The Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States

National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge System is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the system of public lands and waters set aside to c ...

(NWR) System, located in four separated areas on the

Lake Wales Ridge The Lake Wales Ridge, sometimes referred to as the Mid-Florida Ridge,Eastern States Archaeological Federation. ''Archaeology of Eastern North America, Volume 11'', p. 54 is a sand ridge running for about 150 miles south to north in Central Florida. ...

east of

US 27 U.S. Route 27 (US 27) is a north–south United States Highway in the southern and midwestern United States. The southern terminus is at U.S. Route 1 in Florida, US 1 in Miami, Florida. The northern terminus is at Interstate 69 in India ...

between Davenport and Sebring

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. The 1,194 acre (4.8 km²) refuge was established in 1990, to protect a host of plants and animals. It is also the first to be designated primarily for the preservation of endangered plants, and is not open to the general public. It contains a high proportion of remaining

Florida scrub Florida sand pine scrub is an endangered subtropical forest ecoregion found throughout Florida in the United States. It is found on coastal and inland sand ridges and is characterized by an evergreen xeromorphic plant community dominated by shrub ...

habitat. It is administered as part of the

Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) on the Atlantic coast of Florida's largest barrier island. NASA's Kennedy Space Center and visitor complex are also situated on the island and NASA can restrict acc ...

Management

Since 2012 the

Lake Wales Ridge NWR The Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) System, located in four separated areas on the Lake Wales Ridge east of US 27 between Davenport and Sebring Florida. The 1,194 acre (4.8 ...

has been administered by the ''Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge Complex'', along with the

Pelican Island NWR Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge is a United States National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), and part of the Everglades Headwaters NWR complex, located just off the western coast of North Hutchinson Island in the Indian River Lagoon east of Sebas ...

, Archie Carr NWR, and the

Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area The Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area, created in 2012, the newest addition and 556th unit of the United States National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) System, began with donated to the conservation effort as part of t ...

.Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge Complex
Retrieved 2017-12-25

Flora

The plants the refuge was designed to protect are the snakeroot ('' Eryngium cuneifolium''), scrub blazing star (''

Liatris ohlingerae ''Liatris ohlingerae'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names Florida blazing star, Florida gayfeather, scrub blazing star, and sandtorch. It is endemic to Florida in the United States, where it oc ...

''), Carter's mustard ('' Warea carteri''), papery Whitlow-wort (''

Paronychia chartacea ''Paronychia chartacea'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae known by the common names papery Whitlow-wort and paper nailwort. It is Endemism, endemic to Florida in the United States. There are two subspecies of the ...

''), Florida bonamia (''

Bonamia grandiflora ''Bonamia grandiflora'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the morning glory family known by the common names Florida lady's nightcap, Florida bonamia, and scrub morning glory. It is endemic to Central Florida, where there are about 100 kno ...

''), scrub lupine (''

Lupinus aridorum ''Lupinus aridorum'' is a rare species of lupine known by the common name scrub lupine. It is endemic to Florida in the United States, where there were 10 known populations remaining in 2003.USFWSScrub lupine Five-year Review.November 2007. Fewe ...

''), highlands scrub hypericum (''

Hypericum cumulicola ''Hypericum cumulicola'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae known by the common name highlands scrub hypericum, or highlands scrub St. John's wort. It is endemic to Florida, where it is threatened by habitat loss and ...

''), Garett's mint (''

Dicerandra christmanii ''Dicerandra christmanii'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common names Garrett's mint, yellow scrub balm, and Lake Wales balm. It is endemic to Highlands County, Florida, in the United States, where it is kn ...

''), scrub mint (''

Dicerandra frutescens ''Dicerandra frutescens'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common names scrub mint and scrub balm. It is endemic to Highlands County, Florida, where it is known only from the Lake Wales Ridge. Its habitat is q ...

''), pygmy fringetree ('' Chionanthus pygmaeus''), wireweed (''

Polygonum basiramia ''Polygonum basiramia'' (synonym ''Polygonella basiramia'') is a rare species of flowering plant in the knotweed family known by the common names wireweed, hairy wireweed, purple wireweed, and Florida jointweed. It is endemic to Florida in the U ...

''), sandlace (''

Polygonum dentoceras ''Polygonum dentoceras'' (synonym ''Polygonella myriophylla'') is a rare species of flowering plant in the knotweed family known by the common names sandlace, woody wireweed, and Small's jointweed. It is endemic to Florida in the United States, ...

''), Florida ziziphus (''

Ziziphus celata ''Ziziphus celata'', commonly known as the Florida jujube or Florida ziziphus, is a terrestrial flowering plant endemic to central Florida. Description It is a small spiny shrub that is usually less than 2 meters tall. Clusters of highly fragr ...

''), and scrub plum ('' Prunus geniculata'').

Fauna

The animals the refuge was designed to protect are the

Florida scrub jay The Florida scrub jay (''Aphelocoma coerulescens'') is one of the species of Aphelocoma, scrub jay native to North America. It is the only species of bird Endemism in birds, endemic to the U.S. state of Florida and one of only 15 species endemic ...

(''Aphelocoma coerulescens''), eastern indigo snake ('' Drymarchon corais couperi''), bluetail mole skink (''Eumeces egregius lividus''), and sand skink ('' Neoseps reynoldsi'').

References

External links

* {{authority control Protected areas of Highlands County, Florida Protected areas of Polk County, Florida National Wildlife Refuges in Florida 1990 establishments in Florida Protected areas established in 1990