SOLIDAGO The Newsletter of the Finger Lakes Native Plant Society Volume 11, No. 4 December 2010 Bailey’s sedge – Carex baileyi A New Addition to the flora of Tompkins County as well as the Cayuga Lake the Flora of Tompkins County and the Cayuga Basin. A voucher specimen (DW 3802) was collected and Lake Basin will be deposited at BH. by David Werier Carex baileyi is a species of the Appalachian Mountains (Reznicek and Ford 2002) and in New York is From July 5th-7th, 2010 I taught a sedge workshop primarily a wetland species of acidic soils. Its range for the New York Flora Association based out of the Bailey extends from Maine and Quebec southwest to North Hortorium (BH) at Cornell University (see Daniel [2010] Carolina and Tennessee (Reznicek and Ford 2002) with the for a summary of the Biota of North America workshop). We visited Project (BONAP, 2010) South Hill (Tompkins also listing it from County, Town of Ithaca) on Alabama and Arkansas. July 6th and towards the end of our time at this site two Status in central New of my astute students, Julie York Lundgren and Rich Ring, found a specimen of Carex Carex baileyi has baileyi (Bailey’s sedge). It not previously been was growing in a recently reported from Tompkins created clearing in the County (Dudley 1886, forest with an abundant and Wiegand and Eames dense sedge and grass 1926, Smith 1945, cover. The site had been Clausen 1949, Wesley et clearcut to erect a research al. 2008, Weldy and wind tower which has since Werier 2010). It has been removed. All woody been reported from plants that are attempting to Tioga County (Fenno regenerate at the site 1903) and from the (except a few inside tall upper Susquehanna River drainage (as C. fences) are being heavily browsed by deer and are Carex baileyi (Bailey’s sedge) and the lurida [var.] gracilis) in not attaining any height. On similar C. lurida (sallow sedge) Clute’s (1898) flora of that region. Although at ___________________________________________ the other hand, the sedges and grasses that have Illustration by Susan A. Reznicek least a small part of the grown since the clearing upper Susquehanna was created are extremely Reprinted from Reznicek and Ford (2002), page 508. River drainage occurs in robust, abundant, and Tompkins County, diverse. Most of the seeds of these sedges and grasses were Tompkins County is excluded from the territory covered by likely in the seed bank just “waiting” for a disturbance. Clute’s (1898) flora. The area covered by his flora is to the I had not seen C. baileyi in Tompkins County west, south, and east of Tompkins County. He does not before and determined that it was indeed a new addition to continued on page 10 1 Become A Member of FLNPS: THE FINGER LAKES NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY To become a member of FLNPS (suggested dues $20 [$10 Steering Committee Members students]) send your name, address, phone number, and Charlotte Acharya: ) at large email along with your dues to: Krissy Faust: Projects (chair) Finger Lakes Native Plant Society Meena Haribal: interim webmeister 532 Cayuga Heights Road Mark Inglis: at large Ithaca, NY 14850 David Keifer: Treasurer Rick Lightbody: at large THANKS!!! Susanne Lorbeer: Outings and Education NAME THAT PLANT CONTEST Rosemarie Parker: Secretary and Assistant Newsletter Editor The photo from last issue’s (Solidago 11(3)) name that Dan Segal: at large plant contest was of May apple (Podophyllum peltatum). Anna Stalter: ) Congratulations to the contest winners Betsy Darlington, President, Outings & Education (chair) Bob Dirig, Ken Hull, David Keifer, and Susanne Lorbeer. David Werier: ) This issue’s plant contest is pictured below. Please Newsletter Editor submit your answers to David Werier (email and address in Bob Wesley: Outings and Education box to the right). The plant is a relatively common species of central New York although the photo makes the subject ********************************************************** perhaps a little more difficult to identify. There is also an Send all correspondence regarding the newsletter extra bonus question. Which subspecies is pictured? to: David Werier, Editor, Common and/or scientific names are acceptable. More than or email one guess is allowed. Hints and suggestions are often [email protected] provided to contest participants who try. The photo was taken on 12 June, 2010 in Tompkins County, NY. NEXT NEWSLETTER DEADLINE January 14th, 2011 Please send items for the newsletter to David Werier, editor (email noted in box above). The deadline for the next newsletter is Friday January 14th. As always, we need your pieces to help make this newsletter lively, interesting, and informative. Items to send can include articles, stories, trip reports, drawings, photos, information on relevant upcoming events, letters to the editor, and more. Thanks again for your help in making this newsletter possible. Photo by David Werier 2 Ithaca's Third Annual Designing