Daan Water Cloak Ecological Education Park Introduction
Daan Water Shield is a national treasure-level plant that is critically endangered, with a flowering period from October to February. It is endemic to Taiwan. In 2000, a coastal eco-education park was established locally, which not only cultivates Daan Water Shield but also hosts dozens of coastal plant species, including Bitter Nettle, Taiwan Sea-Pong, Fine-Leaf Willow, Water Yellow Skin, Yellow Leaf Banyan, Hundred-Layer, Hanging Banyan, Yellow Hibiscus, Tallow Tree, Lin Tou, Jiongya Begonia, Marsh Orchid, Three-Leaf Ginger, and Taiwan Acacia. The Daan Water Shield Eco-Education Park is located in a pond on the southern bank of the Wenshan River in Daan District, primarily aimed at restoring the critically endangered Daan Water Shield. The Daan Water Shield is a perennial aquatic herb with upright, quadrilateral stems covered in dense hair at the nodes. The leaves are arranged opposite, paper-like, and linear-lanceolate, with purple flowers that form a tubular corolla. Its fruit is oval-cylindrical, making it a rare species endemic to Taiwan. The "Water Shield" is only found in Daan District of Taichung City, as well as in Qingshui District and Longjing District's coastal wetlands. Due to habitat destruction, the population is extremely rare, necessitating strong protection and restoration efforts.
