HOME: www.hiltonpond.org

GENERAL INFO

CONTENTS

RESEARCH

EDUCATION

PUBLICATIONS

MISCELLANY

PIEDMONT DROUGHT OF 2008

Throughout 2007--thanks to a summer-long drought--water levels in Hilton Pond dropped rapidly from May through October. Our little one-acre impoundment was recharged somewhat by several winter downpours, but when spring came this year the depth marker showed we were still 18 inches below full pond. Such a low level to start the season--coupled with pessimistic weather forecasts--gave us great concern 2008 might be the year in which ever-lower water would dictate we change the name of Hilton Pond to "Hilton Bog." Indeed, after only .3" of rain the first two weeks in August, even a more-than-welcome 1.3" accumulation on the 14th did little to resuscitate a sick pond that is perilously close to disappearing. Every day without rain the pond drops another half-inch or so, exposing more and more of its muddy banks.

All text & photos © Hilton Pond Center

The photo above shows just how far water levels have dropped at Hilton Pond. When water is at its deepest--11 feet at the standpipe near the dam--the raft at the end of the dock floats even with the dock itself, but this week it rests nearly four feet below that point. As the pond's banks are exposed, grasses, sedges, rushes, and other herbaceous plants are quick to colonize the rich, moist mud; when the pond is full, none of the green foliage is present around the perimeter or in the foreground (above).

When water levels drop more than 12" or so the muddy banks of Hilton Pond become exposed--a mixed blessing at best. Many bottom-dwelling animals from freshwater clams to dragonfly larvae run the risk of drying out, but enterprising predators such as the Great Egret above are presented with productive new places to feed. Although a few Great Blue Heron nesting colonies exist in or around York County, we suspect the egret in the photo above is a youngster from the Carolinas coastal region that came inland during post-breeding dispersal.

Among the victims of lower water levels are a variety of plants that require abundant moisture to survive. First to go are the Hazel Alders (above), shrubs whose roots need more or less constant contact with water. Prior to the devastating five-year drought that began in the late 1990's, Hilton Pond was ringed with a dense thicket of alders, most of which succumbed to the lengthy lack of water. In the past few years some alders have rebounded, but our current drought has caused leaves on these cone-producing shrubs to turn brown and wither--a likely sign the woody plants themselves will perish.

Also hard-hit by lack of water are several Bald Cypress trees we planted about 20 years ago around the margins of Hilton Pond. Although these needle-bearing but deciduous trees are normally associated with Lowcountry swamps, they actually are native inland as far north as southern Ohio. They do require abundant moisture, however, and this year--for the first time--have been dropping their drought-stressed needles well before autumn arrives. We're not sure what the long-term effects of premature leaf loss might be on Bald Cypress, but we'd hate to lose these graceful trees.

Bad enough the drought is beginning to kill woody growth around the Center, but our newly immigrated American Beaver(s) continue to assault tree growth along the pond margin. This week we found additional evidence of the beaver's ability to gnaw down good-sized vegetation; a four-inch diameter Sweetgum was on the ground (above), and the top was chewed through just below a main fork. Losing trees to drought is one thing, but we can hardly afford to suffer additional loss due to some giant aquatic rodent.

Damage from the drought isn't limited just to vegetation around Hilton Pond itself. In fact, a walk down any of our trails shows quite a few woody plants being stressed by lack of water. In particular, moisture-loving trees such as Red Maple, Sweetgum, and Tulip (Yellow) Poplar are throwing off leaves at least six weeks ahead of schedule. Assuming we get some decent rainfall this autumn and winter, we suspect most of these mature trees will survive, but some of the less virulent individuals may perish.

While some trees are showing leaf-loss due to the drought, some of our woody growth at Hilton Pond Center has even begun to drop its fruit prematurely. One of our most-productive Common Persimmons near the pond normally holds its one-inch-diameter bounty (above) well into October, but this year the ground beneath is littered with unripe fruits. Whether the seeds within will still be viable is yet to be determined.

Our Ruby-throated Hummingbird population remains sub-par this summer, but we're not sure this has anything to do with the drought. We DO believe a sudden influx of Yellowjackets (above) is likely due to lack of rain and resulting scarcity of flower nectar. Yellowjackets have been assaulting our hummingbird feeders in unusually high numbers, some days making it difficult for hummers to get at sugar water. Although many hummingbird enthusiasts try to eliminate local Yellowjacket populations, we try to remind folks these are native insects that play important roles as pollinators and scavengers. If you have Yellowjackets, they can be minimized by keep your feeders scrupulously clean and filled with fresh 4:1 water:sugar mix. We suspect these pesky insects will disappear from feeders if we ever get any rain.

Even as we write this installment, the water level of Hilton Pond continues to drop--with no signs of recovery in the immediate future. Fortunately, we haven't had a particularly hot summer so evaporation has slowed somewhat, but if the current lack of rainfall continues we may see ever-lower water levels, greater expanses of muddy bank, and a gaggle of Great Egrets showing up to take advantage of the Piedmont Drought of 2008. Anyone care to do a Rain Dance?

All text & photos © Hilton Pond Center

Comments or questions about this week's installment?
Please send an E-mail message to INFO.

Be sure to scroll down for an account of all
birds banded or recaptured during the period,
plus other nature notes of interest.

Thanks to the following fine folks for recent gifts in support of Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History and/or Operation RubyThroat: The Hummingbird Project. Your tax-deductible contributions allow us to continue writing, photographing, and sharing "This Week at Hilton Pond." (Please see Support if you'd like to make a gift of your own.)