Federation Blog

If you thought keeping up with the Kardashians was tough, try keeping up with Kudzu! Also known as the Foot-a-Night-Vine and the Vine that ate the South, this Japanese native can grow up to a foot a day. Kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata) is an incredibly invasive woody vine that will consume the landscape from the ground to the top of the trees.

Kudzu was first brought to the States in 1876 to be displayed at the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition, better known as the World Fair. After that, kudzu grew in popularity as an ornamental plant, soil conservation ground cover, and livestock feed. (Source: Sierra Club) By 1976, the USDA declared kudzu a noxious weed.

Keeping up with kudzu is certainly a challenge but that didn’t deter Master Watershed Stewards Nancy Tait and Leslie Riddle from teaming up with Edgewater Beach Citizen’s Association’s Joan Scott to remove the kudzu in their community. The team was awarded a mini grant from the South River Federation and also received funding from the Forestry Board and their community.

The process began back in the fall by first spraying the area, a steep hill overlooking the South River, with an herbicide. After the vines died back, community volunteers removed five large truckloads of kudzu and took it to the County landfill. Annual rye grass was then planted on the hill. Watershed Stewards Leslie and Nancy along with Joan plan to reassess the area this spring and will continue to battle the kudzu until the hill is reclaimed by native plants.

    

At Left: Master Watershed Steward Leslie Riddle chopping down the thick, woody kudzu vine.

At Right: Edgewater Beach community members removing the dead kudzu

Winter weather has arrived in the South River, and most life has settled down throughout the watershed. Snakes, turtles, and frogs are hibernating. Our summer songbirds have, for the most part, left the area. Blue crabs and most fish species have also left the River in order to spend it in the slightly warmer waters of the lower Chesapeake Bay. People have settled down too - the River is free of paddlers, crabbers, and anglers, and indeed most boats have been winterized for a month or more, and now sit high and dry on trailers or boat lifts.

But if you look closely enough around the watershed, there are still signs of life. Otters and beavers continue their work. A light waterfowl migration has brought some additional ducks and geese to the River. And as of the new year - one native, yellow, flower still bloomed - the common or Virginia Witch-hazel. 

If you're out in the woods in December or even in a mild January, you're unlikely to see a lot of color unless you see a blooming Witch-hazel - literally one of the latest blooming plants in the forest. I've read some theories that this late bloom is an adaptation to the "availability" of bees and other pollinators on warm days in late fall and early winter - very little competition from other blooming plants. So where does this magical plant live around the South River, and how can someone recognize it?

Witch-hazel is pretty recognizable during the growing season because of its shrubby growth, broad, toothed leaves, and zig-zagging twigs holding cone-like seed pods year-round. It rarely grows more than 15 feet tall and the leaves turn bright yellow in the fall, prior to the appearance of its distinct yellow flowers. The shrub prefers to live along the edges of shady woodlands and bright yards or fields, in moist, acidic soils that are high in organic matter.

If this sounds like a spot that you know, maybe you already have a Witch-hazel! If not, they make are readily available at local plant nurseries. Witch-hazel's tolerance of deer browse, its amazing fall foliage and winter flowers, and its resistance to both pollution and pests make it a compelling native plant specimen for almost any landscape in the South River watershed.

The Wilelinor restoration site received some holiday cheer over the weekend! On a beautiful December morning, a team of South River Federation volunteers came together to do maintenance work on the site. Volunteers began the day by spreading 15 bales of peat moss under the Atlantic white cedars (Chamaecyparis thyoides) lining the stream and wetland pool. The peat moss served as a soil amendment to adjust the pH value. We hope that by spreading peat moss around the cedars, there will be an increase in germination and seedlings.

Next, volunteers armed with limb saws and loppers, tackled and removed sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) and sycamore (Plantanus occidentalis) trees. Why would we want to remove these trees? Many had begun to grow close to the cedars, blocking out the full sunlight that the cedars need to grow. The shade makes it especially difficult for new seedlings to survive.

Atlantic white cedars were specially chosen for this restoration site because of their efficiency and effectiveness at processing pollution and removing nutrients. Cedars also tend to do well in acidic wetland environments and provide important habitat for wildlife. For example, in North Carolina, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that over 39 species of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians and over 46 species of birds were reported to use Atlantic white cedar wetlands.

