The Sandplain Grasslands:The Vineyard’s most precious

place?

Questions to answer:What are they?Where are they?Why are they important?How have they changed over time?What is the role of fire?

Sandplains on Martha’s Vineyard(Long Point Wildlife Refuge)

The largest remaining piece of sandplain grasslands in the world is the Katama Plains.

It is amazing to think that one of the most precious habitats on Earth can co-exist with a small airport and a working farm!

Key points:

Originally found only in the outwash of M.V., Nantucket, Long Island, Elizabeth Islands, Cape Cod.Sandy, dry soil.Once covered about half of the Vineyard.Characterized by grasses and wildflowers.Globally rare (only a few acres left anywhere on Earth).Related habitats are coastal heath lands and scrub oak barrens. Sometimes called sand barrens.

Scrub Oak Barrens and Coastal Heathlands are other important, native Vineyard plant communities.

How are they unique?

Harsh conditions: strong winds, salt spray from the ocean, poor soil.Periodic wildfires.Beautiful fauna and flora. Some of the rarest plants and animals still survive here.

Northern Blazing Star:A species of special concern.

Sandplain Gerardia:A federally endangered species.

Nantucket ShadbushExtremely rare.Found only on the islands.A truly threatened species.

Broom Crowberry:Grows best in worst conditions.

Wild Indigo:A plant with medicinal qualities.

Sandplain Blue-Eyed Grass:Several species of blue-eyed grasses grow on the Vineyard, but this one is the rarest. Why? It only grows in sandplain grasslands.

Yellow Stargrass:Found in only one spot at Long Point Wildlife Refuge.

Little Bluestem:One of the most common and beautiful grasses of the sandplains.

The Purple Tiger Beetle:Rarely seen.

The Regal Fritillary Butterfly

Once common, but the Regal Fritillary has not been seen on the Vineyard in many years.A butterfly on the brink of extinction?

Rare moth species:Barrens Buck Moth and Gerhard’s Underwing Moth

The Imperial Moth:The only place left in Massachusetts where you might see this large beautiful moth is Martha’s Vineyard.

The Northern Harrier

Also called the Marsh Hawk.Feeds on meadow voles and other small rodents.Federally endangered species.Easily identified in flight by the white “bar” across the rear.

More rare birds of the sandplains:The Grasshopper Sparrow and The Short Eared Owl.

* Some years no Grasshopper Sparrows are reported seen at all.* The Short Eared Owl is also in trouble: None have been reported nesting in recent

years.

Other rare or unusual sandplain species:

Bushy Rockrose (threatened, globally rare).Sandplain Flax ( of special concern in MA).Birdfoot Violet (rare: favorite food of the Regal Fritillary butterfly larvae - coincidence?)An unusual ant species.A northern species of tarantula!

And what about the role of fire?

Key points about fire:

Keeps habitat open. (Prevents trees and shrubs from invading and taking over.)Some grassland species actually depend on the heat of the fire for their survival.Helps to replenish the soilOnce they were natural (lightning) or set by Native Americans.Modern firefighting changed all of that.Now, “prescribed” burns must be used to manage the sandplains.

Wildfire was feared by the earlier settlers who had worked hard to build homes and villages.

Today, prescribed burns are used and carefully controlled by trained crews.

A burn at Katama (May 7, 2006).

Livestock grazing by the early settlers also kept down the growth of woody plants, and probably helped the survival of sanplain species.

Today, conservationists also use other techniques, such as mowing, to accomplish the same thing.

So what happened to the sandplain grasslands?

Development (homes, buildings, roads, villages, etc. . .)Population growth.An end to agriculture.An end to wildfire.

Remember: they were rare to begin with.

Conclusion:

Sandplain grasslands were originally very rare (only in the outwash of the northeast).And now there are only a few hundred acres remaining, mostly on M.V. and Nantucket.Possible restoration of the sandplain grasslands? If so, where?There is one very obvious choice…..