Where is La Florida, the Land of Flowers? Just Look Around – We Call it
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Join the Florida Native Plant Society
May 16-19, 2013 for the FNPS Annual Conference to Celebrate La Florida, the Land of Flowers.
Featuring two full days of field trips to northeast Florida’s wild areas, stimulating speakers, and three social events showcasing the St. Johns River and the Atlantic Ocean. Enjoy a native plant sale, exhibitors, author book signing, and silent auction.
Location: University Center, University of North Florida Conference hotel: Jacksonville Sheraton, just minutes away from University Center.
For information, contact Barbara Jackson bjack2804@aol.com ● 904-655-2550
The purpose of the Florida Native Plant Society is to preserve, conserve, and restore the native plants and native plant communities of Florida.
Official definition of native plant: For most purposes, the phrase Florida native plant refers to those species occurring within the state boundaries prior to European contact, according to the best available scientific and historical documentation. More specifically, it includes those species understood as indigenous, occurring in natural associations in habitats that existed prior to significant human impacts and alterations of the landscape.
Call for Research Papers and Posters
The Research Track of the Florida Native Plant Society Annual Conference will include presented papers on May 17-18, 2013. A poster session will be held on May 18.
Researchers are invited to submit abstracts on research related to the native plants and plant communities of Florida including preservation, conservation, and restoration. Presentations are 20 minutes in length (15 min. presentation, 5 min. questions).
Abstracts of not more than 200 words should be e-mailed as a MS Word file to Paul A. Schmalzer at: paul.a.schmalzer@nasa.gov by February 1, 2013. Include title, affiliation, and address. Indicate whether you will be presenting a paper or poster.
Apply for the 2013 FNPS Endowment Grant Research Awards and Conservation Grant Awards
FNPS Endowment Research Grants fund native plant research that forwards the mission of the Florida Native Plant Society –to promote the preservation, conservation, and restoration of the native plants and native plant communities of Florida.
FNPS Conservation Grants support applied native plant conservation projects in Florida that promote the preservation, conservation, or restoration of rare or imperiled native plant taxa, and rare or imperiled native plant communities. Proposed projects must be sponsored by an FNPS Chapter.
Grants are $1,500 or less, and are awarded for a 1-year period. For application guidelines visit the FNPS Web site, www.fnps.org, and click on ‘Participate/Grants and Awards’.
E-mail questions regarding grant programs to info@fnps.org. Application deadline is March 1, 2013. Awards will be announced at the Annual Conference. Awardees are not required to attend to receive an award.
FNPS Board of Directors
Executive Officers
President ..................................Steve Woodmansee
Past President...........................Gene Kelly
Ray Jarrett, Matt King, open Directors-at-Large, 2012–2014 Jon Moore, Rufino Osorio, Julie Wert
Organization: Members are organized into regional chapters throughout Florida. Each chapter elects a Chapter Representative who serves as a voting member of the Board of Directors and is responsible for advocating the chapter’s needs and objectives. To
CONTACT US: To join or for inquiries: Contact your local Chapter Representative, or call, write, or e-mail FNPS, or visit www.fnps.org.
Florida Native Plant Society PO Box 278 Melbourne FL 32902-0278 Phone: (321) 271-6702 info@fnps.org www.fnps.org
Communications .......................VACANT
Publications ..........................Bob Egolf
Social Media .........................Laurie Sheldon Conference ............................... Barbara Jackson
Education & Outreach ...............VACANT Finance ....................................Jim McCuen Development ........................VACANT Landscape Awards....................Karina Veaudry Membership .............................Shari Blisset-Clark Policy & Legislation ...................Gene Kelly
Large Passion by Jim Draper (Jacksonville, Florida). Oil on canvas, 48 by 60 inches. Use of this image for the FNPS 2013 Conference generously donated by Jim Draper.
Palmetto
Features
4 The Effects of Glaciation and Sea Level Changes on Vegetation
Studying the Atlantic Coastal Plain Flora found in Nova Scotia and Florida presents an interesting look at how climate, glaciation, and sea level changes affect plant communities. This article by Diane LaRue is the second in a series on native plants common to both locations.
8 The Relative Cold-Hardiness of Some South Florida Plants
The Pinellas County Cooperative Extension office has more than 160 native Florida species in its 30-acre plant collection. The variety and proximity of these plants creates a convenient opportunity to study their relative growing needs – including their tolerance to freezing weather. Article by Craig N. Huegel, Ph.D.
