March 26, 2009

 

By Lindsay Key '11MFA

 

Open a filing cabinet in UNCW biologist John Taggart’s office and you’re likely to find one of 500 native North Carolina plant species.  Taggart is working with the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources to collect, press and identify plants in the Sandy Run Savannas State Natural area, an approximately 2,786 acre natural reserve that stretches over Onslow and Pender counties.

 

The site is gated and its old logging roads can only be navigated in an SUV.   During the growing season, from late February to early November, Taggart drives through once a week, scouting for plants in varying habitats, from longleaf pine woodlands to swamp forests. 

 

The site is popular among botanists because it is home to several endangered species, including the Golden Sedge and Cooley’s Meadow Rue.  Botanists preceding Taggart have created inventory lists of the site, which Taggart uses as a guide.  But few have taken on such a large collection project.

 

After picking and pressing the plant, Taggart uses microscopes and comprehensive field guides to examine and identify it.   At the end of the two year study, in November, he will write a formal paper on his research, which will be presented to the NCDENR for their records.

 

 “They have a great need to know what’s in their parks and they usually don’t have people do that.  So I guess it’s beneficial to them to better understand this area, and it benefits me, obviously, because I’m supposed to be doing research and this is an area that is of interest to me,” Taggart said.

 

The plant collection will be turned over to the UNCW Herbarium in Friday Hall.

 

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