| Native Freshwater Vegetation |
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| Pickerelweed - Lake Hollingsworth |
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Aquatic plants are an essential part of a lake ecosystem. It has been reported that lakes with healthy native plant communities greatly improve wildlife habitat and fisheries.
What are 'Native' Plants? Plant species that were indigenous habitats existing in Florida before human land impacts and development alterations
Vegetation within lakes and waterways assist in absorbing the added nutrients and pollutants washed into our lakes and waterways from runoff. They provide food and shelter for the animals that live in and around our lakes and help to buffer waves and prevent erosion.
Our Lakes and Stormwater Program began an extensive revegetation program over the years planting
more desirable vegetation in our lakes:
Bonny, Beulah, Bonnet, Hunter, Hollingsworth, Horney, Parker, and Wire.
The following are the type of 'natives' we have planted around our lake shores:
arrowhead, golden canna, tape grass (eelgrass), fragrant water lilies, giant bulrush, knotgrass,
maidencane, nuphar, pickerelweed, soft-stem bulrush, spikerush, and shore rush .
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Current Plantings Efforts -
UF Research Project - Lake Hollingsworth is one of the lakes used for a University of Florida research project studying the environmental requirements of several submerged plants to determine if it is
feasible to sustain grass bed communities in lakes. Sediment and water samples were taken from Lake Hollingsworth and brought to the the laboratory for this study.
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Map - Planting Locations
After Dredging Submerged Planting Project - is part of the effort to restore Lake Hollingsworth, we are working with Florida FWC (Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission) and FDEP (Florida Department of Environmental Protection) with installing a variety of aquatic plants in and around the lake. You may notice the fencing around some of the newly planted submerged grass beds that protect them from grazing turtles!
We hope the grass bed communities will further help to increase fisheries, wildlife habitat, remove nutrients and improve water quality within Lake Hollingsworth!
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| Underwater Eelgrass - Lake Hollingsworth |
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What Can You Do?
Look-out for grass beds, they may appear as a dark area underwater. If your watercraft is accidently in a grass bed, stop and tilt your engine. Use an ore, pole, or walk your watercraft out of the area. |
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