The next time you visit the Environmental Learning Center, take a look around the parking lot and discover the diversity of plant and animal life at one of the most elevated points on the island. This area resembles the pine rocklands of South Florida and is distinctly different from the main campus.

Here you’ll find plants such as the False Tamarind (Lysiloma latisiliquum), a versatile tree native to the rocky areas and coastal forests of South Florida that is often used in landscaping due to its rapid growth and adaptability to various soil types. It produces small, fragrant white blossoms, which develop into flat, papery seed pods.

The False Tamarind tree not only serves as a host plant for the caterpillars of the Large Orange Sulfur, Mimosa Yellow, and Cassius Blue butterflies, but is also important for the Florida Tree Snail (Liguus fasciatus) and the Banded Tree Snail (Mesembrinus multilineatus), which feed on algae, fungi, and lichens that grow on its smooth bark. The latter is most commonly found on the Environmental Learning Center grounds between May and September.