12 Restoration and Recreation at a Gopher Tortoise Mitigation Bank
In addition to providing gopher tortoise habitat, the Suwannee Ridge Mitigation Park Wildlife and Environmental Area, managed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), offers interesting hiking and wildlife viewing to visitors. Discover this longleaf pine sandhill community along with FNPS land management review participant Catherine Bowman.
ON THE COVER:
Palmetto seeks articles on native plant species and related conservation topics, as well as high-quality botanical illustrations and photographs. Contact the editor for guidelines, deadlines and other information at palmetto@fnps.org
Make a difference with FNPS
Your membership supports the preservation and restoration of wildlife habitats and biological diversity through the conservation of native plants. It also funds awards for leaders in native plant education, preservation and research.
● Individual $35
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Please consider upgrading your membership level when you renew.
The Palmetto (ISSN 0276-4164) Copyright 2012, Florida Native Plant Society, all rights reserved. No part of the contents of this magazine may be reproduced by any means without written consent of the editor. The Palmetto is published four times a year by the Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) as a benefit to members. The observations and opinions expressed in attributed columns and articles are those of the respective authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official views of the Florida Native Plant Society or the editor, except where otherwise stated.
Editorial Content: We have a continuing interest in articles on specific native plant species and related conservation topics, as well as high-quality botanical illustrations and photographs. Contact the editor for submittal guidelines, deadlines and other information. Editor: Marjorie Shropshire, Visual Key Creative, Inc. ● palmetto@fnps.org ● (772) 285-4286 ● 1876 NW Fork Road, Stuart, FL 34994
A typical lakeshore in southwestern Nova Scotia where Atlantic Coastal Plain Flora species occur (photo by Diane LaRue).
Native Plants Common to Florida and Nova Scotia
NUMBER 2 IN A SERIES
Atlantic Coastal Plain Flora – Florida and Nova Scotia
The Effects of Glaciation and Sea Level Changes on Vegetation
A study of the Atlantic Coastal Plain Flora (ACPF) in Nova Scotia and Florida presents an interesting and rewarding means of looking at climate, glaciation and sea level changes and what these mean to plant communities. When looking at why plants live where they do, it becomes obvious that they are adapted to live in a particular location at that point in time. How they got there, how long they have been there, and how long they will thrive or survive there are all thought-provoking questions.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Flora in Nova Scotia
In trying to grasp what the changes in climate and sea level that have occurred over and over again mean to the rarity, extirpation, expansion and migration of plants at any given locale, the species of the Atlantic Coastal Plain Flora (ACPF) that live in present-day Nova Scotia provide a focal point for study.
This group of 93 taxonomically unrelated, mostly wetland plants inhabit lake and river shores, bogs, fens, and estuaries. Many live on gently sloping lakeshores that experience disturbances like wave action, water level changes and ice scour that reduce competition from other plant species (Figure 1). Many of
By Diane LaRue
these species are now assumed to be at the northern limit of their range in Nova Scotia, although they may have large populations there. Some of the species are also found in the northern counties of Florida, where they may be at their southern limit (Figure 2).
Almost 75% (67) of ACPF species in Nova Scotia are considered rare and have ranks of S1, S2 and S3. Although 27 of these species have a rank of S1, only 11 are legally protected as “Species at Risk” (SAR) in Canada (see sidebar on page 5). Without conservation and recovery efforts many of the ACPF species are at risk of being extirpated. Seven of these species are also found in Florida,
and their listed status in Canada and occurrence in Florida can be seen in Table 1. Where common names differ between Florida and Nova Scotia, both names are given. Figures 3 through 9 illustrate a few of these species.
Of Nova Scotia’s 93 ACPF species, 38 are disjunct in the province – they occur in Nova Scotia, but are not found in New Brunswick – although some may occur in other provinces as well as states to the south. Several do not occur between Nova Scotia and New Jersey, but from New Jersey south, their distribution extends down the eastern coast of the United States and into Florida.
Frequency of ACPF Species Found in Nova Scotia and in Florida
More than 60% of Nova Scotia’s ACPF species are also found in Florida, where most of them are of frequent or common occurrence (Wunderlin, 2011). These species are all found in wetland communities, although the type of wetland and plant communities may be different. Goldencrest, for example, is found in Florida in bogs, marshes and flatwoods (Wunderlin, 2011). In southwestern Nova Scotia it is found in bogs, fens and on cobbled lakeshores (ACPF in NS, 2011). For examples of these habitats, see Figures 7a and 7b.
