This is the first “Reports from the Field,” a follow-up article concerning the ongoing quest to find “Polk County’s Most Wanted” rare plants and animals.
The September edition of this series was on Walter’s Crownbeard (Verbesina walteri). The article indicated the rarity and unusual distribution of this beautiful flowering plant.
Walter’s Crownbeard is known from only a handful of sites statewide, and prefers areas with rich moist soils, such as bottomland forests adjacent to streams. As always, the “Polk County’s Most Wanted” article requested that residents report any sighting of the species in the county for follow-up by the Pacolet Area Conservancy (PAC) staff.
Accordingly, PAC’s Pam Torlina and botanist, David Campbell were very pleased to receive a call from the Bradley’s of Tryon, who indicated that they thought the plant was growing on their property. Someone must go out to investigate.
After a pleasant phone conversation with the Bradleys, arrangements were made for a visit to their home by David Campbell to confirm the presence of Walter’s Crownbeard on their property.
Campbell had spent a long day in the field at other locations in Polk County that day, and the Bradley’s were the final destination out of all of the places that had to be visited.  Driving to their home, Campbell hoped that they wouldn’t be too alarmed by his disheveled appearance (covered with mud and dirt from field work).
Pulling up to the Bradley’s driveway, Campbell’s spirits were immediately lifted by the site of a fabulous Pitcher Plant bog in their front garden- truthfully, one of the finest the botanist had ever seen.
Was this a good omen?  Mr. and Mrs. Bradley were very warm in their greetings, and indicated to that one of their sons was actually a botanist, too.
The group went for a stroll down a small road on the Bradley property, toward a creek that flows at the back of their home.  The topography of the area had a sloping hill easing off into a bottomland; however, the hill was covered in English Ivy (a non-native and invasive plant) so Campbell was somewhat hesitant to get his hopes up-very few plants can survive in a thick patch of English ivy.  Undeterred, Bradley calmly walked around a corner at the bottom of his property and proceeded to walk up to one of the largest patches of Walter’s Crownbeard Campbell had ever seen-growing quite happily up and through the thickly growing English Ivy. Campbell hoped that his jaw dropping wasn’t too obvious to the Bradleys.
To see one of North Carolina’s rarest wildflowers growing contentedly up through a patch of one of the Southeast’s most invasive plants is a sight Campbell won’t soon forget. It was a reminder that, once again, one should never make too many assumptions when it comes to Mother Nature.
After taking several photographs, and collecting a specimen for the UNCC Herbarium, Campbell bid an appreciative farewell to the Bradley’s – thanking them profusely for their assistance. It was gratifying for Campbell (and PAC) to know that the “Polk County’s Most Wanted” articles had produced real results.
What will our next great find be?
Continue to call 828-859-5060 and e-mail PAC (landprotection@pacolet.org) with any possible sightings of previous or future “Polk County’s Most Wanted;” your reports do matter.
The purpose of the “Polk County’s Most Wanted” project is to gain a better understanding of the flora and fauna in Polk County and document the species present in the county.
– article submitted
by David Campbell