Mountain Bog Recovery & Expansion

Bog edge, before thinning (June 2015)

Bog edge, after thinning (July 2015)

The above images were taken near the perimeter of a so-called "mountain bog" in western North Carolina.  The first image shows the conditions before active restoration, the second image shows the same locale after clearing dense rhododendron invasion.  The only evident trees in the initial image are red maple and a lone pitch pine (Pinus rigida). After clearing the dense brush, a number of previously hidden stems of Pitch Pine in the heart of the wetland become apparent. The images also document (especially the second one) a small tributary creek feeding into the site from a black plastic culvert. Hugging the margin of this tributary (just past the lone pitch pine) is a grove of pitcher plants (see image below). 

Numerous pitcher plants (Sarracenia jonesii) hiding in this dense herbaceous foliage

At one time other rare plants were apparently present here when the creek was able to fan out gradually across the area, and the site was more open. However, years ago a road was constructed through the edge of the wetland. Several feet of fill material buried portions of the wetland, and altered the hydrology in some subtle and not so subtle ways (plans are in the works to remove the offending road section and culvert in hopes of restoring more natural water flows and reopening original wetland surface area for bog plants, stay tuned!). The dense thicket of shrubs that developed along the altered stream course excluded nearly all ground layer plant diversity directly underneath. In addition, the thick wall of green created both a sun and rain shadow across the nearby pitcher plants (these pitchers thrive in open sun, in saturated soils).   

Bog edge, before Rhododendron removal (June 2015)

Bog edge, after Rhododendron removal (July 2015) 

Numerous studies have shown that canopy vegetation can intercept and effectively remove up to 50% of seasonal or annual rainfall (Carlyle-Moses and Gash 2011, Forest Hydrology and Biochemistry). In contrast to deciduous plants, the evergreen rhododendrons continue to intercept rainfall all year long. At this site, the result could be losses of as much as 30" of water recharge per year! By removing the wall of rhododendrons we hope to create more open, sunlit conditions and add water back into the wetland system.  

Pile of Rhododendron previously removed from interior and margins of bog

We have been working on this restoration for several years, having been slowed mainly by lack of funding and resources to complete the task; the Friends of Plant Conservation (www.ncplantfriends.org) has recently established a means by which people can support this effort. 

Mountain Bog interior conditions in 2011, before restoration, note forked pine tree

Mountain bog conditions in 2014 after interior brush removal, note forked pine

Elsewhere on this blog I have discussed a few of the rare plants whose populations have begun to rebound due, in part, to these restoration efforts.  Won't you help this progress continue?

Flooded Pitchers

                                                                                              

Top Image: Mountain Sweet Pitcher (Sarracenia jonesii), Small tubes completely underwater, larger tubes barely emergent

Bottom Image: Purple Mountain Pitcher (Sarracenia purpurea var. montana) , Large rosette completely submerged by flowing water.. 

Both images taken October, 14, 2014.

Previous posts have introduced these Pitcher Plants, which occur on frequently saturated "boggy" substrate. I imagine they are rarely submerged, however, these images document this can happen. This Fall (October 2014), the site experienced a heavy rainfall (approximately 6"), causing an adjacent stream to spill over its banks and directly impact some individuals of both species. Surface water levels receded quickly and the next day there was no standing water remaining.

Both are important conservation targets due to their localized distributions, restricted habitat, very limited numbers of known populations and inherent risk for extirpation. Gaining a better understanding of the hydrology of occupied and historic sites may help us determine ways to permanently protect, and ultimately increase the populations.

Mountain Sweets - Almost Gone?

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     One of the sweetest plants to find in the Southern Appalachians, perhaps, because it is one of the most unexpected, is the trumpet-like pitcher plant known as Sarracenia jonesii. With a natural range centered on Henderson County, NC this carnivorous plant is a relatively narrow endemic just barely ranging into South Carolina. In a region most noted for forests, this pitcher plant inhabits small wetland pockets often referred to as "mountain bogs".  

Range map for Sarracenia jonesii in NC; "extirpated" refers to sites formerly known to support the species but lost for one reason or another, while "extant" refers to naturally occurring populations still present, unless indicated as "extant-introduced" which are sites created by planting in a non-naturally occurring site.

Only three naturally occurring populations remain in North Carolina.

A quick review of the distribution map tells a tale of substantial decline, in which most of the known, naturally occurring sites have been lost.  In 1986, the USFWS listed the plant as endangered.  What happened to cause the decline and create the need for federal listing?

Like many areas of the country, wetlands in this part of NC have not fared well. The first map below portrays the predicted extent of historical wetlands in the heart of the Mountain Sweet range (polygons shaded light blue). The second map illustrates those same wetland areas with the current land use depicted; bright red and yellow colors show heavily altered or otherwise developed areas. A comparison of the two gives a clear illustration that substantial wetland area has either lost or heavily altered.

                                                                                                                                                                              In addition to habitat loss, other Mountain Sweets have been lost due to poaching and over-collection by hobbyists. An example of this phenomenon is the extirpation from the wild of a "green race" of Sarracenia jonesii.   There still appears to be ample pressure collecting pressure on the few remaining native populations.                                                                             

Must we have every species in our gardens?