We started a new way to exhibit at last year’s FNGLA Landscape Show by showcasing an ecosystem found in Florida. At this year’s show, we decided to construct a Florida scrub habitat. Within the exhibit, we used many different species found in a typical scrub jay and gopher tortoise habitat. We started our new exhibit by using over 250 bags of mulch to form upland hill areas and burrows for gopher tortoises. Once this was formed, we covered the bags with several hundred pounds of beautiful white sugar sand that is typically found in these scrub environments. Our booth was filled a huge array of natives species including; sand live oak, runner oak, calamint, lyonia, liatris and prickly pear cactus. In order to make our booth more realistic, we brought in replicas of scrub jay birds, gopher tortoises, and multiple old fence posts connected to barbed wire fencing. We received many positive comments on our booth as well as opportunities to teach others about this distinctive habitat.
Chris Holly