Garden Mountain Cluster
The Garden Mountain Cluster is a region in the Jefferson National Forest recognized by The Wilderness Society for its diversity of habitats extending along the east, south and west of Burke's Garden. The cluster, part of the Appalachian Mountains in southwest Virginia, connects wildlands in the high country of Garden Mountain and adjacent streams and ridges in one of the most remote areas of Virginia.[1][2]
Garden Mountain Cluster | |
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Aerial view of Garden Mountain where it encircles Burke's Garden | |
Location of Garden Mountain Cluster in Virginia Garden Mountain Cluster (the United States) | |
Location | Bland, Tazewell, Smyth Counties Virginia, United States |
Nearest town | Tazewell, Virginia |
Coordinates | 37°6′27″N 81°20′28″W |
Administrator | U.S. Forest Service |
Description
The Garden Mountain Cluster contains seven wildlands with different degrees of protection: wilderness areas, a study area and two areas recognized by the Wilderness Society as "Mountain Treasures", areas that are worthy of protection from logging and road construction.[1]
The areas in the cluster are:
- Wilderness Areas
- Study Areas
- Wild areas recognized by the Wilderness Society as "Mountain Treasures"
Location and access
The cluster extends around the western, southern and eastern sides of Burke's Garden. VA 16, on the southern side, and VA 42, on the eastern side, intersect with roads leading into the cluster. Access from Burke's Garden is somewhat restricted because of the steep rise of the slopes around the bowl forming the garden.
The Appalachian Trail passes through the full length of the cluster for 26.6 miles. From north to south, the trail crosses Va 615, Suiter Road, to enter the cluster at Hunting Camp Creek Wilderness. The trail climbs Brushy Mountain, then descends to cross Hunting Camp Creek, passes by Jenkins Shelter, climbs Garden Mountain, continues along the ridge of Garden Mountain with views of Burke’s Garden, passes by Davis Farm Campsite, and crosses Va 623. The trail then enters Garden Mountain Wilderness continuing along the ridge of Garden Mountain. After leaving Garden Mountain Wilderness, the trail passes by Chestnut Ridge Shelter, goes along the boundary of Beartown Wilderness then turns south, descends through Beartown Wilderness Addition B, crosses USFS road 222, Poor Valley Road, to reach Lick Creek. Now the trail enters Lynn Camp Creek Wilderness Study Area, crosses over Lynn Camp Mountain reaching Lynn Camp Creek, then ascends Brushy Mountain passing Knot Maul Branch Shelter before descending to VA 42 to exit the cluster at the boundary of the wilderness study area.[3]
Roads and trails in the cluster are shown on National Geographic Map 787 (Blacksburg, New River Valley).[4] A great variety of information, including topographic maps, aerial views, satellite data and weather information, is obtained by selecting the link with the wild land's coordinates in the upper right of this page.
Biological significance
The land form, climate, soils and geology of the Appalachian highlands, as well as its evolutionary history, have created one of the most diverse collection of plants and animals in the deciduous forests of the temperate world. The cluster's large tract of land supports species, such as black bear and some bird species, that require extensive tracts of unbroken forest for survival.[5]
