Ephemeral ponds and scrub habitat
South of the trail, stretching beyond the tree line, is a darkened
area. At rst glance, this may simply seem like another section of
grasses in the prairie that is a slightly different color. However, a
short ve minute hike will reveal that this unique spot is actually
a small wetland, an ephemeral pond.
This isolated wetland may be wet during your visit, or it might
be dry. An ephemeral pond, this small depression occasionally
dries out, making the freshwater in it a eeting feature. While
the water may not last long, these ponds are very important in
Duette Preserve’s drier uplands habitat, like scrub and atwoods,
because they provide a much needed source of water. During
a visit watch for birds such as ducks and waders hunting in the
pond for food, and even white tailed deer, raccoons, opossums,
bobcats, and armadillos all of whom come to the pond to
drink.
One thing that won’t be found in the pond are
predatory sh. Because the ponds dry up periodically
sh cannot survive. And that means that this is the
perfect place for a variety of amphibians to lay their
eggs and develop. It is common to nd multiple types
of amphibians utilizing and sharing a single wetland
and even a small one can produce thousands of
young. Once they complete their larval stage, the juveniles move
out into the uplands as adults.
The closest upland habitat to this pond is the scrub. This system
is the highest and driest elevation in the preserve. It features
well-drained, sandy soil and, because the water drains quickly
through the soil, the plants have adapted to survive on very
little water and may look small and scruffy. Many of the small
trees you see here, though, are much older than the towering
pines in other sections of the preserve. The wildlife, too, take
advantage of the loose soil and many that inhabit the scrub are
burrowers, or fossorial. As there is little shade in the scrub, many
of the native creatures spend a great deal of time underground,
emerging only at night when the temperatures are cooler or not
at all.
Pickerelweed
Photo by George Quittner
Oak Toad
Photo by Melissa Nell
Gopher Tortoise
Photo by Billie Knight