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Big Lagoon State Park: Pine Barrens:

Ridges of old dunes form hills and valleys through the forest.

Big Lagoon State Park: Pine Barrens:

Saw palmettos form a dense groundcover in part of this forest community.

Big Lagoon State Park: Pine Barrens:

Pieces of pine scrub trees decay slowly because of the high content of sap.

Big Lagoon State Park: Pine Barrens:

Lichen grow in shaded areas of the sand scrub forest.

Big Lagoon State Park: Pine Barrens:

Florida rosemary is a sand-loving evergreen shrub.

Big Lagoon State Park: Pine Barrens:

The forest supports a variety of plants and trees in a typical open coastal wood.

Big Lagoon State Park: Pine Barrens:

The trunks of the sand pine trees twist and turn into bizarre shapes.

Big Lagoon State Park: Pine Barrens:

Twisted shapes of dead scrub pines litter the forest floor.

Big Lagoon State Park: Pine Barrens:

The lichens are like puff balls was they absorb water. Under dry conditions, the same lichens flatten and become dry and brittle.

Big Lagoon State Park: Pine Barrens:

Pine stumps decay slowly on the dry sandy forest floor.

Big Lagoon State Park: Pine Barrens:

Barrier beaches are one of the world’s most restless landforms. As can be seen above the tress are growing on shifting sand which looks like snow.

Big Lagoon State Park: Pine Barrens:

The shapes of the dead pine trees form a natural barrier in the undergrowth of Florida rosemary.

Big Lagoon State Park: Pine Barrens:

A myrtle oak is surrounded by a lichen ground cover.

Big Lagoon State Park: Pine Barrens:

Some of the sand pines have pinwheel shapes.

Big Lagoon State Park: Pine Barrens:

The colors of Florida rosemary compliments the green lichens and mosses.

Big Lagoon State Park: Pine Barrens:

Lichens and mosses grown on the scrub pine trucks.

Big Lagoon State Park: Pine Barrens:

The sand pine forest is located on the sound side of the key on older dunes.

Big Lagoon State Park: Pine Barrens:

A variety of lichen and moss are the most common ground cover.

Big Lagoon State Park: Pine Barrens:

In contrast to the species of pine shown below, the sand pine is much shorter. Its form can be twisted with lower branches growing close to the ground.

Big Lagoon State Park: Pine Barrens:

The overstory in some locations is composed of an older growth of short-leafed pine tree.

Big Lagoon State Park: Pine Barrens:

Pine branches forms litter the forest floor.

Big Lagoon State Park: Pine Barrens:

The sand scrub pine trees have odd and twisted shapes.