The cluster provides habitat and watershed for species that are critically imperiled (G1), imperiled (G2) or vulnerable (G3), as indicated by their NatureServe conservation status. The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Natural Heritage Program gives a list of these species for the counties included in the cluster, Bland, Smyth and Wythe. Among these are:[6][7]
Animals
- Mammals
- Indiana bat, Myotis sodalis,[8] G2
- Northern long-eared myotis, Myotis septentrionalis,[9] G1, G2
- Virginia big-eared bat, Corynorhinus townsendii virginianus,[10] G3, G4, T2
- Amphibians
- Fish
- Blotchside logperch, Percina burtoni,[14] G2, G3
- Bluestone sculpin, Cottus,[15] G2
- Candy darter, Etheostoma osburni,[16] G3
- Clinch dace, Chrosomus,[17] G1
- Clinch sculpin, Cottus,[18] G1, G2
- Ohio lamprey, Ichthyomyzon bdellium,[19] G3, G4
- Popeye shiner, Notropis ariommus,[20] G3
- Sickle darter, Percina williamsi,[21] G2
- Tennessee dace, Chrosomus tennesseensis,[22] G3
- Turquoise shiner, Erimonax monachus,[23] G2
- Yellowfin madtom, Noturus flavipinnis,[24] G1
- Annelida (segmented worms)
- A cave lumbriculid worm, Stylodrilus beattiei,[25] G2, G3
- Arachnida (spiders and pseudoscorpions)
- Bivalvia (mussels)
- Cumberland bean, Villosa trabalis,[29] G1
- Fine-rayed pigtoe, Fusconaia cuneolus,[30] G1
- Fluted kidneyshell, Ptychobranchus subtentum,[31] G2
- Green floater, Lasmigona subviridis,[32] G3
- Little-winged pearlymussel, Pegias fabula,[33] G1
- Oyster mussel, Epioblasma capsaeformis,[34] G1
- Purple bean, Villosa perpurpurea,[35] G1
- Purple liliput, Toxolasma lividum,[36] G3Q
- Rough rabbitsfoot, Theliderma cylindrica,[37] G3, G4
- Shiny pigtoe, Fusconaia cor,[38] G1
- Slabside pearlymussel, Pleuronaia dolabelloides,[39] G2
- Spectaclecase, Margaritifera monodonta,[40] G3
- Tan riffleshell, Epioblasma florentina aureola,[41] G1
- Tennessee clubshell, Pleurobema oviforme,[42] G2, G3
- Tennessee heelsplitter, Lasmigona holstonia,[43] G3
- Tennessee pigtoe, Pleuronaia barnesiana,[[44] G2, G3
- Crustacea (amphipods, isopods and decapods)
- A groundwater amphipod, Stygobromus,[45] G2, G3
- Incurved cave isopod, Caecidotea incurva,[46] G2, G4
- Tug Valley crayfish, Cambarus hatfieldi,[47] GNR
- Gastropoda (snails)
- Spiny riversnail, Io fluvialis,[48] G2
- Turbellaria (flatworms)
- Coleoptera (beetles)
- Burkes Garden cave beetle, Pseudanophthalmus hortulanus,[51] G1
- Hoffman's cave beetle, Pseudanophthalmus hoffmani,[52] G2, G3
- Maiden Spring cave beetle, Pseudanophthalmus virginicus,[53] G1
- Vicariant cave beetle, Pseudanophthalmus vicarius,[54] G2, G3
- Diplopoda (millipedes)
- A millipede, Cleidogona lachesis,[55] G2
- A millipede, Pseudotremia momus,[56] G2
- A millipede, Dixioria pela,[57] G2, T2
- A millipede, Dixioria fowleri,[58] G2
- A millipede, Pseudotremia tuberculata,[59] G2, G3
- A millipede, Appalachioria separanda hamata,[60] G3, T2
- Armes' rough-backed millipede, Pseudotremia armesi,[61] G2
- Big Cedar Creek millipede, Appalachioria falcifera,[62] G1
- Hoffman's cleidogonid millipede, Cleidogona hoffmani,[63] G3
- Diplura (diplurans)
- Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths)
- Regal fritillary, Speyeria idalia,[65] G3
- Mecoptera (scorpionflies)
- Jefferson's short-nosed scorpionfly, Brachypanorpa jeffersoni,[66] G2
- Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies)
- Skillet clubtail, Gomphus ventricosus,[67] G3
- Plecoptera (stoneflies)
Plants
- Non-vascular plants
- A liverwort, Marsupella paroica,[72] G3
- A liverwort, Bazzania nudicaulis,[73] G2, G3
- A moss, Oncophorus raui,[74] G3
- Horsehair threadwort, Sphenolobopsis pearsonii,[75] G2?