While most of the group was hard at work tackling the sweetgum trees, others removed invasive vines and cleared out a large section of invasive green bamboo. Thank you to all of our volunteers and South River Watershed Stewards for making this day a success! We could not have done it without your hard work. Thank you Edgewater Starbucks for donating coffee to keep us warm and motivated!

What and Where is Wilelinor?

This beautiful site located right off of Route 2 across from Admiral Cochrane Drive. This area is one of the headwaters for the southern branch of Church Creek, a tributary to the South River. Located near large areas of impervious surfaces, this restoration site is able to properly convey stormwater going into Church Creek. This project has enhanced water quality, aquatic habitat, and ecological functions. Routine maintenance, such as this volunteer event on Saturday, is important to keep this site functioning properly.

This morning (Oct 7, 2011) I took my first flight in a small aircraft in 32 years. I rode with my collegue and board member Lynn Buehl over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge to the Bay Bridge Aiport and the whole drive I was fraught with excitment and trepedation. I always have been nervous about heights and have always been a nervous flyer. Lynn and I meet our pilot that flew down from New Jersey to take us on our adventure over the South River Watershed. Pilot Mr. Mike McNamara is one of many volunteer pilots for a non-profit group called LightHawk. This is a great organization set-up to provide flights to other non-profits or academics for research and advocay. I submitted a proposal to search for SAV, clean-water plumes, and 5 legacy landfills. As I first got in the plane, my thought was "oh my goodness, I am not going to make it". But, as we tore down the runway toward the Chesapeake Bay and delicately lifted off into the air and over the Bay Bridge- I became totally filled with excitement and started taking pictures. Being in a small plane over the Chesapeake Bay and the South River is indescribably amazing. I was horrified at the amounts of debris still in the Bay. Then, as we approach the South River- both Lynn and I became very distressed at how our beatiful South River looked. Sediment plumes and oil plumes everywhere- brown water all over. Then as week approached South River Farm Park, where Pam Wood of the Capitol and I kayaked looking for our Submerged Aquatic Vegetation- the planes wings tipped and there is was. Our SAV survived Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee!! What a blessing that our grasses survived such storms!! I am showing 300 pictures, and although I am not a professional photographer, I hope you enjoy them.----Diana, South Riverkeeper

Wednesday was anything but a typical day at the office. Jennifer and I were offered the unique opportunity to travel to Poplar Island with the US Fish & Wildlife (USFW) to participate in a Common and Least Tern monitoring study. Neither one of us had gone to Poplar Island, so we jumped at the chance, packed up our bags, and met the USFW at their boat bright and early on Wednesday morning.

Once home to almost 100 people, Poplar Island had a post office, general store, and a combination church/schoolhouse located on the island. It is a place that has gone through many changes over the centuries. First settled in 1632, Poplar Island was estimated to be around 1100 acres. Due to tree clearing for farming, by 1999 the island had dwindled down to 2 acres and it was quickly disappearing into the Chesapeake Bay. The State of Maryland established the Poplar Island Restoration Project in efforts to restore the island to its original land mass. The project has been very successful, with them reaching the original size of 1100 acres. The goal is to add another 500 acres to complete the project.

After landing at the dock, we checked in and all of us climbed into a van and off we went to the first Least Tern monitoring site. We had been told by both the USFW and the USGS that we would need to be extra careful where we walked because the nests are on the ground and the chicks and eggs are hard to see. As you will see in the slideshow, they were not kidding! The nests are small depressions in the ground, the eggs are the same color as the sand, and chicks are so tiny that they blend in with their surroundings. Jennifer and I were extra careful for the rest of the day where we stepped.

The day was not all butterflies and unicorns, we did experience the “circle of life” when it came to the birds. We saw nests that had been filled in with sediment from rainstorms, eggs that had been cracked open, and even three dead adult terns. The cause of death for these terns was pretty dramatic—one was decapitated, we only found the mandible of one, and the last one only the wings were left. After seeing these birds, the USFW set up cameras in the areas, but they are sure these deaths mean there are owls on the island. Altogether, we monitored four Common and Least Tern nesting sites. It was an amazing day looking at monitoring all of the nests, eggs, chicks, and getting to learn more about the history of Poplar Island. And we saw more than just terns during the day. We saw a Bald eagle, and immature Bald eagle, Great Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets, many shorebirds, Terrapin nests, and even some very small toads.

