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Congrats to Flatouts and Kindbus for co-FTF!!!!
This is a series of caches focused on the Ecological Communities of Rainbow Springs State Park. This cache is located in an old mesic hammock consisting of a few large live oak trees.
Description: Mesic hammock is a well-developed evergreen hardwood and/or palm forest on soils that are rarely inundated. The canopy is typically closed and dominated by live oak (Quercus virginiana), with cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto) generally common in the canopy and subcanopy. Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) and pignut hickory (Carya glabra) may be occasional in the subcanopy. These species become less important where they reach their southern extent just north of Lake Okeechobee. South of this region, the overstory may contain a few tropical species such as gumbo limbo (Bursera simaruba) and satinleaf (Chrysophyllum oliviforme). Water oak (Q. nigra) and laurel oak (Q. hemisphaerica) may also be frequent in this community. Other than pignut hickory, only a few deciduous species such as sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) and sugarberry (Celtis laevigata) are found in the canopy and subcanopy layers. Pine trees, particularly slash pine (Pinus elliottii) or loblolly pine (P. taeda), may form a sparse emergent layer.