Our campus woodlands are rich in live oaks, and native cabbage palms. Locally termed, hammocks, these moist woodlands are a form of wetland. The cool, verdant, shady paths through the gardens are a favorite walk for many of the campus community, and every time you visit you are likely to see something new. The branches of the trees are laden with Spanish moss, other bromeliads, ferns, and even orchids. Within The Joy & Gordon Patterson Botanical Garden there is a blend of native and exotic tree species including a spectacular collection of palms from around the world.
These woodlands are an essential habitat feature on campus liking wetlands, ponds, and flower beds. Butterfly gardens in the woodlands add to the color and biological activity as the flowering plants attract a huge variety of insects, not just butterflies. In spring and autumn migratory birds fill the trees as warblers, cuckoos, flycatchers, and finches pass through. Our resident woodland wildlife is also diverse with many species of birds, butterflies, dragonflies, and a wealth of insects we have yet to catalog.