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Padre Island National SeashoreSunrise over the Gulf of Mexico
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Padre Island National Seashore
Prairies and Grasslands

 
The grasslands west of the Malaquite Visitor Center on a clear day.
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The grasslands west of the Malaquite Visitor Center on a clear day.

Most of the island’s terrain consists of coastal prairie interspersed with ephemeral marshes and dune fields (see under Sand Dunes). Grassland habitats are dominated by small, rolling hummocks covered with salt tolerant vegetation such as seacoast bluestem and bushy bluestem.

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Did You Know?
The Laguna Madre is one of only six lagoons in the world termed "hypersaline" (i.e. saltier than the ocean)?
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Last Updated: August 20, 2006 at 16:41 EST