Despite our rough start, we made it out to the Delmarva Peninsula last week, and managed to get a fair amount of scouting in for our SOS seed collections.

After only about 140 miles from our start at the NC Botanical Garden on Monday morning, we stopped on the side of the road with a flat tire. Changing a flat on a truck is really no different from changing one on a small car, but at first we had trouble finding the spare. Once we located it under the truck (who knew?) we got it lowered, jacked up the truck, and replaced the tire. We all took turns using the jack, which for some reason was made in such a way that with every turn, the hook came out of the loop. I don’t know cars well enough to give a better description than that, but in the end, it made a simple job just a little bit tougher. Here are some pictures of the flat:

Flat as can be!

Emily’s turn to crank

Big hole!

Our first stop was at the Great Dismal Swamp, and as the name suggests, there is something very dismal about it. The water barely moves, so the mosquitoes were out in full force! I had on a mosquito net over my hat to protect my face, and we all drenched ourselves in bug spray. We did see a lot of potential at this site, however there was nothing ready to be collected in a large enough quantity for our purposes. We did see some Magnolia virginiana (Sweetbay) there, but by far not enough to collect. There were also really pretty legume flowers that I photographed.

Magnolia virginiana

Some kind of pea

That evening we ate dinner at a hole in the wall Mexican restaurant and grocery store called El Crucero Tienda y Taquería. They had amazing, freshly made food. Unfortunately we were too hungry to stop and take pictures, but I had Huaraches (look it up if you’re not familiar – the pictures are mouth-watering) and Emily got Pupusas. Maggie and Lauren both got a vegetarian version of Fajitas, or something similar – I can’t remember exactly. I was entranced by my meal!

El Crucero

We saw a beautiful sunset from our hotel room in Pocomoke City, MD, and rested up for the next day.

We started off not too far from our hotel at Nassawango Creek Preserve where we saw lots of potential for the upcoming months in seed collection for species such as Rhexia mariana (Maryland Meadowbeauty) and Asclepias sp. (we saw a few), as well as populations of species like Vaccinium corymbosum (Highbush Blueberry) that are definitely large enough to sample from next summer.

Rhexia mariana

Asclepias sp

Next was Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. We ran into some trouble identifying species of the genus Eleocharis, since a microscope is essential for differentiating between minute details in the structure of the tiny nutlets. We also saw Schoenoplectus americanus (Chairmaker’s Bulrush) and a slew of other sedges and rushes on a section of the Refuge on the side of the road. In another area, we saw tons of Typha angustifolia (Narrowleaf Cattail) among other species on our list. We made a collection of Schoenoplectus pungens (Common Three-square), though it cost us $3 per vehicle to enter that section of the Refuge.

Lauren botanizing

Pretty landscape

S. pungens seeds

Wild turkeys!

We’re finding that both Maryland and Virginia love taking money from people, be it by way of toll roads, bridges, National Forests, Nation Wildlife Refuges… you name it. Luckily our native North Carolina doesn’t charge us to enter any preserve nor to cross any bridge or use any road. To add to that, NC sites don’t seem to lack at all in quality, ease of navigation, helpfulness of rangers, etc. I’m a big fan of NC!

Next we visited (or tried to visit) Choptank Wetlands. The highlight of that visit was a sighting of a few Bald Eagles. Due to the fact that the only access road into the wetland was a road cutting through private property, and that we don’t own a boat, canoe, or kayak, we weren’t able to actually visit the site. However, on the way there we saw fields full of Hibiscus moscheutos (Crimsoneyed Rosemallow) and Kosteletzkya virginica (Virginia Saltmarsh Mallow), both of which we hope to be able to collect in the near future.

Kosteletzkya virginica

Hibiscus moscheutos

Hibiscus galore

Saggitaria flowers!

Our visit to Battle Creek Cypress Swamp was an enjoyable one, and we hope to return in the fall to collect Taxodium distichum (Bald Cypress) and other species. We only made two collections this trip, but we got a lot of scouting out of the way!

