Roanoke River: Larkspur Ridge Preserve

LOCATION:
Coastal Plain
Halifax County

SIZE IN ACRES:
97

INVOLVEMENT IN ACRES:
NA

Larkspur Ridge, Roanoke River (© Fred Annand)

Dwarf larkspur

TOPOGRAPHICAL MAP:
Halifax

Topographical maps are available by contacting:
NC Geographical Survey.
1612 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1612.
(919) 715-9718
www.geology.enr.state.nc.us/

ACTIVITIES & AMENITIES:
Hiking / Birding / Wildflowers

OWNERSHIP & ACCESS:
This Nature Conservancy preserve is only accessible through the North Carolina Chapter’s field trip program.

SITE INFORMATION:
Late March to early April is an ideal time to see the magnificent wildflower display in this preserve in the Roanoke River floodplain. Larkspur Ridge is home to at least two plants that are considered rare in North Carolina: sessile trillium and false rue anemone. Named after the locally rare purple larkspur, Larkspur Ridge is an unusually rich example of a moist hardwood forest. The ridge is part of an ancient floodplain terrace formed by sediments deposited by the Roanoke River. The nature preserve is now covered by a mature forest with patches of old-growth located on a series of steep, north-facing slopes that rise up to 75 feet above the river. Shagbark hickory and other hardwoods, some well over 100 years old, dominate the forest. The combination of north-facing slopes and alkaline soils has created an environment which is relatively cooler, moister, and richer in soil nutrients than the surrounding region.

The area supports an abundance of wildlife such as river otter and woodchuck. Large numbers of breeding neotropical migratory birds can be seen throughout the Roanoke River floodplain in the spring and summer.

CONSERVATION HIGHLIGHTS:
The previous landowner, the Fenner family of Rocky Mount, registered this natural area with the N.C. Natural Heritage Program in 1982. The Nature Conservancy purchased the land from the family in 1991.

DIRECTIONS:
Not available