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How to Recognize It
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The Subcalcareous Cliff and Rock Outcrop natural community is dramatic, with shrubs, ferns, and wildflowers clinging to partially shaded rocky cliffs. Plants gain a foothold in cracks, pockets, and shelves where a little bit of moss and soil can accumulate. Look for wild hydrangea and ferns such as rock polypody and marginal woodfern. In larger pockets or shelves, or at the base of the cliffs, a few saplings or stunted tree may be holding on.
Can you find this combination of key features?
Identifying This Natural Community
- Scattered shrubs and smaller plants growing in cracks or on mossy ledges of mostly bare rock cliffs
- Wild hydrangea shrubs
- Rock polypody
- Woodland stonecrop
- Location: on a nearly vertical cliff overlooking the Potomac River
If so, welcome to the Subcalcareous Cliff and Rock Outcrop of Harpers Ferry National Historical Park.
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