with Announcing the Northeast Natural History Native Plants Symposium Conference 2011 and the Founding Meeting of the Association of Northeastern Biologists Friday and Saturday, March 4th and 5th, 2011 Location: La Tourelle Resort & Spa, Ithaca NY What's this symposium really about? We believe many issues of overall sustainability find an elegant intersection in native horticulture, ecology, and the use of native plants. Many discussions of sustainability, Join us for the 11th Northeast Natural History Conference including local ones here in Ithaca, often overlook the (NENHC) and the historic first meeting of the Association relevant role of horticulture and landscaping, and the of Northeastern Biologists (ANB). As with past years, this fundamental use of native plants in clean, green practices. conference will be held at the Empire State Plaza Our goal is to connect local horticulture and the local use Convention Center in Albany, NY. This conference of native plants to a larger movement. promises to be the largest regional forum for researchers, natural resource managers, students, and naturalists to In other parts of the country, similar conferences have present current information on the varied aspects of applied promoted natural landscaping and native plants to the field biology (freshwater, marine, and terrestrial) and forefront of horticulture, ecology, and sustainability from a natural history for the Northeastern United States and previously marginal position. This conference is an adjacent Canada. It will serve as a premier venue to attempt to do the same for the Finger Lakes and upstate identify research and management needs, foster friendships NY. and collegial relationships, and encourage a greater region- wide interest in natural history by bringing people with A formal registration email with all the relevant details will diverse backgrounds together. be sent out in mid-December, 2010. To get this email or for any questions or information contact Dan Segal For more information visit the NENHC website at ([email protected]). http://www.eaglehill.us/NENHC_2011/NENHC2011.shtml Pictured below are two native plant gardens that FLNPS members have been involved in designing, planting, and maintaining. On the left is the garden in front of the offices of the Finger Lakes Land Trust on the corner of Court and Tioga Streets in Ithaca, New York. On the right is the garden at the Paleontological Research Institute’s Museum of the Earth off of Rt. 96 in Ithaca. Stop by these gardens and tell us what you think. Photo by Nick Otis Photo by Nick Otis 3 Beaver Meadow State Forest Takes Unprecedented In addition, I have included an email interview that I Steps to Improve Its Forest’s Health via Deer conducted with Christopher Sprague, a region 7 DEC Management forester. by David Werier DMAP on Beaver Meadow State Forest I spend a significant amount of time exploring and (from DEC website) studying the natural areas throughout New York State. The Division of Lands and Forests in Sherburne, Increasingly, I have become alarmed at the poor condition NY has received a permit from the Bureau of Wildlife to of these natural areas. It has become abundantly clear that participate in the Deer Management Assistance Program the level of deer browse in many parts of New York has (DMAP) on Beaver Meadow State Forest in the towns of reached alarmingly high levels and the associated Smyrna and Otselic in Chenango County. As a result, the degradation of the land is striking (see the December 2009 Sherburne Forestry office will have DMAP tags available special issue of Solidago 10(4) on white-tailed deer and for use on Beaver Meadow State Forest this hunting season their impact on native plants). This past fall, I was for interested hunters with a valid license. Tags are valid exploring the new addition to the Finger Lakes Land only for antlerless deer and will be loaned out on a weekly Trust’s (FLLT) Roy H. Park Preserve in the headwaters of basis, determined by lottery drawing, depending on Six Mile Creek in Tompkins County. While I was demand. extremely excited that the FLLT was the new owner of this ecological significant land and that it would now remain in Why is DMAP necessary on Beaver Meadow State an undeveloped state I was literally shocked by the health Forest? of the vegetation as the result of deer browse. Did it really matter that the FLLT now owned this parcel? Would they DEC foresters have determined that browsing by have the foresight, knowledge, and ability to help the deer is negatively impacting the forest beyond what plants remain healthy or even simply prevent them from traditional hunting and forest management can address. becoming extirpated? Tree regeneration, wildflowers and other herbaceous plants So when I heard about Beaver Meadow State Forest have been repeatedly damaged and degraded by persistent participating in the Deer Management Assistance Program overbrowsing by deer.