A field in Durham, NC with many native plants, including Arnica and an insectivorous dwarf sundew. Bennett Place, the historic site where the largest surrender in the Civil War took place, has 40 acres of woods and field in the headwaters of Ellerbe Creek. Sundew, more typically found closer to the coast, grows here due to the very unusual soil, which can get hard as a rock when dry, yet harbors sphagnum moss. The oldest trees in the Bennett Place woods are post oaks and shortleaf pines. Some of the oaks date back to the time of the surrender, making them "witness trees." These tree species are typical of savannas that are kept open by periodic fire. Large patches of blueberry beneath the trees also suggest that the woods had periodic low-level fires sweep through in an earlier era, when steam engines would cast sparks as they passed by on the train tracks at the back of the property.
18 сен 2024