Fig. 1 – A typical lakeshore in southwestern Nova Scotia where ACPF species occur (photo by Diane LaRue).
Common Name Scientific Name
Sweet pepperbush
Thread-leaved sundew
Tubercled spikerush (NS)
Conecup spikerush (FL)
Water-pennywort (NS)
Manyflower marshpennywort (FL)
Redroot
Eastern lilaeopsis (NS)
Eastern grasswort (FL)
Goldencrest
Clethra alnifolia L.
Drosera filiformis Raf.
Eleocharis tuberculosa (Michx.) Roem. & Schult.
Hydrocotyle umbellata L.
Lachnanthes caroliana (Lam.) Dandy
Lilaeopsis chinensis (L.) Kuntze
Lophiola aurea Ker Gawl.
How Species at Risk Are Protected in Canada and Nova Scotia
Species At Risk Act (SARA):
This act applies to all species at risk (SAR) on lands and waters administered by the federal government in Canada. Under this act, all SAR and their habitat are protected by federal law. The assessment body is the Committee on the Status of Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC).
COSEWIC Status: E = Endangered, T = Threatened, SC = Special Concern, NAR = Not At Risk, U = Under Assessment
Nova Scotia Endangered Species Act (NS ESA): This act applies to all SAR on land administered by the provincial government in Nova Scotia. Under this act, all SAR and their habitat are protected by provincial law. The assessment body is the NS SAR Working Group. Endangered Species Act Status: E = Endangered, T = Threatened, V = Vulnerable, U = Under Assessment.
Status in Canada (CAN) Occurrence in Florida and Nova Scotia (NS)
CAN-SC; NS-V
CAN-E; NS-E
CAN-SC; NS-T
CAN-T; NS-E
CAN-SC; NS-T
CAN-SC; NS-V
CAN-T; NS-T
Occasional; northern counties; Lake County Rare; FL-E. Washington and Bay counties
Frequent; northern counties; central peninsula
Frequent; nearly throughout
Common; nearly throughout
Occasional; northern, central peninsula; central, western Panhandle
Frequent; central, western Panhandle
Fig. 3 – Sweet pepperbush in a NS lakeshore habitat (photo by Megan Crowley).
Fig. 2 – Primary location of the ACPF in North America (graphic by Alain Belliveau).
Fig. 4 –Thread-leaved sundew in a NS bog (photo by Megan Crowley).
The Effects of Glaciation and Sea Level Changes on Vegetation
Eighteen of the species that occur in both Nova Scotia and Florida are described as occasional and eight are considered rare in Florida (Wunderlin, 2011). A few of the species occur in the two localities as different subspecies.
Species Common in Florida and Several Counties of Nova Scotia
Table 2 lists Nova Scotia’s non-rare ACPF species that are also common in Florida, along with their habitats. These species occur throughout Florida and can be readily observed in their appropriate habitats, and are also easily located in some areas of Nova Scotia. Habitat information for Nova Scotia is derived from Atlantic Coastal Plain Flora in Nova Scotia (2011) and habitat for Florida is derived from Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida (2011).
Species Rare and Disjunct in Nova Scotia but Common in Florida
Table 3 lists Nova Scotia’s rare and disjunct ACPF species that are common and readily observed throughout Florida but are not easily found in Nova Scotia. Plant habitats are similar in the two localities.
Species That are Rare in Both Nova Scotia and Florida
Seven of the ACPF species that are rare in Nova Scotia are also rare in Florida, according to Wunderlin (2011). Table 4 gives the rarity and habitat for six of these species. Bluntleaf bedstraw (Galium obtusum) is rare in both localities as different subspecies.
Thread-leaved sundew (Drosera filiformis) has an interesting distribution. It is restricted to the coastal plain and is found in wet sand, pond margins in pinelands, exposed lake bottoms, and raised bogs (NatureServe, 2011). In the central portion of its range it has a scattered distribution and is reported extirpated in some states. It is only found in two counties in Florida. In Canada, thread-leaved sundew is found only in Nova Scotia. Latitude and climate are not the deciding factors for rarity of this species. Whether it once had a greater range, or has had a scattered distribution for the past 12,000 years is unknown.
Disjunct Species, Climate Change and Rising Sea Levels
At the end of the last glaciation, 18,000 years ago, Nova Scotia was completely covered with ice and all vegetation was eradicated. As glaciation proceeded and sea levels lowered,
Fig. 5 – Water-pennywort at the edge of a Nova Scotia lake (photo by Megan Crowley).
