by Nan McCarry
Putting land under a conservation easement is a win-win for people and nature. “A conservation easement is a legal agreement between a landowner and a land trust … that protects land and its conservation values permanently….The landowner still owns the property, but the conservation easement is a permanent legal document that is recorded in local land records and remains in effect regardless of changes in ownership.”(1) Keeping land from being developed protects watersheds and creates critical wildlife habitats and corridors. It feels especially important in regions under high development pressure, such as northern Virginia, where I live. But protection doesn’t have to end at the conservation agreement. Knowing which animals and plants live on the land can help landowners create better conservation strategies tailored to protect them.
With help from the Clifton Institute, Virginia Working Landscapes and the Land Trust of Virginia, I’ve been documenting and managing the native plants of “Purple Rock Farm”, an 89-acre property located south of Purcellville, Virginia.
My parents, John and Susan Stanford, who own Purple Rock Farm, placed it under conservation easement with the Land Trust of Virginia in 2009. For the past several years, they have rented the land to a farmer who grows hay. But more recently, they’ve shifted focus, suggesting I could work to protect the farm as a habitat for wildlife and a sanctuary for native plants.
Purple Rock is one remnant of a former 800-acre dairy farm, much of which has been recently developed into subdivisions. The prevalence of development has made us more passionate than ever about saving the farm’s forested areas, open land, and wetlands.
I’ve been interested in how weeds, crops, and wild plants compete with each other since my graduate studies in geography and botany at the University of Texas—or maybe even since growing up working on the family farm in Lucketts, Virginia, where my parents still reside and farm. More recently, I’ve delved into habitat management with efforts to restore my three-acre yard, converting lawn areas to forest and meadow. We know now that we can’t just let “nature re-establish itself”—because in this day and age, invasive species will quickly take over. I think we’re all more aware of this now—for example, I notice more and more people discovering how Bradford pear can take over whole fields.
While working on plant conservation as a contractor for NatureServe a few years ago, I realized there has been an emphasis on mapping which plant species occur on public lands. In the eastern U.S., we often hear that the majority of forested lands are privately held, so I wanted to explore the role private lands can and should play in plant conservation. In my state of Virginia, 59% of woodlands are privately held (2). And these privately held lands are important for conservation: according to the website of Defenders of Wildlife, “private lands support more than two-thirds of the species listed under the Endangered Species Act, with ten percent of listed species occurring only on private lands.”
I thought, wouldn’t it be interesting to explore what native plants are at Purple Rock, and to attempt to help any native species I could find spread? We often think in terms of restoring areas by planting native seeds and plants purchased elsewhere, but another approach is to document what plants are already present, and conserve them in situ by controlling the invasive plants around them. Preserving plant populations in situ, or where they are naturally found, is an integral part of conservation.
I then heard an episode of the “In Defense of Plants” podcast, where Sara Johnson joined as a guest to discuss her work as a conservation biologist with the North American Land Trust, documenting rare species for the purposes of justifying conservation easements (4). I reached out to Sara to learn more. She emphasized the importance of private lands when it comes to species preservation. Many people incorrectly assume that most species conservation occurs on public lands. In reality, public lands are relatively sparse and disconnected. Many of them are not managed with sensitivity to the conservation of specific plants, and sometimes they can end up being passed into private ownership.
When considering plant species for the Purple Rock restoration project, I was eager to experiment with helping the in situ native plants thrive and expand. These species are already adapted to the site and may hold critical genetic diversity that could be diluted by introducing other individuals of the same species. This past winter,, I was delighted to attend a webinar with the Loudoun Invasive Removal Alliance featuring Maddie Bright of Earth Sangha Nursery in Alexandria, Va. suggesting similar approaches—monitoring what comes up in the seed bank rather than moving immediately to re-planting.
Last spring, it was exciting to start exploring the native plants (and many invasives as well) already at Purple Rock. When you first enter the property, you encounter a wetland intercrossed with seeps and streams. In the springtime, depressions fill with water, which provide excellent habitat for amphibians and other wildlife. Unfortunately, Japanese stiltgrass, and to a lesser extent multiflora rose and mile-a-minute weed, are pushing out native plants.
Natalie Izlar, the Botany Technician from Virginia Working Landscapes, helped me identify plants in the wetland and advised on best ways to manage them. Beneficial native plants that we’ve been excited to find in the wetland area include skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus), hog peanut (Amphicarpaea bracteata), several species of sedges and rushes, jewelweed (Impatiens capensis), Allegheny monkey flower (Mimulus ringens), Virginia snakeroot (Aristolochia serpentaria), deer-tongue grass (Dichanthelium clandestinum), an American aster, narrow-leaved mountain mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium) and blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium spp.), all surrounded by persimmon trees and pin oaks. Certain native plants, such as jewelweed, can outcompete non-natives like garlic mustard (5), and these are the ones I’m on the lookout for: readily-spreading colonizers that can help reclaim areas from the invasives.
In addition to the mostly wooded wetlands on Purple Rock, we’ve also focused on open areas. The open areas on the farm include approximately 35 acres of fields that were formerly used for growing hay.