- Rock gnome lichen, Cetradonia linearis,[76] G3
- Sullivant's leafy liverwort, Plagiochila sullivantii,[77] G2
- A lichen, Punctelia graminicola,[78] GNR
- Vascular plants
- Appalachian black cohosh, Actaea rubifolia,[79] G3
- Basil mountain-mint, Pycnanthemum clinopodioides,[80] G1, G2
- Blue Ridge purple sedge, Carex manhartii,[81] G3, G4
- Bog bluegrass, Poa paludigena,[82] G3
- Box huckleberry, Gaylussacia brachycera,[83] G3
- Canby's mountain-lover, Paxistima canbyi,[84] G2
- Carey's saxifrage, Micranthes careyana,[85] G3
- Fraser fir, Abies fraseri,[86] G2
- Glade spurge, Euphorbia purpurea,[87] G3
- Gray's lily, Lilium grayi,[88] G3
- Large-leaved grass-of-parnassus, Parnassia grandifolia,[89] G3
- Long-stalked holly, Ilex collina,[90] G3
- Mountain bittercress, Cardamine clematitis,[91] G3
- Piratebush, Buckleya distichophylla,[92] G3
- Roan Mountain sedge, Carex roanensis,[93] G2, G3
- Tennessee pondweed, Potamogeton tennesseensis,[94] G2, G3
- Torrey's mountainmint, Pycnanthemum torreyi,[95] G2
- Virginia roundleaf birch, Betula lenta var. uber,[96] G1Q
Natural communities
Plant communities include:
- Terrestrial, high elevation forests, grasslands, and rock outcrops
- Spruce and fir forests[97]
- Southern Appalachian red spruce forest (deciduous shrub type)
Picea rubens / Viburnum lantanoides - Vaccinium erythrocarpum / Huperzia lucidula - Clintonia borealis forest,[98] G2 - Southern Appalachian red spruce forest (evergreen shrub type)
Picea rubens - (Abies fraseri) / (Rhododendron catawbiense, Rhododendron maximum) forest,[99] G1 - Southern Appalachian red spruce - northern hardwood forest / rhododendron forest
Picea rubens - Betula alleghaniensis / Rhododendron (R. maximum, R. catawbiense) forest,[100] G1?
- Southern Appalachian red spruce forest (deciduous shrub type)
- Southern Appalachian shrub and grass balds[101]
- Southern Appalachian grassy bald
Danthonia compressa - Carex brunnescens - Sibbaldia tridentata herbaceous vegetation,[102] G1 - Southern Appalachian deciduous heath bald
Menziesia pilosa - Vaccinium (V. erythrocarpum, V. simulatum, V. corymbosum) - Sorbus americana shrubland,[103] G2
- Southern Appalachian grassy bald
- Northern hardwood forests[104]
- Southern Appalachian northern hardwood forest
Acer saccharum - Betula alleghaniensis - Fagus grandifolia - Aesculus flava / Ageratina altissima var. roanensis - Eurybia chlorolepis forest,[105] G3, G4
- Southern Appalachian northern hardwood forest
- High-elevation cove forest[106]
- Southern Appalachian high-elevation rich cove forest
Acer saccharum - Aesculus flava - Betula alleghaniensis / Caulophyllum thalictroides - Actaea podocarpa - Dryopteris intermedia forest,[107] G3
- Southern Appalachian high-elevation rich cove forest
- Spruce and fir forests[97]
- Terrestrial-low elevation mesic forests
- Rich cove forest[108]
- Southern Appalachian rich cove forest (sugar maple - buckeye type)
Acer saccharum - Tilia americana var. heterophylla - Aesculus flava / Caulophyllum thalictroides - Hydrophyllum (H. canadense, H. macrophyllum) forest,[109] G3, G4 - Southern Appalachian limestone rich cove forest
Tilia americana var. heterophylla - Aesculus flava - Acer saccharum / Staphylea trifolia / Cystopteris bulbifera - Asarum canadense forest,[110] G3, G4
- Southern Appalachian rich cove forest (sugar maple - buckeye type)
- Montane mixed oak and oak - hickory forests[111]
- Southern Appalachian montane mixed oak forest (northern red oak - chestnut oak submesic type)
Quercus rubra - Quercus montana - Magnolia (M. acuminata, M. fraseri) / Acer pensylvanicum forest,[112] G4? - Central Appalachian montane oak - hickory forest (acidic type)
Quercus rubra - Quercus (Q. montana, Q. alba) - Carya ovalis / Carex pensylvanica - (Calamagrostis porteri) forest,[113] G3, G4
- Southern Appalachian montane mixed oak forest (northern red oak - chestnut oak submesic type)
- Rich cove forest[108]
- Terrestrial low-elevation woodlands, barrens, and rock outcrops
- Mountain / piedmont acidic woodlands[114]
- Central Appalachian xeric chestnut oak - Virginia pine woodland
Quercus montana - Pinus virginiana - (Pinus pungens) / Schizachyrium scoparium - Dichanthelium depauperatum woodland,[115] G3? - Appalachian xeric pine outcrop woodland
Pinus (P. rigida, P. virginiana) / Gaylussacia baccata / (Carex pensylvanica, Danthonia spicata) woodland,[116] G3
- Central Appalachian xeric chestnut oak - Virginia pine woodland
- Mountain/piedmont cliffs[117]
- Southern Appalachian mesic calcareous cliff