Fig. 7a – Goldencrest in a Nova Scotia lakeshore habitat (photo by Diane LaRue).
Fig. 8 – Inkberry in its Nova Scotia habitat: edges of bogs and lakeshores (photo by Diane LaRue).
Fig. 6 – Redroot in its typical Nova Scotia lakeshore habitat (photo by Diane LaRue)
Fig. 7b – Goldencrest in a Nova Scotia fen habitat (photo by Diane LaRue)
Fig. 9 – Groundsel tree at the edge of a Nova Scotia saltmarsh (photo by Alain Belliveau).
Common Name
Inkberry
S5; sandy or rocky low-lying ground near Common; bogs, swamps, the edges of lakes, ponds and bogs pond margins Table 2 –
Scientific Name
Ilex glabra (L.) A.Gray
S5; SW NS and SE Cape Breton bogs, Common; flatwoods, bogs, swamps, lakeshores, rocky barrens coastal swales
Narrow-leaf fragrant goldenrod (NS) Euthamia caroliniana S4; sandy, gravelly and rocky lake or river Common; sandhills, flatwoods, Slender flattop goldenrod (FL) (L.) Greene ex Porter & Britton shores; edges of open shoreline wetlands disturbed sites
Mild waterpepper
Eastern poison ivy
Polygonum hydropiperoides Michx. S5; wetlands, and lake, river or stream shores
Common; marshes, swamps, cypress domes, lake shores, pond margins
Common; hammocks, floodplain radicans (L.) Kuntze along lakeshores and stream banks, salt forests, swamps, disturbed sites marsh margins, red maple swamps
Lance-leaved violet Viola lanceolata L.
Table 3 – ACPF species common throughout Florida, rare in Nova Scotia
Groundsel tree
Long’s sedge
Baccharis halimifolia L.
Carex longii Mackenzie
S1; disjunct; salt marsh edges
S1; disjunct; swamps, bogs, river
CAN=Canada; T=Threatened; E-Endangered
Common; marshes, disturbed sites
Common; moist to wet clearings, and lakeshores, coastal wetlands roadsides, ditches, marshes, hammocks
Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis L. S2, S3; (also occurs in NB, ON, QC); Common; swamps, ponds, lakes, Lake and river shorelines; swamps bogs river margins
Deer-tongue panic grass (NS) Dichanthelium clandestinum S3; disjunct. Moist woods, thickets, Franklin and Gulf counties
Deer-tongue witchgrass (FL) (L.) Gould river banks, along lakeshores Moist to wet hammocks
Capitate spikerush (NS) Eleocharis flavescens var. S1; sandy lakeshores, peaty bogs Franklin, Holmes, Okaloosa and Escambia Brightgreen spikerush (FL) olivacea (Torr.) Gleason counties. Moist to wet areas
Spotted pondweed Potamogeton pulcher Tuck S1; disjunct. Lakes, ponds, brooks Alachua, Leon, Jackson and Santa Rosa counties. Lakes, ponds, brooks
Table 4 – ACPF species rare in Nova Scotia and Florida
Craig N. Huegel, Ph.D.
The Relative Cold-Hardiness of Some South Florida Plants
I am a gardener at heart and I’ve had many opportunities over the years to indulge my passion for plants. I also am not a purist when it comes to the use of natives in developed landscapes, since I believe there is a difference between restoration and landscape plantings. The various landscapes I’ve had the opportunity to play in have combined plants from diverse regions of the state, when I can meet their microclimate and habitat needs effectively and when using them seems to make sense in order to achieve a landscape goal. Sometimes, increasing habitat diversity and wildlife habitat value means adding species that would not normally exist in the same ecosystem. If such an approach does not require a concomitant need to water, fertilize or “fuss” more, I see that as a gain. Thus, I have added strictly north and south Florida natives to landscapes in my central Florida home, in Pinellas County, since 1987.
Pinellas County is an ideal location to experiment with a diversity of Florida natives as it, in many ways, is a microcosm of the state. As a peninsula that juts out into the Gulf of Mexico, climate near the coast is ameliorated by warm water. The south end of Pinellas contains elements of south Florida flora; white stopper (Eugenia axillaris), sea grape (Coccoloba uvifera), saffron plum ( Sideroxylon celastrinum), and gumbo limbo (Bursera simaruba) to name a few. At the south end of Pinellas, mangroves achieve their typical stature and many south Florida natives are incorporated into landscapes. At the north end, mangroves typically freeze to the ground with regularity and salt marsh is found more regularly than mangrove forest. The typical low temperatures near the coast are often higher by several degrees than seen 10-20 miles inland, 3-4 counties south of us.
