When people think of Southern Appalachia, they tend to think of trees and forests, and rightfully so. Most of these mountains are canopied in forest cover with an understory of shrubs, vines, and herbaceous plants, including native grass and sedge species. But the entirety of Southern Appalachia was not historically a closed canopied forest.
Throughout the Southeastern United States and across Appalachia, there are regular openings that allow for enough light to favor grasses and wildflowers in a meadow or savannah. Sure, I also imagine a wide-open plain with maybe a tree or two when I picture a savannah due to the images in media and our cultural memories. Perhaps Ray Bradbury’s “The Veldt” or The Lion King have shaped this image for many of us.
A savannah is a mixed woodland and grassland where the trees are spaced wide enough so that the canopy doesn’t close and block out most of the sunlight, allowing for the establishment of prairie-type grasses and wildflowers on the forest floor. Southern Appalachian savannahs are rare and often found where naturally toxic soils limit the type and abundance of trees. These areas are known as barrens. There’s an ecologically famous one in Clay County called the Buck Creek Serpentine Barren. It is a magical place, especially in autumn.
Grasslands are also found scattered throughout the mountains at high elevations in the many natural openings called “Balds.” These balds are of a couple of types. One is filled mostly with related shrubs in the Heath Family (Ericaceae), including a couple of different species of Blueberry (Vaccinium), Azaleas, and Rhododendrons (Rhododendron spp.) and are known as Heath Balds.
Grassy balds are another type of grassland found at the highest elevations of Southern Appalachia. Places like Max Patch and Roan Mountain are well known grassy balds. There are also multiple balds along the Balsam Mountain Range, many of which are accessible from the Blue Ridge Parkway along sections for the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Among my favorite wildflower walks leads from the Parkway to Old Bald, where you get to walk through both a Grassy and a Heath Bald.
Native grasses really start to show off their beauty and form in the fall. The slanted autumn light highlights the golden color of grass blades. Often, the feathery flower tops and seed heads persist on grasses throughout the dormant season, catching light and bringing joy into an otherwise seemingly lifeless landscape.
Native grasses like Broomsedge (Anatherum virginicum), Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), and Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans) are becoming more popular to interplant into native wildflower gardens. Clumping grasses, as opposed to those species that spread by rhizomes, are being used in place of mulch in native plantings. This helps to reduce maintenance while adding beauty and texture to the plantings.
Native grasses also help hold up wildflowers that can get floppy and fall over in more traditional landscapes that are filled with mulch. Let’s face it, who doesn’t need help standing up every once in a while?
To learn more about the grasslands of the Southeast, including those found in Southern Appalachia, I encourage you to check out the Southeastern Grasslands Institute out of Tennessee’s Austin Peay State University. Their work is to identify and help restore remnant grasslands across the Southeastern US.
I also encourage you to explore one or more of the grasslands that you can walk to in our region. After the beautiful colors of fall have left the trees, the grasses are there still glowing in the fading light.
(The Joyful Botanist leads weekly wildflower walks most Fridays and offers consultations and private group tours through Bigelow’s Botanical Excursions. bigelownc@gmail.com.)