(Hydrangea arborescens, Physocarpus opulifolius) / Heuchera villosa - Micranthes caroliniana shrub herbaceous vegetation,[118] G2
- Southern Appalachian mesic calcareous cliff
- Mountain / piedmont acidic woodlands[114]
- Palustrine - non-alluvial wetlands of the mountains
- Montane woodland seeps[119]
- Southern Appalachian high-elevation seep (umbrella-leaf - lettuce saxifrage type)
Diphylleia cymosa - Micranthes micranthidifolia - Laportea canadensis herbaceous vegetation,[120] G3 - Ridge and valley inland salt marsh
Juncus gerardii - Bolboschoenus robustus - Hibiscus moscheutos herbaceous vegetation,[121] G1
- Southern Appalachian high-elevation seep (umbrella-leaf - lettuce saxifrage type)
- Montane woodland seeps[119]
Geologic history
The cluster is in the Ridge and Valley Province that extends along the western boundary of Virginia. The Ridge and Valley Province is composed of long, relatively level-crested, ridges with highest elevations reaching over 3,600 feet (1,100 m). The province marks the eastern boundary in the Paleozoic era of an older land surface on the east. It was uplifted and eroded during the Paleozoic with extensive folding and thrust-faulting. Resistant quartzite, conglomerates and sandstones form the ridge caps while less resistant shales and limestones eroded to form the intervening valleys.[5][122]:60 The province is part of the Appalachian Mountains.
Garden Mountain extends from Abingdon to the New River, where the ridge of Garden Mountain continues across the river but is now named Sinking Creek Mountain.[123] The mountain completely surrounds Burkes Garden, an unusual geologic formation. From above Burke's Garden looks like the remnant of a volcano or a large lake. It is about 10 miles long and 5 miles wide (16 × 8 km). Called the Great Swamp by native Americans, it was probably too wet for crops. There are several proposals about its creation. One claims the valley was a lake drained by a creek, Burke's Garden Creek, flowing through the gap on the western edge. Another claims it was a 6,500-foot (2,000 m) dome formed by a sandstone cap. Eroded by water, the cap cracked forming a flat valley below.[124]
The Tennessee Valley Divide passes through the cluster along the southern rim of Burke's Garden, dividing the drainage for the Tennessee River and the New River. Roaring Fork, Lick Creek and Lynn Camp Creek, on the southwest, flow into the North Holston River which then flows into the Tennessee. Hunting Camp Creek, on the northeast, is part of the New River drainage. Both the New River and Tennessee River flow into the Ohio River.[4][125]
Cultural history
According to legend, Burke's Garden was discovered in about 1748 by James Burk while chasing a wounded elk. After eating some potatoes, he covered the peelings with dirt in order to hide his presence from Indians. Later explorers, finding a large patch of potatoes that had sprouted from the peelings, named the place as "Burk's Garden". The "e" on the end of the name was added at a later time. The area was settled by German Lutherans who were so attached to the area that they refused to sell their land to George Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt, looking for a place to build a home, moved to North Carolina where he built the largest private home in America, the Biltmore Estate.[124]
Tazewell, the largest town near the cluster and the seat of Tazewell County, has served as the financial center for the agricultural and coal mining interests in the region. Evidence of prosperity is given by the large homes built on several hills. The town was incorporated in 1866. The county was named for Henry Tazewell, who served from 1794 to 1799 as a United States senator.[126]
Other clusters
Other clusters of the Wilderness Society's "Mountain Treasures" in the Jefferson National Forest (north to south):
Gallery
Animals
- Virginia big-eared bat female
- Noturus flavipinnis
- Spruce-fir moss spider
- Pegias fabula
- Villosa perpurpurea
- Io fluvialis
- Regal fritillary
Plants
- Cetradonia linearis
- Parnassia grandifolia
- Pirate bush
See also
- Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests
References
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- Stephenson, Steven L.; Ash, Andrew N.; Stauffer, Dean F. (1993). Appalachian Oak Forests, Chapter 6 in Biodiversity of the Southeastern United States, Upland Terrestrial Communities edited by Martin, Boyce and Echternacht. New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons. pp. 255-264. ISBN 0-471-58594-7.
