Visited the scar this morning with friends and observed more wetlands destruction since last weekend. There where fresh tire tracks from last night and another fire spot.
Walked the entire location, many new trails tore through the forested wetlands to the damaged vernal pools.
Will these damaged pools hold water next spring, what will happen to the frog and salamander population that need them to reproduce?
Many frogs in the water filled wheel ruts, but do not see anything for them to eat.
I guess they are hard wired for those locations, I bet they will soon be raccoon food.
Towhees, morning doves, a common yellow throat and C chickadees around.
Also got a good view of a Cooper's hawk.
Don't see many birds when the activity is going on back there. I guess they are smart enough to flee, to bad the plants and frogs can't.
Deep ruts through a nice population of Pine Barrens smoke grass from the night before, the crushed stems were still bluish green but soon will wither and turn brown.
Crushed and dying yellow eyed grass, sundews, lobelias, meadow beauties, marsh St Johnswort and countless species of grasses and sedges where ever you look.
More damage to wetlands with populations of rare plants including:
Canby's lobelia
Large headed beack rush]
Pine Barrens reed grass
Pine Barrens smoke grass a globally imperiled species.
A friend who knows more about grass like plants found small population
Longs woolgrass, a extremely rare globally imperiled species, along the edge of a damaged wetlands.
Will it survive.
My hand shakes as I take another photo of dead and dying plants.
Why?