Beach at Gamble Rogers
The wildlife and plants on barrier islands are uniquely adapted to life between the sea and the mainland. Wind, salt and sand come together to shape vistas of scraggly scrub, cool maritime forests and tall windswept dunes.
The park’s nature trail weaves through a maritime hammock or forest. The hammock is a type of evergreen forest dominated by live oaks, red bay trees and cabbage palm. Along the trail, you may notice that some trees tend to lean one way. This is because years of exposure to ocean wind has shaped the direction they grow.
The boat ramp gives paddlers and boaters access to a network of estuaries and marshes on the Intracoastal Waterway. Estuaries, or protected coastal waters, are like the nurseries of the sea. Most of the animals that we eat from the sea spend part of their lives in estuaries and marshes.
On the Atlantic side of the park, tall dunes block views of the beach from the road. On dunes, tall sea oats sway in the breeze. Tendrils of railroad vine and beach morning glory seek out stability in the ever-shifting sand. Dunes form over many years as wind piles sand together and specialized plants trap grains in their roots.
The beach here is a vital protected nesting ground for sea turtles. Sea turtles travel hundreds of miles to lay eggs on the beaches where they were born. Loggerhead, green and sometimes even leatherback sea turtles dig deep nests on the beach as a refuge for their fragile eggs.
While walking through the park, you may find a hole in the ground surrounded by a pile of sand. It’s probably home to a gopher tortoise. We call them a “keystone species” because the tortoises’ burrows are an important shelter for many other species. Their roommates can include snakes, small mammals and insects.
When you are looking over the salt marsh bordering the Intracoastal Waterway or taking the boardwalk over the dunes, think about how thousands of years of wind and water have shaped the view. We hope you enjoy your visit to the park, whether you paddle, swim, or relax on the beach.
