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Comprehensive Plan Conservation Element
<br />community in Indian River County, primarily around the creeks leading to Blue Cypress Lake (i.e.
<br />Blue Cypress Creek, Padgett Branch, and Fort Drum Creek). Soils commonly associated with this
<br />community in Indian River County belong to the Floridan-Delray-Holopaw soil map unit. These soils
<br />are described as being nearly level, "poorly" drained to "very poorly" drained soils, having loamy
<br />subsoil at a depth of 20 to 40 inches.
<br />In addition to the referenced hardwood trees found in the swamp hardwoods community, other plants
<br />characterizing the system include wax myrtle, Carolina willow, buttonbush, dahoon holly, cinnamon
<br />fern, royal fern, lizard's tail, and wild pine.
<br />The swamp hardwood community hosts a large variety of wildlife. It is especially well suited for
<br />waterfowl, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. Gray squirrel, mink, raccoon, and river otter are the
<br />most commonly found mammals. Many birds, including titmice, wood duck, limpkin, owls, and
<br />woodpeckers, also inhabit this area. Swamp hardwood areas also afford good habitat for winter
<br />visitors such as warblers, vireos, thrushes, and woodcock, with hardwood vegetation providing good
<br />food and cover for these wildlife species.
<br />Bay swamps, or "bayheads," are forested wetlands that are dominated by mixtures of loblolly, red
<br />bay, and sweet bay evergreen trees. The bay swamp is considered a "climax" community with
<br />mature trees. This community occurs on wet, acidic, highly organic soils which are often seasonally
<br />flooded. Though often classified as a swamp habitat, bayheads usually have shallower standing
<br />water, shorter inundation periods, and less dramatic water level fluctuations than other forested
<br />wetlands.
<br />Bay swamps usually occur along the margin of flatwood ponds, or in shallow depressions in pine
<br />flatwoods, having succeeded from marshes, low pine flatwoods, and swamps through accumulation
<br />of organic matter. Usually, bay tree species form a dense canopy, with little sunlight penetration to
<br />promote understory or groundcover growth. For that reason, most understory tends to occur at the
<br />fringes of the forest, and consists of plants such as wax myrtle, gallberry and fetterbush.
<br />In association with other ecological communities, bay swamps provide escape cover for such
<br />creatures such as deer, turkey, and quail (where thick growth occurs). Bay swamps also provide
<br />habitat for a variety of frogs, salamanders and crayfish, snakes and raccoons.
<br />In Indian River County, small depressional pockets of bay heads exist in undeveloped areas between
<br />U.S. Highway #1 and the F.E.C. railroad. These small tracts of forested wetlands are isolated from
<br />other natural communities by the highway, railroad tracks, and urban development and may be
<br />sustained partially as a result of surface water runoff from these features. As such, wildlife utilizing
<br />these areas are limited to reptiles, amphibians, and urban wildlife (song birds, raccoons, squirrels,
<br />opossums, etc.)
<br />Community Development Department Indian River County 55
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