back to Panorama content

Grassy balds

Grassy balds are grasslands occurring along ridge tops in the eastern United States. They can be mixed with grasses, sedges, forbs, and shrubby species. The panorama in the top shows me characterizing the plant community of a grassy bald (called Big Meadow) in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. The picture to the right at sunset is of the same grassland. Often these balds have shallow soils but different opinions exist as to how they were formed and maintained. Today, fire is often used to keep these areas free of trees.

Although not incredibly conspicuous, the Big Meadow grassland is being invaded by spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe) an invasive plant from Eurasia. Below are photographs of a grassy bald near Spruce Knob in West Virginia. This grassland is being invaded by the invasive orange hawkweed (Hieracium aurantiacum) originally from Europe. Although many weedy species may be attractive in appearance, they may out compete resident species and may be unpalatable to wildlife and livestock.