Number 544 - Virginia Bluebells

Virginia Bluebells, Mertensia virginica, has been added to the flora list as the 544^th plant species known to reside within the borders of Blue Jay Barrens.  This is a rather common native species for this area that I knew was to be found growing in the floodplains downstream of my property.  Since the seeds of floodplain plants are generally moved by flood waters in a downstream direction, I thought it unlikely that Virginia Bluebells would show up here.  Four individual plants were discovered, but only one produced blooms this year.

The other three plants exist as only a few leaves.

To the West, Blue Jay Barrens tapers to a long narrow point which contains a short segment of Creek bounded on both sides by extremely steep slopes. I refer to this area as Farpoint because, at a distance of six tenths of a mile, it is the farthest point away from my back door. The length of the Creek from property line to property line is only about 160 feet. The thing that makes Farpoint interesting is the fact that the Creek is fed by a different watershed than that which maintains the Creek on the east side of the property. Several the plants on the Blue Jay Barrens flora list exist only at Farpoint and I credit the Farpoint watershed as being a major cause of that fact.

I would guess these plants to be two or three years old. If they survive, I would not be surprised to see them flowering next year or the year after.

All of the plants are growing in that precarious gravel bar area within the actual creek banks. A major flash flood event could easily remove both vegetation and gravel from the site. If I find that the flowering individual produces viable seed, I will probably take the liberty of scattering some of that seed in the more stable area about the creek bank. Perhaps in a few years, Farpoint will display a few nice clumps of Virginia Bluebells.