User:Eldergristle/sandbox


 * Trees:

Within the Glades floodplain, most tree species occur in the "bog forest" habitat, which is composed primarily of a mixture of red spruce, eastern (or Canada) hemlock, yellow birch and red maple. The upland forests immediately surrounding the wetlands are dominated by these same species, but also include American beech, sugar maple, black cherry, American basswood, white ash, yellow buckeye, black birch, cucumber tree, Fraser magnolia, and northern red oak.


 * Shrubs:

The Glades' shrub layer, unlike the tree layer, is relatively species-rich. This is a consequence of the widespread presence of low- to medium-height woody plants throughout shrub swamps, forest habitats, and open glades. In the fringes of open glades and along streams, the dominant species is usually speckled alder. Also common are willow, pipestem, glade St. Johns-wort, great rhododendron, hobblebush, smooth arrowwood, wild raisin, ninebark, alternate-leaved dogwood, bunchberry, winterberry holly, mountain holly, swamp rose, the Appalachian endemic longstalked holly and many more. Most of these shrubs have markedly northern distributions, and bog rosemary and oblongfruited serviceberry are at their southernmost limits of distribution. The Canada yew is an uncommon evergreen shrub that was historically reported as abundant in the area. including here.


 * Herbs:

Many herbs with primarily northern distributions occur here, including oak fern, pod grass (collected in 1909 ), Canada mayflower, mountain bindweed, marsh marigold, goldthread, swamp saxifrage, white wood sorrel, northern white violet, Jacob's ladder and buckbean. Jacob's ladder is at its southernmost location. Grasses and sedges found here include blue joint, drooping wood reed grass, millet grass, rattlesnake mannagrass, interior sedge, and Fraser's sedge. Wild lilies in the Glades include yellow clintonia and white hellebore. Several species of orchids also grow here, such as the rose pogonia, lesser rattlesnake plantain, northern coralroot, and grass-pink orchid that are in full bloom in July. Northern (or early) coralroot is probably at its southernmost location in the eastern United States.