Flora & Fauna

Experience Natural Wonder

  • A close up of a plant with the words sundew plants on the bottom

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  • A white bird with a yellow beak is surrounded by green leaves.

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  • A field of white topped pitcher plants with purple flowers

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  • Two american river otters are playing in the water

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  • A bunch of purple flowers are surrounded by green leaves.

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  • A red fox is standing in the grass looking at the camera.

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  • A bobcat is laying down in the woods and looking at the camera.

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Flora

The Backcountry Trail System is home to several distinct ecosystems: wet pine flatwoods, live oak maritime forests, coastal dune and swales, longleaf sand ridges, freshwater marshes, coastal hardwood swamps and a wet prairie system. Each ecosystem contains its own diversity of native plants. Among them are white-topped pitcher plants, needle palms, sundews, Florida rosemary and conradina. There are several rare and threatened plant communities found along the trail and in the Gulf State Park.


Fauna

The trail is a birdwatcher’s paradise with four locations on the trail, Gulf Oak Ridge, Twin Bridges, Catman Road and Rosemary Dunes, named by the Alabama Coastal Birding Trail as viewing points. In addition the trail is home to many reptile species with two excellent viewing locations for American Alligators; Rosemary Dunes and Gulf Oak Ridge. Mammals commonly seen on the trail also include armadillos, raccoons, coyotes, otters, foxes, and wild boar. Interpretive signs are strategically placed along the trail to identify many of the natural features of this diverse terrain.

Learn About The Trails