Natural Community: Rich Boulderfield Forest
Learn More
Other Websites
The plentiful rocks in this natural community are rich in minerals that promote plant growth. As they weather, they help create fertile soil.
Credits
Created by Virginia Pellington, Christina Prehn, and Robert Copus, Explore Natural Communities Interns Summer 2016, NatureServe.
Music: Cattails, by Kevin Macleod (incompitech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0
Photo: Rich Boulderfield Forest, by 2016 Summer Interns. Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0.
Transcript
Podcast time: 1:48 minutes
When you think of a thriving ecosystem, you probably aren’t thinking about rocks. But in the Rich Boulderfield Forest, rocks are an essential part of what brings life to the area. On some steep slopes above the Potomac River, a multitude of rocks blanket the landscape—ranging from tiny, loose fragments to boulders up to several meters across. While the Rich Boulderfield Forest does have areas of deep, rich soils where it is easy for trees to take root, boulders dominate the hillside in large patches. Just looking at it, you would be amazed that a natural community could thrive here among the boulders at all, with so little room for plants to grow. Yet, pockets of soil have formed in small spaces between these calcium-rich boulders.
This soil is packed with minerals that are essential for many plants—like calcium, and magnesium, which have weathered from the rock by repeated storms and extreme temperatures—making it the ultimate food for a diversity of plants. So, even here where space is tight, several trees, shrubs, and small plants will grow. One of these is the sugar maple tree. Ever seen a Canadian flag? Featured front and center is the sugar maple leaf, which has five points and smooth edges and is easy to identify in this community. A knee-high fern called marginal woodfern is another plant that’s easy to spot here.
On top of the boulders themselves, plant life is much more sparse, as you might imagine! In some places, however, you can find mosses and the small rock cap fern, or “rock polypody” (Polypodium virginianum), growing directly on the boulders with no soil at all—true survivalists!
The Rich Boulderfield Forest shows us how adaptable nature is; so remember, when life appears rocky, don’t give up—there may be room to grow.