Scrub is Florida's equivalent of desert, tough, hot, dry land, and it takes plants and animals specially adapted to survive here. Scrubs get their share of rain just like every place else in South Florida does, but because of scrub's deep, sandy soil, the water perculates through the ground. There's little or no organic matter to hold it. Scrub soils also can be nutrient poor. Trees don't do well here, or at least well enough to attain any size, so there's little shade. That, plus the reflective quality of white sand, makes scrubs hotter than other habitat types.
Look at Hypoluxo Scrub Natural Area and you'll see rather large swaths of land seemingly with little or no vegetation growing on it. Look a little closer in places, you'll see lichens growing on the sand, likely British soldier (though they lack the telltale red caps) and mats of sand spikemoss. In other places, bits of grass, Walter's ground cherry Florida scrub frostweed dot the land. To survive here, plants need to have very deep roots or adaptations that allow them to survive with little water. Plants like sand mats, toadflax, sandhill wireweed, cottonweed and nodding pinweed can make due with the little bit of nutrients found in the soils here and they prefer wide open spaces where there's little competition for sunlight and resources. Next Photo.
