Observations:
The Habitat Park seemed to slide back and forth between Upland and Wetland environments, sometimes within just a few feet of each other. While pretty, the environment felt forced, and the plants were not cohesive within the areas they inhabited. The ponds all seemed to want to natively be upland environments with drier soil and more trees like oak and laurel than the smaller shrubs and cattails, lilies, and grasses that we saw. At the end of the trip, after taking soil samples we came across a small purple/pink flower from the mint plant. This is commonly referred to as Hitchhiker’s plant or Florida Betony. Its scientific name is Stachys floridana.
