Meadowview Biological Research Station
www.pitcherplant.org

8390 Fredericksburg Turnpike
Woodford, VA 22580
Phone (804) 633-4336
meadowview@pitcherplant.org
 
Reintroduction of Endangered Pitcher Plant to North Carolina
In March 1998 we reintroduced the endangered mountain sweet pitcher plant, Sarracenia rubra ssp. jonesii [Wherry] Wherry (Figs. 1 & 2), to a boggy habitat at Falling Creek Camp for Boys in Henderson County, North Carolina (Fig. 3 & 4).  This project fulfilled both ecological and educational objectives.  The reintroduction occurred within the historic range of this very rare pitcher plant species as recommended by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Murdock 1990) and allows staff at Falling Creek to educate youth about rare species and the function of carnivorous plants in wetland habitats. 
Sarracenia rubra ssp. jonesii naturally occurred in mountain bogs, possibly modified by beaver activity (Figs. 5-7), or rare cataract colonies on the edges of streams on massive granite formations (Figs. 8-10). 
 

Click on any thumbnail image for enlarged view.

 
 

Falling Creek

Current status of the project

Fig. 1. 		 Sarracenia rubra ssp. jonesii in propagation in natural setting at Vole Haven Research Tract.  Property owned by Meadowview member Bill Scholl. Mr. Scholl donated stock for the Falling Creek project. Sarracenia jonesii seedlings, germinated on-site from seed, approaching maturity, 4/02.        
 

Fig. 2. 		 Closeup of S. rubra ssp. jonesii. Sarracenia jonesii on sphagnous pond border, 4/02.
 

Fig. 3.		 Sphagnous border of pond edge was used for planting.  Sarracenia jonesii and orange-fringed orchid (Platanthera ciliaris) flourish on pond border, 7/02.
 

Fig. 4.		 Small gaps were cleared on pond edge and both seed and plants used in project.  All planting sites were flagged and number of seeds sown per site recorded in order to assess most efficient reintroduction efforts.   
 

Fig. 5.		 Beaver are ecological engineers that can have a dramatic influence on their local and regional environment.  Flooding and browsing by beavers starts a successional event on pond margins by controlling woody vegetation.   
 

Fig. 6. 		 Beavers eventually abandon pond sites, water levels drop, and exposed organic and mineral soils offer recruitment sites for herbaceous species.  
 

Fig. 7. 		 Results of our experiments with S. rubra ssp. jonesii on beaver pond at Vole Haven (Sheridan and Mills 1998).  
 

Fig. 8. 		 Exposed granite on mountain cataract.  
 

Fig. 9. 		 Joe Duckett, of Falling Creek Camp for Boys, examines S. rubra ssp. jonesii during the winter of 1997.  
 

Fig. 10. 		 Sarracenia rubra ssp. jonesii in bloom.  

 
  
Literature Cited
Murdock, N. 1990. Recovery plan for mountain sweet pitcher plant (Sarracenia rubra ssp. jonesii [Wherry] Wherry). U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Atlanta, Georgia. 38pp.
Sheridan, P. and R. Mills. 1998. Genetics of anthocyanin deficiency in Sarracenia L. HortScience 33(6):1042-1045.

More information on Falling Creek Pitcher Plant Restoration:

http://www.pitcherplant.org/fallingcreek/fallinglink.html