Tippecanoe II Mitigation Area is a 182-acre mitigation preserve for the Florida scrub-jay and was acquired primarily to mitigate impacts to two families of scrub-jays for two County projects, but to also provide passive public recreation. The Mitigation Area contains scrub habitat and scrubby flatwoods, xeric hammock, mesic flatwoods, upland mixed forest, marshes, and a small area of palm hammock.
The majority of the Mitigation Area is scrub which is ranked as an imperiled and imperiled globally habitat. The scrub is dominated by sand live oak over an understory of scattered saw palmetto, rusty lyonia, wax myrtle, and grapevine. While the scrubby flatwoods consists of vegetation typical of this vegetation community, including slash pine, saw palmetto, various oak species, cabbage palm, rusty lyonia, tarflower, paw paw, grapevine, milkpea, beauty berry. Sections of the scrubby flatwoods are overgrown, likely due to fire suppression. The overstory is crowded with large oaks, the saw palmetto is tall, and Brazilian pepper occurs in some areas. These habitats are home to Florida scrub-jay, and gopher tortoise, a keystone species. This means that numerous other species are dependent on the gopher tortoise and its burrow for survival, such as the Florida mouse, Eastern indigo snake, and gopher frog.
The palm hammock appears to be a remnant of a former slough. It consists of a linear depression in the flatwoods that transitions to uplands, consisting primarily of cabbage palms, cordgrass, flatsedges, wire grass, blackroot, and scattered slash pines and scrub oaks. The tidal marsh/swamp is found on the southernmost parcel. This area is considered sovereign submerged lands. The area is likely to host juncus and mangroves and may be utilized by the wood storks, bald eagles, tricolored herons, little blue herons, snowy egrets, white ibis and American alligators.
Tippecanoe II
16259 Joppa Ave., Port Charlotte, FL 33948
Phone: 941.613.3220
Amenities
- Birding
- Nature Preserve
- Nature Trail