Date: Tue, 9 May 2000 14:56:18 EDT From: Webspur@aol.com To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg1457$foo@default> Subject: More on Florida CP habitats
Yes, it is a sad story but this has been going on since man arrived in this
region. CP bogs are destroyed on a regular basis to make way for man's
necessities along the southeastern US coastal area. Much of this region was
at one time bogland and savannah. Once upon a time there were vast
populations of bright healthy pitcher plants populating acre after acre of
bogland as pictured on the front cover of Dr. Schnell's book Carnivorous
Plants of The US and Canada. Out of the 60 or so Sarracenia habitats I have
found and explored only 4 come close to this scene:
2 are Sarracenia alata bogs in western Louisiana covering about 10 and 8
acres each. Both on private land and tended to by cattle. One is a S.
leucophylla stand on the Eglin AFB Reservation in the Florida panhandle and
is protected thank goodness, and the other is now a fraction of it's original
size, the once 10 acre S. flava bog in the Florida panhandle that is being
developed piece by piece.
I dont know what can be done to save the habitats that are in developing
areas. As many of these sites would still decline as surrounding land is
developed, the water table changed, pollution and lack of fire. The national
forests, military reservations and other preserves are the best bet for
pitcher plants. Many of you fellow CP enthusiasts may remember a website I
had 2 years ago focusing on this area that I had to take down. I have started
another on a free server that is partially done. Pictures are large and high
resolution. It may be slow to load using a phone modem.
Please give me some ideas on improvements.
See www.geocities.com/pitcherplants
Thanks
Randy Zerr
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