Blair County
Cool Finds
Seasonal Ponds
The western edge of Blair County, where the Allegheny Front runs through the county, is a heavily forested
and mountainous region. Within this expanse of forest are numerous unique natural communities centered upon particular geologic features or landforms-including calcareous sandstone outcrops, as well as wetlands such as shrub swamps, sedge meadows, and small seasonally fluctuating ponds. Each habitat type has species of plants and animals that are typical to it, and some which depend exclusively upon it. Seasonally fluctuating ponds are flooded in spring or autumn, and may shrink or dry up completely in the drier summer months. They are typically fed by surface runoff and not by any perennially flowing water source. In the landscape of the Allegheny Front, they form in flat areas at the headwaters of small mountain tributaries. Because they dry up and are isolated from perennial flow, these ponds do not support fish, which enables a suite of invertebrate species that are typically fish prey to survive-- such as fairy shrimp and the
aquatic larvae of dragonflies and damselflies. Two uncommon invertebrate species found in Blair County ponds are the ski-tailed emerald (Somatochlora elongata), a dragonfly, and the emerald spreadwing (Lestes dryas), a damselfly. Seasonally fluctuating ponds are also the exclusive habitat of the Northeastern Bulrush (Scirpus ancistrochaetus), one of two federally listed plant species found in Western Pennsylvania.
Links
Photos and further information on these PA species of special concern are available at these links:
Somatochlora elongata
Lestes dryas... and more on Lestes dryas
Scirpus ancistrochaetus
Event Calendar
A draft of the CNHI report will be completed and available for review by March 2005.
Recommend a Site
Click here to download our site recommendation form. Or submit a site online.
Contact
For questions relating to the Blair Co. Inventory, please contact:
Jessica McPherson
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
209 Fourth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
jmcpherson@paconserve.org