Serpentine barrens
Article Abstract:
Serpentine barrens are grasslands with underlying rocks containing the mineral serpentine. Serpentine barrens are high in heavy and toxic metals and low in nutrients, but they are home to unique plants which can adapt to the chemistry of the soil. Botanists are fascinated by the hardy and adaptable prairie grasses and wildflowers such as asters and goldenrod which live in the hostile environment. Serpentine barrens appear to thrive after fires and prescribed burns have been used to maintain the few existing grasslands.
Publication Name: The American Gardener
Subject: Home and garden
ISSN: 1087-9978
Year: 1997
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Lichens: woodland watchdogs
Article Abstract:
Lichens co-exist harmlessly with higher plants and can help in nitrogen fixation as well as analysis of pollution and plant varieties. Lichens result from a combination of algae and fungi which live symbiotically with both each other and their host plant. They derive food from dust or moisture in the air and are found in every ecosystem in the world. Lichens should be understood and appreciated for their diversity, longevity, and positive environmental impact.
Publication Name: The American Gardener
Subject: Home and garden
ISSN: 1087-9978
Year: 1997
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Pilgrimage to cranberry bog
Article Abstract:
Twelve acres remain of a sphagnum bog ecosystem that covered large areas of the northern United States and Canada more than 13,000 years ago. The Cranberry Bog State Nature Preserve, about 30 miles east of Columbus, Ohio, is host to a variety of unusual and endangered species of bog plants. In an effort to preserve the fragile ecosystem, the sphagnum moss island is open to the public one day a year, generally on the fourth Saturday in June.
Publication Name: The American Gardener
Subject: Home and garden
ISSN: 1087-9978
Year: 1997
User Contributions:
Comment about this article or add new information about this topic:
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