Plants & Wildlife

Reservoirs of Biodiversity

Carolina Bays are reservoirs of biodiversity, supporting a wide range of wetland-adapted plants and animals.  The diversity of bay types results in great variation in the plants and animals from bay to bay. Many of the species that utilize Carolina Bay wetlands also require adjacent upland forest habitat and habitat connectivity that allows them to travel between multiple bays.  Protecting high quality examples each bay type, connected with quality upland habitat, is necessary to protect the diversity of species.  Below are a few examples of species associated with Carolina Bays.  Click on the species cards to see additional information on the back

REPTILES

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AMPHIBIANS

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PLANTS

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MAMMALS

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Birds

Great Egret
Anhinga
Cattle Egret
Red Winged Blackbird
Purple gallinule
Wood Duck
Rusty Blackbird
Prothonotary Warbler
Wood Stork

Photo credit: Anhinga, Laura Gingrich

Invertebrates

Sandhills crayfish
Clam Shrimp
Marsh imp firefly
Fairy Shrimp
Blue dasher dragonfly
Halloween Pennant Dragonfly
Sundew cutworm moth
Venus flytrap cutworm moth

Photo credit: Halloween Pennant Dragonfly, US Fish and Wildlife Service

Banner Photo:Big Cypress Meadow, Jeff Marcus