SWC turned out in force today at Walnut Creek Wetland Park in Raleigh to conduct the first-of-its-kind survey of spring ephemeral plants in the marsh. Armed with rubber boots, gloves, plant guides, and trash bags, eighteen adults and one child set out to record for the park any ephemeral blooms they encountered, as well as picking up 100 pounds of trash along the way. Celia Lechtman, park educator, started the group off with a history of this wetland that receives all the runoff from impermeable surfaces of the City of Raleigh and how it is being restored to a more natural state. Stephanie Frazier then led the group into the field.
Nobody knew what we might find, and it appears we may have been a bit early for many of the ephemerals that emerge in spring. However, we did see plenty of native bluets, blue violets, and wild pansies. There were some non-native flowers interspersed as well, such as buttercup.
This wetland has very strong community support to clean it up, restore it to a healthy natural state, and control flooding of historically disadvantaged communities nearby. SWC has established a partnership with the park and looks forward to many conservation projects and workdays ahead to remove invasives and trash and plant diverse native plants. If this is something you would like to help with, please contact David Barber, who leads Community Partnerships for SWC.
South Wake Conservationists 