Isolated section of floodplain along the Laurel Fork River. The opening is surrounded by a Picea rubens - Tsuga canadensis forested swamp. The upland forest to the East is Tsuga canadensis / Rhododendron maximum. 50m southwest of this obs. point the wetland opens up Thelypteris palustris - Osmunda cinnamomea - Carex echinata / Sphagnum and only a few low Photinia. There is an old rail road grade/trail which crosses the edge of the wetland. Across river from point is a hay field. There is a Forest Service road south from plot upslope. This was not here 10-years ago. Then this place felt very isolated. It was a 5 mile hike to get here. Now it's an easy drive from Panther Ridge to the river.;Open shrub swamp dominated by Nemopanthus mucronata and Ilex verticillata. The shrubs are confined to hummocks. In between the shrubby hummocks it is more of a typical poor fen fed by upland seepage. No sign of river flooding. Successionally the shrubland is overtaking the "bog". The Osmunda is turning brown at the time of the survey and the Ilex is in full berry. It is very picturesque and I forgot my camera.
Representativeness
Small patch of shrub swamp. I was here 10-12 years ago and it was more of your standard Osmunda cinnamomea - Eriophorum virginicum / Sphagnum poor fen. The shrubs have enclosed from the edges. The community is similar to a plot at Condon Run. Last time I