My greatest playground has been the Pinellas County Cooperative Extension
office in Largo, where, since 1990, I have worked on the native plant collection. This has allowed me to experiment with a wide variety of plants and has provided a place to show the public what these plants look like “in the bark.” More than 160 species of woody natives have been incorporated into this landscape, growing together in an area of about 30 acres, and this includes a small area of native trees and shrubs that are typically considered south Florida species.
Because all of the plants are in the same general area, it is easy to evaluate their relative growing needs – including their tolerance of cold. Over the last several decades, this collection of plants has experienced temperatures below freezing. Most significant were the two consecutive winters of 2009/10 and 2010/11, when extended periods of freezing temperatures regularly dipped for hours to about 26°F. What followed in the months after was an ideal opportunity to compare the responses of many semi-tropical species growing side-by-side under the same conditions. The data set on page 10 may be valuable to homeowners and landscapers interested in pushing a few of these species outside their typical range in developed landscapes. It is definitely not intended to be used to extend their use in natural areas outside their native range.
For simplicity, I have lumped plant responses into just a few broad categories. Some are obvious. Plants that died never recovered in the months following the coldest weather (i.e. 26°F). This list included species native to Pinellas County. A few species did not die immediately and some tried valiantly to recover, but in the intervening months they declined and
MODERATE DAMAGE: Long Key locustberry (Byrsonima lucida)
NO DAMAGE: Black ironwood (Krugiodendron ferreum)
SEVERE DAMAGE: Pond apple (Annona glabra)
LIGHT DAMAGE: Bitterbush (Picramnia pentandra)
NO DAMAGE: Cinnamon bark (Canella winterana)
SEVERE DAMAGE: Gumbo limbo (Bursera simaruba)
LIGHT DAMAGE: Marlberry (Ardisia escallonioides)
LIGHT DAMAGE: Limber caper (Capparis flexuosa)
The Relative Cold-Hardiness of Some South Florida Plants
passed to the great beyond. Plants that showed no sign of damage were also obvious. Such plants did not drop leaves or show leaf scorching; if they were blooming or in fruit, like wild cinnamon (Canella winterana), they kept right at it without any bud or fruit drop. Intermediate categories were a bit more subjective. Plants with light damage showed some evidence of leaf scorching and new growth was often killed at the tips of branches, though the body of the plant was visually unaffected. Moderate damage occurred when medium branches were killed back to the primary stems. Severe damage was assessed if the plant was nearly killed to the ground, leaving only a small portion of the main trunk which recovered in the following months. The photographs which accompany this article depict the various categories I have used, showing typical damage.
Of course, cold damage will depend on a variety of factors that will change depending on specific location and the genetics of the plants. A northern exposure will increase cold damage and protection from the wind, regardless of exposure, will decrease it. The value of the data is that it came from one landscape under the same general conditions. The responses observed have been similar over a number of winters with freezing temperatures in the past two decades. Individual plants of the same species can show different responses as well. Of three redberry stoppers, planted next to each other, one has consistently lost its outer branch tips during the coldest temperatures, while the other two have had very little noticeable damage. Of two red stoppers, one had little damage while the second lost all of its side branches, nearly to the trunk.
We must give consideration to the cold hardiness of the plants we decide to use in our landscapes. Global climate change does not mean we will not experience atypically cold winters in the future. That concept seems to be lost here in Pinellas where so many cold sensitive plants are being installed – both native and non-native – with the idea that this practice is now acceptable due to “global warming.”
Although this landscape has not seen truly cold temperatures since it was first installed, chances are it will someday see a winter like the one of 1987/88 when temperatures dropped into the high ‘teens. If your site rarely experiences freezes below the mid-20’s, this data may be of value to you. Good luck with your landscape.
About the Author
Craig Huegel has a Ph.D. in Animal Ecology from Iowa State University. His interests include exploring the concept of creating habitat in developed landscapes. Craig is the author two books on Florida’s native plants – Native Wildflowers and Other Ground Covers for Florida Landscapes and Native Plant Landscaping for Florida Wildlife, published by the University Press of Florida.
