Powell Mountain Karst Preserve: Biological Inventory of Vegetation Communities, Vascular Plants, and Selected Animal Groups

Powell Mountain Karst Preserve: Biological Inventory of Vegetation Communities, Vascular Plants, and Selected Animal Groups

Powell Mountain Karst Preserve: Biological Inventory of Vegetation Communities, Vascular Plants, and Selected Animal Groups Final Report Prepared by: Christopher S. Hobson For: The Cave Conservancy of the Virginias Date: 15 April 2010 This report may be cited as follows: Hobson, C.S. 2010. Powell Mountain Karst Preserve: Biological Inventory of Vegetation Communities, Vascular Plants, and Selected Animal Groups. Natural Heritage Technical Report 10-12. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage, Richmond, Virginia. Unpublished report submitted to The Cave Conservancy of the Virginias. April 2010. 30 pages plus appendices. COMMONWEALTH of VIRGINIA Biological Inventory of Vegetation Communities, Vascular Plants, and Selected Animal Groups Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation Division of Natural Heritage Natural Heritage Technical Report 10-12 April 2010 Contents List of Tables......................................................................................................................... ii List of Figures........................................................................................................................ iii Introduction............................................................................................................................ 1 Geology.................................................................................................................................. 2 Explanation of the Natural Heritage Ranking System........................................................... 3 Methods and Results.............................................................................................................. 8 Natural Community Inventory......................................................................................... 8 Botanical Inventory..........................................................................................................12 Summer Bat Inventory..................................................................................................... 12 Cave Invertebrate Inventory............................................................................................ 15 Bat Hibernacula Survey................................................................................................... 17 Bird/herp/millipede/butterfly inventory........................................................................... 18 General invertebrate trapping.......................................................................................... 23 Rare Species summary..................................................................................................... 27 Acknowledgements................................................................................................................ 29 Literature Cited and References............................................................................................. 30 i List of Tables Table 1. Global ranks for natural heritage elements............................................................................................... 4 Table 2. State ranks for natural heritage elements............................................................................................. 5 Table 3. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service species status codes, with abbreviated definitions............................ 6 Table 4. State legal status.........................................................................................................................................7 Table 5. Number of bats by species and sex for each mist net survey period, June-October 2009 at Powell Mountain Karst Preserve, Wise County, Virginia................................................................ 15 Table 6. Number of bats hibernating by species in Parson’s and Franklin Pit caves on 11 March 2010 at Powell Mountain Karst Preserve, Wise County, Virginia................................................................ 17 Table 7. Rare plants and animals found at Powell Mountain Karst Preserve, with DNH rank, Federal, and State Status..............................................................................................................27 ii List of Figures Figure 1. Approximate boundary of Powell Mountain Karst Preserve, Wise County, Virginia............................................. 1 Figure 2. Geologic map of Powell Mountain Karst Preserve, Wise County, Virginia showing approximate limits of Alluvium, Bluefield, and Greenbrier units............................................................ 2 Figure 3. Location of 19 ac (7.8 ha) stand of Appalachian Sugar Maple - Chinkapin Oak Dry Calcareous Forest at Powell Mountain Karst Preserve, Wise County, Virginia. This occurrence is part of a larger element occurrence found intermittently, in dry, rocky areas, along the western flanks of Powell Mountain....................... 10 Figure 4. Southern Appalachian Limestone Rich Cove Forest at Powell Mountain Karst Preserve, Wise County, Virginia 2010 .............................................................................................................................................. 10 Figure 5. Dry-Mesic Calcareous Forest (Sugar Maple – Northern Red Oak Type) at Powell Mountain Karst Preserve, Wise County, Virginia 2010........................................................................................... 11 Figure 6. Appalachian Sugar Maple - Chinkapin Oak Dry Calcareous Forest at Powell Mountain Karst Preserve, Wise County, Virginia 2010........................................................................................................... 11 Figure 7. Crataegous mollis (Downy Hawthorn G5 S1) from Powell Mountain Karst Preserve,Wise County, Virginia............................................................................................................................... 13 Figure 8. Crataegous calpodendron (Pear Hawthorn G5 S1) from Powell Mountain Karst Preserve, Wise County, Virginia............................................................................................................................. 14 Figure 9. Locations for Crataegous mollis (Downy Hawthorn), Crataegous calpodendron (Pear Hawthorn), and Juncus filipendulus (Texas Plains rush) at Powell Mountain Karst Preserve, Wise County, Virginia.............................................................................................................................................. 14 Figure 10. Indiana bat (Myotis sodalis) with mouth open, hibernating amongst a cluster of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) on 11 March 2010 at Franklin Pit Cave, Powell Mountain Karst Preserve, Wise County, Virginia ................................................................................................................... 18 Figure 11. Cumberland Plateau salamander (Plethodon kentucki) from Powell Mountain Karst Preserve,Wise County, Virginia.................................................................................................................... 20 Figure 12. The Mountain chorus frog (Pseudacris brachyphona) from Powell Mountain Karst Preserve, Wise County, Virginia.................................................................................................................. 20 Figure 13. A common millipede (Pseudopolydesmus canadensis) at the Powell Mountain Karst Preserve,Wise County, Virginia..................................................................................................................... 21 Figure 14. A newly emerged Henry’s Elfin (Callophrys henrici) from Powell Mountain Karst Preserve,Wise County, Virginia.................................................................................................................... 22 Figure 15. Locations of pitfall traps utilized at Powell Mountain Karst Preserve, Wise County, Virginia during 2009 field season............................................................................................................................ 23 Figure 16. Location of 4 stationary UV light traps, Malaise trap, and Lindgren Funnel Trap at Powell Mountain Karst Preserve, Wise County, Virginia, during 2009 field surveys....................................................... 24 Figure 17. Ultraviolet light trap used for invertebrate sampling at Powell Mountain Karst Preserve, Wise County, Virginia.............................................................................................................................................. 25 Figure 18. Locations of non-cave rare animal occurrences at Powell Mountain Karst Preserve, Wise County, Virginia............................................................................................................................................. 27 Figure 19. Locations of rare cave species at Powell Mountain Karst Preserve, Wise County, Virginia.................................. 28 iii Introduction The Cave Conservancy of the Virginias contracted with the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural Heritage in 2008 to conduct a biological inventory of vegetation communities, vascular plants, and selected animal groups within the Powell Mountain Karst Preserve located in Wise County, Virginia. The preserve consists of 174 acres of mostly hardwood forest, with five known caves (Franklin Pit, Omega (Blowing) Cave, Parson’s Cave, Rascal Pit, Solomon’s Seal Cave), and several sinkholes. The approximate boundary of the preserve is shown in Figure 1. The project period began in January 2009,

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