Post by rsivertsen on Sept 27, 2007 2:45:53 GMT
Big Pond is a remote, isolated beaver pond situated on top of a Catskill mountain in Orange County, near Cuddebackville, NY, where I lived during the mid 1980’s. It's a privately owned pond, and a private community, and has a fine population of S. purpuera, D. rotundifolia, D. intermedia, and several aquatic and amphibious Utrics. The bedrock is comprised of various iron-rich red shale, slate, and even some limestone. The surrounding vegetation consists of oaks, Black Spruce, pines, Tamaracks and ericaceous shrubs, particularly cranberry and various blueberry shrubs as a sub-canopy, along with Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Mountain Laurel, etc.
Back in 1984, I planted eight plants of S. flava from NC, and today, all 8 plants are still growing in their original locations, and have NOT spread, nor hybridized with the local S. purpurea; furthermore, back in 2001, I threw in a handful of Aldrovanda in a small cove, and they seem to have naturalized, but are restricted to this small cove. Large water lilies seem to be out-competing the Aldrovanda for sunlight.
The water is peaty, tea colored, acidic (pH=6.2) and warm during the summer season, but there are few shallow embankments, otherwise, the water depth drops precipitously after the edge of the floating sphagnum islands and peninsulas. However, there are a few shallows where Juncus hummocks have established themselves, and in these few areas, the Aldrovanda have also made friends, and established themselves as co-inhabitants in these few isolated areas.
Back in 1984, I planted eight plants of S. flava from NC, and today, all 8 plants are still growing in their original locations, and have NOT spread, nor hybridized with the local S. purpurea; furthermore, back in 2001, I threw in a handful of Aldrovanda in a small cove, and they seem to have naturalized, but are restricted to this small cove. Large water lilies seem to be out-competing the Aldrovanda for sunlight.
The water is peaty, tea colored, acidic (pH=6.2) and warm during the summer season, but there are few shallow embankments, otherwise, the water depth drops precipitously after the edge of the floating sphagnum islands and peninsulas. However, there are a few shallows where Juncus hummocks have established themselves, and in these few areas, the Aldrovanda have also made friends, and established themselves as co-inhabitants in these few isolated areas.