Common Name Latin Name
NO DAMAGE
Paurotis palm Acoelorraphe wrightii
Cinnamon bark Canella winterana
Jamaican caper Capparis jamaicensis
Pigeon plum Coccoloba diversifolia
White stopper Eugenia axillaris
Spanish stopper Eugenia foetida
Black ironwood Krugiodendron ferreum
Saffron plum Sideroxylon celastrinum
West Indian mahogany Swietenia mahagoni
Wild lime Zanthoxylum fagara
LIGHT DAMAGE
Marlberry Ardisia escallonioides
Limber caper Capparis flexuosa
Redberry stopper Eugenia confusa
Blolly Guapira discolor
Bitterbush Picramnia pentandra
MODERATE DAMAGE
Long Key locustberry Byrsonima lucida
Florida silver palm Coccothrinax argentata
Red stopper Eugenia rhombea
Holywood lignumvitae Guaiacum sanctum
Catclaw blackbead Pithecellobium unguis-cati
Bahama wild coffee Psychotria ligustrifolia
Wild coffee Psychotria nervosa
White indigoberry Randia aculeata
Florida royal palm Roystonea regia
Biscayne pricklyash Zanthoxylum coriaceum
SEVERE DAMAGE
Pond apple Annona glabra
Gumbo limbo Bursera simaruba
Spicewood Calyptranthes pallens
Myrtle-of-the-river Calyptranthes zuzygium
Coco plum (both growth forms) Chrysobalanus icaco
Fiddlewood Citharexylum spinosum
Sea grape Coccoloba uvifera
Quailberry Crossopetalum ilicifolium
Wild sage Lantana involucrata
Privet cassia Senna ligustrina
Paradise tree Simarouba glauca
KILLED
Satinleaf
Chrysophyllum oliviforme
Buttonwood (both color forms) Conocarpus erectus
Varnishleaf Dodonaea viscosa
Beach creeper Ernodea littoralis
West Indian cherry Prunus myrtifolia
Sargent’s cherry palm Pseudophoenix sargentii
Chapman’s wild sensitive plant Senna mexicana var. chapmanii
Bay cedar Suriana maritima
The Effects of Glaciation and Sea Level Changes on Vegetation
species migrated seaward and southward, initially colonizing newly exposed soil that lacked established vegetation (Roland and Smith, 1969). Sea level was globally around 120 m lower than today with continental shelves exposed. In eastern North America, the coastal plain extended to the edge of the continental shelf from Newfoundland to Florida.
In the past 18,000 years of warming, sea level has risen, the crust has rebounded and a diverse flora has returned. By 10,000 years ago Nova Scotia was clear of ice, but sea level was still about 40 m below present, leaving some coastal plain exposed and a greater land connection between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia than exists today (Roland and Smith, 1969). Vegetation on the coastal plain was probably diverse, with a mixture of northern and southern plants. Species migrated at different rates to occupy suitable and changing habitats. As the glacier retreated, the large amounts of melt water and sandy soils favoured plant species that could colonize these conditions. The ACPF species moved landward and northward. By around 6,000 years ago, the rise in sea level from glacial meltwater had inundated much of the previously exposed continental shelf, leaving coastal plain species in Nova Scotia isolated and disjunct from their southern range (Roland and Smith, 1969). Today they
occur mostly in southwestern Nova Scotia in nutrient poor bogs, ponds, lakeshores and salt marshes (Atlantic Coastal Plain Flora in Nova Scotia, 2011).
How do coastal plain species maintain their populations in Nova Scotia? Some have found a niche where more common species are unable to thrive. They inhabit nutrient poor, usually acidic sandy or peaty soils with annual disturbances (Atlantic Coastal Plain Flora in Nova Scotia, 2011). Whereas in Florida the natural disturbance of fire helps maintain many species, ice scour, wave action, and varying water levels provide the disturbances needed to maintain many of the lakeshore coastal plain species in Nova Scotia. Figure 11 gives an idea of the power of ice scour to limit plant species.
Further studies on the habitat, companion plants and reproductive biology of Nova Scotia’s rare coastal plain species are ongoing as part of ACPF Recovery Team efforts.
REFERENCES CONSULTED
Atlantic Coastal Plain Flora in Nova Scotia; Identification and Information Guide, 2011. Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute, Kempt, NS. 91 pp.
Roland, A. E. and E. C. Smith, 1969. The Flora of Nova Scotia. Part II. Proceedings of the Nova Scotian Institute of Science, pp 277- 311.
