Several sinkhole ponds at the low position between two "knobs" of Harper Ridge. This plot is located along the northern edge of the largest pond (2). To the east ~100m is plot BERK.2 (pond 1). This is an open herb community of Carex lupulina-Scirpus ancistrochaetus. Two other ponds were observed. A small wet depression of 400 square meters and consisting of Leerzia oryzoides-Carex lupulina-Scirpus ancistrochaetus. The fourth pond was roughly 1000 square meters, open and muck with Nuphar on the edge and Carex lupulina-Scirpus ancistrochaetus-Leersia dominance. Most of pond two is dense buttonbush swamp with Scirpus ancistrochaetus. The surrounding is a dry logged out oak-hickory forest with dense Smilax rotundifolia. To the east of the ponds it is roughly 200m to the ridgetop. The forest is criss-crossed with ATV trails.;Narrow band of pin oak swamp. The pin oaks are growing on raised hummocks. In the lows, several dozen tussocks of scirpus ancistrochaetus are growing. Much of the forest floor appears to pond in the lows with little vegetation growing here. The area seems unusually dry. The community has been heavily trampled by deer, probably because it is the most open area with buttonbush 6m south and dense greenbrier, 6 m norrth. The browseline is heavy on all palatable S2 and herb species. The scirpus also occurs in small openings within the adjacent buttonbush swamp which is 40m wide north to south and 60m long east to west. It is drier than other CEOC swamps that I have sampled.
Representativeness
Plot sized patch of Quercus palustris swamp growing along the edge of a sinkhole pond. Plot was placed to sample the pin oak and the federally listed northeastern pond rush.
