Credits

Created by Christine Stephens, Explore Natural Communities Intern Summer 2017, NatureServe.

Sounds: Big Flying Insect, by arnaud coutancier (freesound.org). Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0. YELLMapleFire, by NPS (freesound.org). Public Domain. Indigo Bunting, insects, and other birds recorded by ENC Interns 2017. Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0.

Music: Fretless, by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0.

Photo: Heath, by Gary Fleming (flickr.com). Licensed under Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0.

References:
Hillside Blueberry
Kalmia latifolia (mountain laurel)

Transcript

This podcast mentions the interactive map of Prince William Forest Park. Check it out! 

Podcast time: 2:12 minutes

[crickets and bird chirping fades in]

On the Explore Natural Communities website, and in our podcasts, you may notice the term "heath" is used a lot to describe plants, especially in Prince William Forest Park. They're an important part of the communities here, but what the heck are they? [music starts]

Heath (Ericaceae family) refers to a family of shrubs that thrive in acidic soils having few nutrients. Some common species in this family are blueberries (Vaccinium spp.), huckleberries (Gaylussacia spp.), mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia), and azaleas (Rhododendron spp.). You will find all of these shrubs here at Prince William!

They have simple leaves, each one shaped kind of like a miniature football. Blueberries and huckleberries grow low to the ground, usually not higher than your knees. Their flowers look like small bells or urns, and they produce dark, edible, sweet berries in the summer. Wildlife like birds and bears depend on these summer fruits for food. Mountain laurel is an evergreen shrub with squiggly stems. Neither mountain laurel nor azaleas have edible fruits, but their beautiful pink and white flowers attract pollinators in the spring. [bee buzzing] Without heath shrubs, [birds chirping] birds and other mammals would be much less protected from predators and the elements while on or near the ground. Heaths have extensive root systems that allow them to quickly regrow after fires. [crackling fire fades in] In fact, fire seems to make these plants grow even better by stimulating vigorous growth. You’ll find that heath shrubs are pretty successful where fires have spread up slopes and onto hilltops. [fire fades out]

[music begins again]

If you want to see more heath at Prince William, take a look at the Oak – Beech / Heath Forest or the Mixed Oak / Heath Forest. You can find both of these communities on your mobile map.

If you're visiting a heath community and can't seem to find any heath bushes, look carefully for small sprouts close to the ground. Heath shrubs are very tasty to wildlife like deer, who may have eaten them all up. Lack of fire may also reduce the size of heath populations, but research still needs to be done to figure out exactly why. [crickets fade in]

Keep an eye out for heath in the understory and near the ground as you hike around the park. Now that you know what it looks like, you'll start seeing it all the time!

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