Slight changes in elevation help determine what plant communities exist. Rising above the marshes, grasslands are dominated by bluestem and other prairie grasses.

Today these areas are preserved and protected from invading scrub species through controlled burning. Mottes (a grove or clump of trees) of live oak and redbay growing in old sand dunes are stunted and shaped by prevailing gulf winds. These thickets form dense cover, providing shelter for deer, javelina, and feral hogs. Predators stalking the mottes are coyote, bobcat, and raccoon.