Rare Plants & Animals of the Dismal Swamp
- Snowy egrets can occasionally be seen at the Great Dismal Swamp.swamp egret image by Kurt Anderson from Fotolia.com
The Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is more than 112,000 acres of wetland forest with Lake Drummond, a 3,100 acre lake, at the center. It is situated in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina with the headquarters at 3100 Desert Road in Suffolk, Virginia. The Dismal Swamp is home to a variety of plants and animals, some of which are very rare. - The Bicknell's Thrush's diet consists of insects, spiders, centipedes and fruit.thrush image by Zbigniew Nowak from Fotolia.com
Bicknell’s Thrush is a rare endangered bird species that is occasionally seen in the Dismal Swamp in the spring. The swamp is on the bird’s migratory route north from the Caribbean to New York and eastern Nova Scotia. This is one of the rarest and most threatened birds, with an estimated population numbering between 21,000 and 52,000. The dwindling numbers are attributed to loss of suitable habitat. Bicknell’s Thrushes are about 6 1/2 inches long and weigh only about 1 oz. Their head, back, wings and tail are brown with a white throat, breast and belly, and brown markings on the breast. They build open cup-shaped nests from twigs and moss in shrubs and small trees. The breeding habits of the Bicknell’s Thrush are unusual in that the females mate with more than one male. The hatchlings of one female can each have a different father. - The log fern is a natural hybrid of Dryopteris goldiana and Dryopteris ludoviciana.fern image by Andrey Kudrin from Fotolia.com
Log ferns (Dryopteris celsa) are one of the most rare American ferns. There are more log ferns in the Great Dismal Swamp than anyplace else in the United States. While this is a threatened or endangered species, it can be grown successfully in cultivation under the right growing conditions. The plants must be purchased through a nursery or commercial greenhouse, however, as they are protected and must not be removed from their native habitat. It grows to a height of 3 to 4 feet and a width between 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 feet with shiny dark green foliage. Log ferns prefer a moist location with bright shade and protection from the wind with organically rich humus soil that has an acidic pH. They are hardy in USDA Planting Zones 5 to 9. - Rafinesque’s eastern big-eared bats leave their roosts after sunset to feed and return before sunrise.fruit bats 24. image by mdb from Fotolia.com
The Rafinesque’s eastern big-eared bat is a rare and endangered species that can be found in the Great Dismal Swamp. The species is listed as endangered at both the federal and state level. This medium-sized bat is 3 to 4 inches long with a wingspan of 10 to 12 inches. It weighs 1/4 to 1/2 oz. Their ears are more than twice the length of their heads. A mitten-shaped lump on each side of the muzzle gave rise to the name lump-nosed bat. Their long fur is yellowish- to reddish-brown on their backs and white to off-white on their bellies. These are slow-flying bats that are good at hovering. It is believed that moths are their predominant food source. They breed during the fall and winter, after which the females will congregate in all-female roosts to give birth in the spring, usually in May or June, to a single hairless pup.
