Cypress Creek Natural Area is a mosaic of high-quality pine flatwoods and wetlands and includes the area formerly known as the Loxahatchee River Natural Area. It is bordered on the west side by Mack Dairy Road and extends east of Gulfstream Citrus Road, and extends from Indiantown Road northward to the Martin-Palm Beach County Line in unincorporated Palm Beach County. The predominant plant community is mesic pine flatwoods, with smaller areas of wet flatwoods, wet prairie, freshwater marsh, scrubby flatwoods, hydric hammock, prairie hammock, and pond cypress domes and strands. The Natural Area provides an important buffer for the Federally Designated Wild and Scenic Loxahatchee River. It also functions as a wildlife corridor connecting South Florida Water Management’s and Martin County’s Cypress Creek properties to the Loxahatchee River and Jonathan Dickinson State Park. Wildlife corridors enable wildlife to move freely between large natural areas and increase the chances of long-term survival of the species that use them.
Many species are known to occur on the Cypress Creek site. The little blue heron, Florida sand hill crane, osprey, wood stork, and tricolored heron forage for food in the wetlands. Gopher tortoise and pine snake have been recorded in the scrubby flatwoods. Other listed animals observed on the site include the round-tailed muskrat, American alligator, bald eagle, American redstart, white ibis, swallow-tailed kite, Bachman’s sparrow, great egret, eastern diamondback rattlesnake, and peregrine falcon.
The endangered Catesby’s and celestial lily have been recorded for this site. Other listed plants observed on the site include lace-lip ladies’ tresses, long-lip ladies’ tresses, pine pink, snowy and butterfly orchids, nodding clubmoss, wild coco, giant leather fern, cinnamon fern, hand fern, royal fern, and common, giant, reflexed, and banded wild pines.