Wunderlin, R. P. and B. F. Hansen, 2011. Guide to the Vascular Plants of Florida Third Edition. Univ. of Florida Press. 783 pp.
Zinck, M. 2008. Roland’s Flora of Nova Scotia. Nimbus Publishing and Nova Scotia Museum, Halifax. Two Volumes. 1297 pp.
On-line Resources http://museum.gov.ns.ca/mnh/nature/nhns/t4/t4-2.pdf http://www.speciesatrisk.ca/coastalplainflora/ NatureServe. 2011. NatureServe Explorer: An online encyclopedia of life: Version 7.1. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia. Available at http://www.natureserve.org/explorer. (Accessed: January and February, 2012 ). http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/
About the Author
Diane LaRue is currently a Research Associate at the Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute in Kempt, Nova Scotia studying the ACPF species as well as other rare plants of Nova Scotia.
Fig. 11 – Chunks of ice thrown up on a lakeshore in Nova Scotia (photo by Brad Toms).
Fig. 10 – Buttonbush in its Nova Scotia lakeshore habitat (photo by Diane LaRue)
LAND MANAGEMENT REVIEW
Suwannee Ridge Mitigation Park Wildlife and Environmental Area
Restoration and Recreation
at a Gopher Tortoise Mitigation Bank
By Catherine Bowman
Last December, I visited the Suwannee Ridge Mitigation Park Wildlife and Environmental Area (Suwannee Ridge WEA) as a part of the state Land Management Review (LMR) Team. As an ecological consultant, I have long participated in projects that require gopher tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) surveys and permitting. Thus, I am aware that fees paid to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) for these activities were used in part to purchase and manage lands specifically for maintaining healthy gopher tortoise populations, as mitigation for tortoise lands that are lost to development. Although new lands are not currently being purchased as mitigation parks, the FWC staff continues to manage existing parks to optimize their wildlife habitat value and to provide recreation for the public. This was my fi rst opportunity to tour a gopher tortoise mitigation park and see, in addition to how the vegetative communities are managed, what interesting sights and experiences it offers to hikers and other casual visitors.
The Suwannee Ridge WEA is located north of I-10 and west of I-75, in Hamilton County along County Road (CR) 249. The site is approximately 5 miles northeast of Suwannee River State Park and abuts the north side of the Holton Creek Conservation Area. The property was acquired by the FWC in 2002. It is composed of 1,428 acres of primarily longleaf pine sandhill community; the management units vary in maturity and stages of restoration. The management of healthy gopher tortoise habitat also favors tortoise commensal species such as indigo snake ( Drymarchon couperi), Florida pine snake (Pituophis melanoleucus mugitus), and gopher frog (Lithobates capito). These open habitats are also used
Above: the review team ends the field day with a look at one of the deeper sinkholes found at the site.
Photos, counterclockwise from top: a sinkhole along the Suwannee Ridge Trail; an open area formerly dominated by sand pines; the review team investigates a small central sink; longleaf, turkey oaks, post oaks, winged sumac, lopsided Indian grass and wiregrass are found in the northwest portion of the site; one of the Seven Ponds sinks (photos by Catherine Bowman).
RESTORATION AND RECREATION AT A GOPHER TORTOISE MITIGATION BANK
by a variety of wildlife including Sherman’s fox squirrel ( Sciurus niger shermani) and support state listed native plants including incised agrimony ( Agrimonia incisa), Florida spiny-pod ( Matelea floridana), and Florida mountain mint ( Pycnanthemum floridanum).
The network of trails and unpaved roads, on which only foot traffic is permitted, offer plenty of quiet wildlife viewing and botanizing opportunities. Throughout the site and between the Suwannee Ridge WEA and the Holton Creek WMA to the south, all barbed wire fences have been removed. This facilitates the safe movement of wildlife such as deer across the area.
