Coastal prairies are irregularly flooded areas where evaporation of seawater creates highly concentrated saline environment. Plants that can survive this high salt concentration primarily characterize these communities.

Saltwort and Glasswort (Salicornia perennis), both waxy-leafed succulents, are the dominant plants in this ecosystem because they are tolerant to the salt concentration. Saltwort, which is a dark green color, usually has a single stem. The other major grass species Glasswort, which is a lighter green color, is characterized by having multiple branching. Glasswort appears to be the more prevalent of the two.

Some species of insects like the caterpillars of the Eastern Pygmy Blue (Brephidium isophthalma), smallest of the butterflies found in Florida, depend entirely on these plants as a source of food.

Coastal prairies are unique habitats that are shaped primarily by hurricanes; they usually appear where former mangroves and Buttonwoods forest existed. Hurricanes sweep tons of seawater onto the coast of Florida, after the seawater evaporates it leaves the soil with a high salt concentration killing the local forest and leaving the area open for colonization of plant species that can tolerate the change. The evidence of former forest remains with some scattered dried tree trunks as seen near Flamingo in the Everglades coast.

Over the past century hurricanes have hit the Florida coastline once every three years. This kind of natural disaster has a major role in the dynamics of several ecosystems in Florida ranging form coral reefs to mangroves forest.

As observed in Flamingo, two invasive salt tolerant species have begun to overtake many of the Everglade ecosystems, including the coastal prairies. These species grow thick and don’t allow any other species to live along side them. The only defense the park has is to cut them down and burn the remains as can be seen in the ecosystem overview pictures below. A number of bird species use the dead trees in the coastal parries as locations to feed on meals they have just caught from surrounding ecosystems. Several species of turtles were also observed in this ecosystem including the remains of what we believe was a Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin).