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. t. <br /> 128 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY NATURAL AREAS SURVEY. SITE DESCRIPTION. : - <br /> Site'name: Meadow Flats <br /> Site number: NO3 • <br /> Significance: 3 - Regional Integrity: 1 - Prime <br /> Threat Status: 4 - Slight <br /> Location: East of Old NC 86 (CR 1009) and north of Eubanks <br /> Road (CR 1727) c <br /> USGS ;Quad: Chapel Hill <br /> Approx. acreage: 40 <br /> Jurisdiction: Duke University; Rural Buffer <br /> Reasons for significance: This is the best example of upland <br /> depression swamp forest in the county. This forest is <br /> growing on the most extensive area of Iredell soil, over the <br /> largest gabbro depression, in the county. Characteristically <br /> hydric tree species include willow oak (Ouercus phellos) , <br /> northern shagbark hickory (Carve ovata) , and slippery elm <br /> (Ulmus rubra) . On the western margin near Old NC 86 occurs <br /> an unusual species of dogwood (Cornus racemosa) ; until <br /> recently this was the only recorded location for this species <br /> in North Carolina. <br /> Associated with the forest are two noteworthy species of <br /> animals, the red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) , a <br /> declining species characteristic of large tracts of <br /> bottOmland forest, and the four-toed salamander <br /> (Hemidactylium scutatum) , a state-listed species of unknown <br /> distribution that breeds in mossy areas around isolated <br /> shallow pools. <br /> Small-whorled pogonia (Isotria medeoloides) , a <br /> nationally endangered species, has been reported for the <br /> eastern margin of the natural area (Whigham, 1971) . This <br /> report is as yet unconfirmed; several local botanists have <br /> searched for this species, but it may, have been destroyed by <br /> the 1979 clearcut of the*woodlands adjacent to the natural <br /> area. However, this species often remains dormant for <br /> several years before it re-emerges. <br /> General description: The geological features of this site are <br /> highly unusual for our region. The underlying rock here is a <br /> large intrusion of gabbro, a mafic igneous rock (dark-colored <br /> and rich in iron, magnesium, and manganese) . The broad, <br /> level expanse of Iredell clay weathered from the gabbro .makes <br /> this ;one of the most poorly drained sites in the county. In <br /> the spring, large areas of the flat are covered with several <br /> inches of standing water, with deeper pools forming wherever <br /> • <br /> one of the shallowly-rooted trees has been blown over. In <br /> the summer, the area is dry except for a few restricted <br /> brooks. <br /> The poor drainage plus the relatively basic pH of the <br /> Iredell soil produced from the gabbro result in an unusual <br /> plant community. Willow oak (Ouercus ohellos) , sweetgum <br /> 149 <br /> • <br />