County Line Scrub is a 15-acre Miami-Dade County Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) preserve predominantly consisting of scrubby flatwoods community, situated on the Dade side of the border with Broward County. It is one of two county preserves containing this plant community, which is sandy upland with Dade county pines (Pinus elliottii var. densa), six different kinds of oak (Quercus spp.), and many species not ordinarily observed in southern parts of the county such as Common pawpaw (Asimina reticulata) and Tarflower (Bejaria racemosa). We should see the tail end of the spring wildflower season. This preserve contains over 140 native plant taxa.
Leader: Steve Woodmansee, current Vice President and Field Trip Coordinator for DCFNPS. He is a botanist and owns Pro Native Consulting, which specializes in plant research, conservation and native plant horticulture.
Difficulty: Moderate. Open, sunny, hot habitat; generally along sandy trails, which may be overgrown in some places.
Directions: Take I-95 to Exit 16 (Ives Dairy Road - NE 203/205 St.), go west 1.4 miles to San Simeon Way, go north (right) 1 mile to County Line Road (NE 215 St.), go east (right). The entrance is on the right, just east of the AT&T building at 460 NE 215 Street. (Use that address to plug into your app to find your own directions.) Meet outside the gate to the preserve.
Bring/wear: Drinks, sun protection. The habitat is quite open, but sturdy close-toed shoes are always recommended. Long pants recommended for walking out of the open areas.
Notes: Restrooms not available. Pets are not allowed.
Questions? Email DadeFNPS@gmail.com, text 305-985-3677
Plant list from The Institute for Regional Conservation, www.regionalconservation.org – Online Resources - Floristic Inventory of South Florida