The Habitat Garden is part of the garden at the Lake Louisa State Park Ranger Station off Hwy. 27. Habitats are natural communities of plants and animals – ecosystems that have assembled and evolved over millions of years and adapted to unique soil, water conditions and weather patterns. Five of Florida’s uplands habitats – whose soils are dry and well-drained – are represented in the Habitat Garden and can be found in the Park. All of these habitats were once common to Central Florida and they all share some features, but each has distinct characteristics:

• Scrub contains a lot of rare and unusual species of plants, called endemics, which are found nowhere else in the world. Many are so rare they are considered to be threatened or endangered.
• Scrubby Flatwoods represent an ecotone, a boundary between communities, and contains plants and animals found in both flatwoods and scrub.
• Flatwoods are the largest habitat in Florida and once covered approximately 50% of the state’s land area.
• Sandhill communities are one of the most characteristic and recognizable upland communities in Florida. Because Sandhills are well drained, they serve as important groundwater recharge areas for replenishing the Florida aquifer.
• Hammocks are an advanced successional stage of Scrub or Sandhill and often grade into these habitats.

The large trees and shrubs (habitat overstory) have been planted, but the Friends are still working to finish putting in the small shrubs (understory), flowers, and grasses which will complete the habitats. Signage describing the habitats and their flora are also planned.

The Habitat Garden sign was funded by a grant from the Community Foundation of South Lake County.

Habitat Garden Sign

Interested in adopting a habitat? Contact us to find out how your group can help finish and maintain one of the habitats and gain recognition for your organization or family while supporting the park.