User:Jr1818

=Broxton Rocks= Broxton Rocks is a rock conservatory that has been sculpted over centuries by the waters of Rocky Creek into a myriad of fissures and shallow ravines. Broxton Rocks is a haven of unique habitats for plants rarely found in the southern United States. There are more than 500 species of plants native to the rocks. The preserve protects a rugged sandstone outcrop that extends for approximately four miles in southeastern Georgia. The rock system is the largest single extrusion of the Altamaha Grit, a band of subsurface sandstone that underlies about 15,000 square miles of Georgia's Coastal Plain.

Plant Life
Botanist from all over the United States have come to visit the Broxton Rocks and to study these 500 plus native plant species that live in the rocks. One of the plants, a Caribbean flower known as the rock rose, is believed to have been brought to the rocks by a migrating bird that feeds on insects that eat the seeds. Due to the fact that many of these plant species are endangered and threatened, scientists have returned numerous times to study this anomaly. One of the rare plants found here is the silky morning glory, which is endangered in the state of Georgia. This plant only occurs at four sites in three counties in the whole entire state, and Broxton Rocks is again the only site where these plants are protected. The state-threatened Georgia plume is also found at the rocks. The wide range of microclimates provided by the different joint sets is conducive to the growth of such unusual plants as filmy ferns (Trichomanes petersii), shoestring ferns (Vittaria lineata), and green-fly orchids (Epidendrum conopseum).

Animal Life
The rocks are home to many animals including the state threatened gopher tortoises as well as turkey vultures and more than 100 other bird species, including the Great horned owls, and screech owls. Flying squirrels can also be observed at the rocks. It is also a host of other mammals and reptiles, including the rare eastern Indigo snake. The forest surrounding the rocks is a haven for coral snakes — considered North America's most venomous — as well as eastern diamondback rattlers.

Wildlife Management Area
The latest addition to the 33,000 acre Broxton Rocks is the 3,597 Flat Tub Wildlife Management Area. The management area is one of Georgia's newest, and is designed to protect the wildlife as well as the plant life that is found at the Broxton Rocks. The new expansion will help protect and provide new habitat for the threatened indigo snake, gopher tortoise and Bachman's sparrow, which will help to ensure their viability.

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