There is serendipity involved in this whole process. Around the time I started surveying the plants of Purple Rock, the farmer who had been renting the 35 acres of open land had let things go, from a farming perspective. This was one reason my dad told me, “you might as well look into conservation projects.” I bring this up because life is like that —rarely are things black-and-white, or are our motives 100% pure. The “neglect” that this farmer was allowing on the property was a win for wildlife habitat. He had allowed Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense), native to Asia and Northern Africa, to take over the hayfields, and was now haying Johnsongrass for the purposes of making it into silage for his cattle. We weren’t thrilled about having 35 acres of this non-native grass, but many folks I talked to in the agroecology community pointed out that Johnsongrass has a place as forage. As time went by, I could see that more early successional plants (native and non-native) were moving into the Johnsongrass: dogbane (Apocynum cannibinum), thistles, blackberries, persimmons, and more. Some of these I was excited to find for their wildlife value, including various milkweed species: green comet milkweed (Ascelpias viridiflora) butterfly milkweed (A. tuberosa), common milkweed (A. syriaca), and swamp milkweed (A. incarnata).
Kadiera Ingram, the Landowner Outreach Associate from the Clifton Institute, provided advice on managing fields at Purple Rock. She noted that the island shrublands of blackberry found in the fields on Purple Rock “are increasingly uncommon in Virginia and provide valuable habitat for various declining bird species like American Woodcocks and Field Sparrows.” Despite these beneficial species, there are also plenty of Canada thistle and other invasive weeds that need to be brought under control. Drawing on my experience in restoration at the scale of my large yard, I’m keenly aware there is a balance that needs to be found of keeping these early-successional species in the landscape for the benefit of wildlife, while managing the areas so that invasives don’t take over. In my region, Virginia Working Landscapes, the Clifton Institute, and the Piedmont Environmental Council all have excellent resources for landowners managing meadows or other early-successional landscapes. Kadiera helped me set up an iNaturalist page for Purple Rock so I can keep track of observations and get crowd-sourced help in identification: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/purple-rock-biodiversity
For these regional organizations and others who assist with habitat restoration projects, one consistent finding is that landowners are frequently surprised to learn they have high-priority plants and animals living on their land. The discovery of special species is inspiring, and usually motivates landowners to take action. The key, however, is the initial investigation and species survey.
According to Wesley Knapp, former Chief Botanist at NatureServe, and current CEO at Center for Plant Conservation, many large and high-quality parcels that might be excellent candidates for habitat restoration haven’t been surveyed, in part due to lack of access. By allowing conservationists to survey their land, landowners can play a crucial role in identifying valuable ecosystems, and 
when they participate in enhancement efforts, they can contribute in amazing ways to help improve biodiversity and the overall health of the environment. Collaborative efforts can ensure that critical natural resources are safeguarded for the enjoyment and benefit of future generations.
So, if you’re interested, but not quite ready to dive into an extensive restoration project, a simple way to get involved is to create an account on iNaturalist and post photos of plants and animals you discover. (Make sure not to post photos of things you’ve planted unless you expressly indicate that it’s cultivated.) Staff at the NatureServe Network Programs (the natural heritage programs run by states, provinces and other organizations) frequently look through iNaturalist posts for rare species sightings.
“If a rare species is found, the experts can contact the observer and see about getting more information or access to the property to conduct a survey.” This form of citizen science is important because, as Wesley Knapp says, “Boots on the ground are thin. If a new record for a very rare plant turns up on iNaturalist, it will be of great interest to the conservation community.” Even for the more commonly found plants and animals, it can be important to document populations, as they may hold unique genetic biodiversity or be at the edge of a range of habitat.
Similar to the donation of a conservation easement, engaging in habitat enhancement is one more way landowners can give back to future generations.
My family has found another farmer to rent the land, and we are moving forward to find a good balance. In February, my dad bush-hogged the fields and pushed back a lot of the undergrowth that was encroaching into fields, and he said “I wondered if you were going to be upset when you saw that.” But, I see it as part of the process. We can’t let wall-to-wall blackberry take over, as nice as that is for the grassland birds, as we’d soon have unwanted plants taking over everything. Some mowing is necessary if we want to maintain these open areas. I’m going to show my dad a few of the special areas where I found some interesting native plants last year, and have the renter avoid farming these. Keeping the open areas in farming is the best way forward for now, as I don’t have the energy to manage 35 acres of wildflower meadow. In the woods and wetland, we’ll keep managing the stiltgrass and other invasive species, and will seek to protect the native populations we find. It’s a work in progress, as nature never stands still.
A version of this article originally appeared in the Land Trust of Virginia’s Conservation News in July 2024. Republished with permission.
Nan McCarry is an ethnobotanist focused on agriculture with a master’s degree in geography from the University of Texas at Austin. Find out more about her work at her website, Plants & People, and her Instagram account @successionalforest. For the past 15 years Nan’s been transitioning her 3-acre yard to a native food forest. She helps others increase the ecological value of their yards as an ambassador with Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy’s Wildlife Sanctuary Program, an employee at Watermark Woods Native Plants, and as a former teacher of Landscape for Life classes promoting sustainable landscaping.
1) https://www.landtrustva.org/protect-your-land
2) https://dof.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/SOF-2024.pdf
4) In Defense of Plants Podcast–Episode 469 – Blue Butterworts & Friends): https://www.indefenseofplants.com/
5) https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/impatiens_capensis.shtml
Check out these websites to learn more:
Native Plants:
- “Plant Virginia Natives”: https://www.plantvirginianatives.org/
- “How to Fight Plants with Plants”: https://www.humanegardener.com/how-to-fight-plants-with-plants/
Resources for Virginia Landowners:
- Clifton Institute’s Landowner Outreach Program (free consultation): https://cliftoninstitute.org/restoration/landowner-outreach-program/
- Virginia Working Landscapes – Resources for Landowners: https://www.vaworkinglandscapes.org/education/resources/
- Virginia Grassland Birds Initiative: https://www.vagrasslandbirds.org/
Wildlife Sanctuary program (volunteer-led):
https://loudounwildlife.org/habitat-conservation/wildlife-sanctuary/
