Carolina Beach State Park: Prescribed Burns
In the habitat of Carolina Beach State Park, fire plays an important role in the survival of the plants in the area (such as venus flytraps and longleaf pines).
Many plants and animals in this ecosystem are adapted to fire, some cannot survive without frequent fires on the landscape. These plants are sun loving and unable to compete with the more hardy, shade-making shrubs and trees. Prescribed burning uses periodic fires to limit the growth of the shrubs. With fire eliminating the competition, the carnivorous plants and wildflowers flourish in the abundant sunlight.
A local keystone species is a fire-loving plant called wiregrass. So what is a keystone species? Well, it is a plant or animal which is essential to an environment, just like the keystone in the middle of a bridge, holding it all together. Wiregrass loves sandy soils and has a deep root system which fixes nitrogen. Wiregrass needs fire to stimulate flowering and seed production. In addition, it’s fine leaves burn quickly, spreading fire easily over the landscape.
You can find all kinds of plants with interesting adaptations in your own neighborhood. Have you ever seen colorful flowers attracting bees and butterflies? Ever blown a dandelion head and watched the seeds float away like miniature parachutes? Can you find trees or plants with evergreen leaves? Have you seen vines twirl their way up the trunk of a tree? Or maybe thorns have poked you? These are adaptations to help plants reproduce, grow or survive being eaten. Go outside and find three interesting plant adaptations.
More resources:
Learn more about Carolina Beach State Park here and find their fact sheet here
