Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area
The Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Outstanding Natural Area is preserved area owned by the Bureau of Land Management. Although at first sight its not teaming with large herds of wildebeest being hunted down by prides of Lion, the area is equally diverse, with all the players that are found on the Serengeti. The top mammals in the food chain seem to be the Gray Fox and Coyote. Whilst the top bird predators that we saw were Ospreys, Red Shouldered Hawk and the American Kestrel. On any walk around the area, if you keep your eyes open you can come across a whole host of smaller species from invertebrates to reptiles.
The preserve is alongside the Indian River, where Endangered West Indian Manatees make their winter home. The endangered and protected species in the preserve extend beyond manatees; gopher tortoises have established residences along the area’s edge, and the Florida Scrub Jay has been spotted on the reserve multiple times.
One thing we did notice on all our visits to the site was the abundance of butterflies..
I’ve add a list of the Special Status Species that can be found on the preserve below.
Special Status Species
Many of which are Federal and State-listed as Endangered or Threatened.
- Four-petal pawpaw.
- Perforate lichen.
- Florida Scrub Jay.
- West Indian manatee.
- Gopher tortoise.
- Brown pelican.
- Little Blue Heron.
- Tri-colored heron.
- Curtiss milkweed.
- Large-leaved rosemary.
- Nodding pinweed.
- Banded wild pine.
- Reflexed wild pine.
- Giant wild pine.
- Common wild pine.