“It was a special opportunity that I got to be a part of because I am a CCC intern and because of the great relationship the South River Federation has with the USFW” said Jennifer. And she was right, Jennifer and I had an amazing day learning about the restoration project, taking pictures of shorebirds, and of course watching where we walked.

Driving up Muddy Creek Road this morning, stopped, waiting for the light at 214 to turn green, I noticed a healthy stand of trumpet vine (Campsis radicans) in bloom.  Its bright orange flowers are showy are hard to miss, but looking a little more closely, I saw two hummingbirds (I think they were ruby-throated (Archilochus colubris)) flitting in and out of the blossoms, sipping their nectar.

It's rare enough to see one hummingbird, but to see two together is quite a treat.  If you've got trumpet vine growing up a nearby trellis or tree, keep your eyes peeled and you may spy one of these little marvels yourself.

 

 

It's rare that you'll hear me touting the virtues of invasive plants.  Very rare. But during this time of year, I'm willing to make one exception.  In late June or early July, the wineberries (Rubus phoenicolasius) are out in full force, and if you can find them when they're ripe, they're an exquisite, locally-grown, organic (most likely) treat.

Whether popping them in your mouth by the handful, or putting them on top of an ice cream sundae, these deep red berries are sweet relief in the dog days of summer. As a rule, the darker the berries, the riper (and sweeter) they are.  

Wineberry bushes are often found at the edge of disturbed forests, or along road edges where they haven't been completely shaded out.   A visit to one of our local parks late last week confirmed that now is the time to go out and start harvesting if you're a fan of these juicy treats.

Eating the berries yourself has the added environmental benefit of keeping those seed-laden morsels from wildlife who have helped to spread the invasive plant far and wide through their droppings.

 Disclaimer: Before you eat any wild fruits or berries, please make sure that you have properly identified them.   It is possible to get sick (or worse) from eating poisonous plant parts.

Just as the trees and shrubs in the watershed have exploded in green in the past couple of weeks, the river's ephemeral sub-aquatic vegetation (SAV) has begun to spring forth.  The photo below from member John Koontz was taken on Flat Creek and shows the first sprouts of horned pondweed taking hold in the bottom of the creek.   Unfortunately, because the horned pondweed gives way when the water warms up in June, it is not counted on annual surveys of SAV.  Nevertheless, we always appreciate updates from people using the river if they happen to seen any SAV present.

As luck would have it, a couple of weeks ago I was talking with the Choptank Riverkeeper (and former South Riverkeeper) Drew Koslow about a huge stand of wild rice (Zizania aquatica) I thought I saw while driving over the Choptank.  Drew confirmed that what I saw was, in fact, wild rice, near the Route 404 crossing of the river, and we chatted a bit about how I had seen patches of it on Flat Creek and elsewhere around the river.

Within minutes of hanging up, Drew called back.  He was crossing the headwaters on Route 450 and looking north up Bacon Ridge Branch he saw acres of wild rice stretching as far as the eye could see.  We were both audibly excited (we're kind of odd that way) and I told him I'd check it out next time I had the chance.  Well, today, out for a living shoreline site visit with Diana, we had the opportunity to see for ourselves and it was pretty beautiful (see below).

You may be saying to yourself at this point, "What's so special about wild rice?"  Well, among other things, it's not that common a site in the watershed, but historically it was quite abundant and was a very important food source for both waterfowl and humans.  The native Americans considered it a very important part of their culture and in many places today it is considered a culinary delicacy. That's to say nothing of the beauty of the plant's showy seed heads (below).

It also tends to occur side-by-side with phragmites, and I hold out some hope that eventually it may be able to crowd out the invasive wetland plant. 

The wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa) has been in bloom for several weeks now, but even with its flowers almost spent the butterflies (I think this one is a Golden-banded Skipper (Autochton cellus)) are out in force harvesting its pollen.

Bergamot is in the mint family, and is a close relative of the more commonly known bee balm (Monarda didyma), which has brilliant red flowers of a similar shape.