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- "Picea rubens - (Betula alleghaniensis, Aesculus flava) / Rhododendron (maximum, catawbiense) Forest". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
- "Southern Appalachian Shrub and Grass Balds". Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
- "Danthonia compressa - (Sibbaldiopsis tridentata) Grassland". NatureServe Explorer.
- "Menziesia pilosa - Vaccinium (erythrocarpum, simulatum, corymbosum) - Sorbus americana Shrubland". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
- "Northern Hardwood Forests". Virginia Department of Conservation nd Recreation. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
- "Betula alleghaniensis - Fagus grandifolia / Viburnum lantanoides / Eurybia chlorolepis - Dryopteris intermedia Forest". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
- "High-Elevation Cove Forests". Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
- "Aesculus flava - Betula alleghaniensis - Acer saccharum / Caulophyllum thalictroides - Actaea podocarpa Forest". NatureServe Explorer.
- "Rich Cove Forests". Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- "Aesculus flava - Acer saccharum - (Tilia americana var. heterophylla) / Hydrophyllum canadense - Solidago flexicaulis Forest". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
- "Tilia americana var. heterophylla - Aesculus flava - Acer saccharum / Cystopteris bulbifera - Asarum canadense Forest". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
- "Montane Mixed Oak and Oak - Hickory Forests". Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- "Quercus rubra - Quercus montana - Magnolia (acuminata, fraseri) / Acer pensylvanicum Forest". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- "Quercus montana - Quercus rubra - Carya ovalis / Carex pensylvanica - (Calamagrostis porteri) Forest". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- "Mountain / Piedmont Acidic Woodlands". Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- "Quercus montana - Pinus virginiana - (Pinus pungens) / Schizachyrium scoparium - Dichanthelium depauperatum Woodland". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- "Pinus rigida - Quercus montana / Gaylussacia baccata / Carex pensylvanica Woodland". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- "Mountain / Piedmont Cliffs". Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- "(Hydrangea arborescens) / Heuchera villosa - Asplenium trichomanes - Thalictrum clavatum / Conocephalum salebrosum Cliff Shrubland". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- "Montane Woodland Seeps". Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- "Diphylleia cymosa - Saxifraga micranthidifolia - Laportea canadensis Forested Herbaceous Seep". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- "Bolboschoenus robustus - Juncus gerardii - Hordeum jubatum - Atriplex patula Saline Marsh". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
- Chew, Collins (1988). Underfoot: A Geologic Guide to the Appalachian Trail. Harpers Ferry, West Virginia: Appalachian Trail Conference. ISBN 0-917953-25-8.
- Winegar, Deane and Garvey (1998). Highroad Guide to the Virginia Mountains. Marietta, Georgia: Longstreet Press, Inc. p. 102. ISBN 1-56352-462-7.
- Tennis, Joe (2004). Southwest Virginia Crossroads. Johnson City, Tennessee: Overmountain Press. pp. 49–50. ISBN 1570722560.
- "Virginia's Rivers". Geology of Virginia. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
- Virginia Writers Project (1940). Virginia, A Guide to the Old Dominion. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 435.
Further reading
- Stephenson, Steven L., A Natural History of the Central Appalachians, 2013, West Virginia University Press, West Virginia, ISBN 978-1933202-68-6.
- Davis, Donald Edward, Where There Are Mountains, An Environmental History of the Southern Appalachians, 2000, University of Georgia Press, Athens, Georgia. ISBN 0-8203-2125-7.