Prior to acquisition by the State, the property was utilized for the production of timber and supported bedded stands of slash, loblolly, sand and longleaf pines. The restoration of these lands to diverse longleaf pine and wiregrass dominated communities is proceeding with the removal of pine species other than longleaf, and the planting of tubeling longleaf pines and wiregrass. In addition to extensive replanting, management activities include the implementation of an aggressive burn plan, resulting in each of the management units being burned every two years. In a few of the existing planted longleaf pine management units, windrows of laurel oak were removed to allow fire to spread more easily across the burn units containing longleaf tubelings and wiregrass. Land owners and managers who have struggled with removing dense stands of sand pine will be impressed by a large area in the southwest portion of the site where dense sand pine was cut in 2002 and tubeling longleaf were planted in 2003. With frequent burning, these recently cleared areas now support young longleaf pine, xeric oaks and shrubs within important expanses of open sand, native grasses, an increasing number of other native herbaceous
species, and surprisingly few young sand pines. Among the site’s nine management units, the diversity of sandhill tree, shrub, and herbaceous species varies and gopher tortoise populations range from 0.4 to 1.3 tortoises per acre.
The Suwannee Ridge WEA is in close proximity to the Alapaha and Suwannee Rivers and sprinkled throughout the acres of sandhill are sinkholes waiting to be explored. One of the larger of these is accessible from the Suwannee Ridge Trail that enters the northwest corner of the site from a parking area on CR 249. This irregularly shaped sinkhole is surrounded by large swamp chestnut oaks (Quercus michauxii), American elms (Ulmus americana), flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), and other hardwoods. A smaller, shallow sink near the center of the site supports massive swamp tupelos (Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora) with chest-high seasonal high water marks on their large buttressed bases. The outer edges of this wetland contain thickets of narrow-leaved myrtle dahoon (Ilex cassine var. myrtifolia). In the northeast corner of the Suwannee Ridge WEA is a cluster of circular sinkholes called the Seven Ponds. This group of connected sinkholes supports marsh communities that are connected by fringes of swamp tupelos. In the wetlands you might find planer trees (Planera aquatica); in the mesic hammocks you may find slender wood oats (Chasmanthium laxum), sparkleberry (Vaccinium arboretum), and ebony spleenwort ( Asplenium platyneuron). In the dry uplands you may see flatwoods plums (Prunus umbellata), sassafras (Sassafras albidum), and plenty of sand blackberries (Rubus cuneifolius) – prickly, but with tasty fruit in the summer. It would be interesting to investigate the site’s sinkholes and sandhills in the spring and fall.
In May 2009, the Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) conducted a floristic inventory that brought the total number of native and non-native plant species to 329. In addition to the listed species and gopher tortoise commensals, the Suwannee Ridge supports numerous wild turkey, deer, and a variety of other native wildlife. During our tour of the site, we did not focus on birds; however, I did note the presence of a hairy woodpecker (Picoides villosus), which was an infrequent sighting for someone from central Florida. The hammocks seemed like good areas for birding during the spring and fall.
Those who wish to bicycle, ride horses or fish can enjoy these activities at the Holton Creek WMA that adjoins the Suwannee Ridge WEA to the south. Holton Creek also provides access to Suwannee Ridge for a few days in the spring and fall when special hunts are permitted. For those who would like to spend a little time camping and exploring the area, the Suwannee River State Park
appears to offer the closest camping area. It was interesting to learn that Suwannee Ridge WEA is one of the few sites where hunting is reserved for those with limited mobility. In fact, on the day of the land management review, a few hunters were scouting the site in preparation for a hunt beginning the following morning. What appeared from the on-line aerial photographs to be a small, homogenous site turned out to be quite an interesting place to explore.
Documents in PDF format about natural communities, mapping, and monitoring at Suwannee Ridge WEA: http://myfwc.com/conservation/terrestrial/ obvm/managed-area/suwannee-ridge/ Gopher Tortoise information: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/animals/reptile/gopo/all.html
Sandhill Community Overview
Found on hilltops and gently rolling hills
Sands are deep, yellowish, well drained and relatively sterile Xeric environment
Important sites for aquifer recharge – porous sands allow water to sink into the ground rather than run off or evaporate. Fire dependent – frequent ground fires reduce competition from hardwoods.
Contain widely spaced pines and a sparse understory of various oaks and ground cover of grasses and herbs
Dominant plants are longleaf pine, turkey oak, wiregrass
Other plants include bluejack oak, sand post oak, sparkleberry, persimmon, winged sumac, pinewoods dropseed, Indian grass, wild buckwheat, queen’s delight, yellow foxglove, bracken fern, runner oak, goats rue, partridge pea, milk pea, dollarweeds, wild indigo, gopher apple, golden-aster.
Source: Guide to the Natural Communities of Florida, online at http://myfwc.com/conservation/terrestrial/obvm/managed-area/suwannee-ridge/
Plant species observed in sandhill at Suwannee Ridge Mitigation Park WEA
