestone. It occupies but a 

 relatively small part of the surface of 

 the land, increasing in amount as one 

 goes north in the state. Where it has 

 reached its apparent climax it is com- 

 posed largely of broad-leaved evergreen 

 trees of which the dominant ones are 

 magnolias, red bay (Tamala sp.) and 

 holly. Deciduous trees of the types 

 noted below are mixed with them to 

 some degree. Only on the best, moist 

 (but not swampy) soils are these broad- 

 leaved evergreen trees dominant. In 

 drier situations, which include the great 

 bulk of the "hammock" the majority 

 of the trees are the deciduous ones, such 

 as blue beeches (Carpinus), hop horn- 

 beam (Ostrya), cork elm (Ulmus alata), 

 basket oak (Quercus Michauxii), bass- 

 wood (Tilia sp.), sweet gums, short- 

 leaved pines, live oaks, water oaks 

 (Q. nigra}, hickories, which occur to 

 some extent in the climax stands, 

 Spanish oak (Q. falcata}, with an under- 

 growth of wild plums, (Prunus sp.), 

 prickly ash (Aralia spinosa and Fagara 

 Clava-Herculis), red bud, French mul- 

 berry, smilax and yellow jasmine (Gel- 

 simium}, and on the forest floor, par- 

 tridge berry (Mitchella repens), sedges 

 and grasses. The high hammock gradu- 

 ally merges into high pine land on the 

 one hand and low hammock on the 

 other. As one approaches the northern 

 part of the state the broad leaved 

 evergreens diminish in numbers, as does 

 also the Spanish moss and other epi- 

 phytes, tulip trees (Liriodendrori) , 

 beeches (Fagus grandifolia), red oak 

 (Quercus rubra) and scarlet oak (Q. 

 coccinea) appear, and the hammock 

 gradually merges into the eastern 

 deciduous forest. 



The percentage of evergreens in these 

 hammocks is sufficiently high to keep 

 the forest floor damp and prevent the 

 spread of fire. 



In the hammocks are found the usual 