Bald Cypress Swamp

Till next time!

This past week the SOS East group visited the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We started on Hatteras Island after a 4 hour drive from our home base in Chapel Hill. Meeting up in separate vehicles at the Hatteras Lighthouse parking lot, we drove together to the Buxton Woods Coastal Preserve to begin our day of site monitoring, species identification, and seed collection.

We started off by getting a good sense of the diversity in plant species at the site. In the tidal marsh area on the Sound side of the island, we saw lots of potential. With big populations of Typha angustifolia and latifolia, Juncus roemerianus, and Schoenoplectus americanus, among others, this is sure to be a fantastic spot to return to in the coming months.

During this particular visit, we split into pairs and collected both Juncus roemerianus (Black Needle Rush) and Schoenoplectus americanus (Chairmaker’s Bulrush). The Juncus, for those of you who are not familiar, is strikingly dark in color when seen in large patches, and you may be able to point it out in the image above in the background on the right. It also requires gloves and at the very least some thick pants and sleeves to protect your skin from the needle-sharp leaves. The Schoenoplectus, on the other hand, is easy to collect from, with seed heads neatly arranged near the tip of the waist-high plant in easy to see clusters.

Our next stop was way up north, almost two hours up NC 12 along the Atlantic coast on Pine Island, just North of Duck and Kill Devil Hills. There we stayed at the Pine Island Sanctuary and spent the afternoon and following morning surveying and collecting more seeds. We ended up collecting an impressive amount of berries from Vaccinium fuscatum (Black Highbush Blueberry). Although not as tasty as our store bought (or farm fresh) Vaccinium corymbosum, this berry is abundant on its bush, and was a nice treat for us in the heat of our hot NC summer. We also made collections of Juncus effusus and Eleocharis fallax.

As we prepared for our next site, I found this little guy on my car:

Our next stop was Currituck Banks Estuarine Preserve, further north on NC 12. Although we weren’t able to see any of its famed wild horses on the beach, or its elusive wild boars, we did see lots and lots of stunning panoramic views from atop its sandy dunes!

Here we began a collection, the following morning, of Prunus serotina (Black Cherry). Despite the name, care should be taken if the berries are eaten. Any bit of the seed that is crushed by your teeth while eating the flesh will release enzymes that can convert the harmless amygdalin (found in the flesh), to cyanide. So don’t chew on the seeds!

The other beautiful view we got during our time there was in what I understand to be a maritime forest. Lots of interesting trees here!

Our last stop was Kitty Hawk Woods, where we had a nice hike through the woods to the Sound Side, accompanied by a student Intern from the University of Mars Hill in the mountains just north of Asheville, NC. We will be sure to return for more surveying, collecting, and good company.

Until next time.

This week I had the pleasure of traveling up and down the coast of Virginia and Maryland with the rest of the North Carolina Botanical Garden SOS East interns and our “fearless leader” Amanda. One spot in particular that caught my attention was Back Bay National Wildlife Reserve on the coast of Virginia just south of Virginia Beach. The land is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and encompasses 4,589 acres of protected area. Although birds are the main target as far as protection is concerned, there is a vast array of plant species, as well as some interesting animals. One such creature we encountered was this little guy:

Back Bay offers stunning views along the marsh lands as well as great spots for fishing along the Atlantic side.

Sound side

We picked an incredible day to visit Back Bay. We started out around 8 AM and got to feel the cool breeze coming off the Atlantic before the heat of the day took over.

Sand dune communities

We saw many species of plants that are on our list for seed collection, including, but certainly not limited to: Juncus effusus, Cakile edentula, Smilax rotundifolia, Typha angustifolia and Typha latifolia. Each of those listed will provide plenty of seed for us to collect in the coming months when they mature, especially the two Typha’s!

Sound

I cannot blame the many families we saw out there for visiting the site. It is a gorgeous place for biking, hiking, picnicking, birding, you name it! I can’t wait to visit time and time again for both seed collection and leisure!