My AP envionmental science class is taking a trip to Rabun County Georgia to go camping and see several endangered plant species. We are visiting Tallulah Gorge, which is in a protected state park. I heard somewhere several years ago (I forgot from where) that D.rotundifolia lives on the walls of the Gorge. I have looked all over the internet to try to confirm this, but all I the information I could find was that D.rotundifolia grows in Georgia's appalachian foothills and is apparently "very rare" there.
I always thought D.rotundifolia was a bog plant, I have never heard of it growing vertically on cliffs. I visited Tallulah Gorge several years ago and hiked to the bottom of the gorge, but unfortunately, it was during a severe rainstorm and visibillity was very limited. I have seen a few pics of D.rotundifolia growing in "cataract bogs" with S.purpurea v. venosa ssp. montana. Cataract bogs are basically small clumps of sphagnum and vegetation clinging to rocks in the middle of rapids. I have never seen pics of D.rotundifolia growing vertically on cliffs, however.
When I get to Tallulah Gorge, where should I look for sundews? Tallulah gorge is a cool, wet microclimate. The cliffs are often dripping with water covered in thin vegetation like sphagnum. There are also many cataract bogs and a lot of sphag at the bottom of Tallulah Gorge.
Although Tallulah Gorge is federally protected and appears to be a perfect habitat for CPs and is in the range of several species (D.rotundifolia, D.capillaris, S.purpurea) I don't know if there are any populations there.
Can anyone confirm the presence of D.rotundifolia, or any other CP for that matter, at Tallulah Gorge?
I always thought D.rotundifolia was a bog plant, I have never heard of it growing vertically on cliffs. I visited Tallulah Gorge several years ago and hiked to the bottom of the gorge, but unfortunately, it was during a severe rainstorm and visibillity was very limited. I have seen a few pics of D.rotundifolia growing in "cataract bogs" with S.purpurea v. venosa ssp. montana. Cataract bogs are basically small clumps of sphagnum and vegetation clinging to rocks in the middle of rapids. I have never seen pics of D.rotundifolia growing vertically on cliffs, however.
When I get to Tallulah Gorge, where should I look for sundews? Tallulah gorge is a cool, wet microclimate. The cliffs are often dripping with water covered in thin vegetation like sphagnum. There are also many cataract bogs and a lot of sphag at the bottom of Tallulah Gorge.
Although Tallulah Gorge is federally protected and appears to be a perfect habitat for CPs and is in the range of several species (D.rotundifolia, D.capillaris, S.purpurea) I don't know if there are any populations there.
Can anyone confirm the presence of D.rotundifolia, or any other CP for that matter, at Tallulah Gorge?