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This panorama represents one of the largest known populations of Conrad's Crowberry (Corema conradii) in New Jersey. Named after its discoverer, S. White Conrad (1779-1831), Corema conradii is one of the rarest plants in the coastal plain habitat. It currently exists in several disjunct populations, occuriing as far south as this population in the pine barrens of New Jersey. It also occurs in the Shawanagunk Mountains of New York, a somewhat inland mountain chain. Also in the Cape Cod region of Massachusetts, with its largest populations to be found in coastal Maine and further north into Nova Scotia. Corema is a plant of coastal plains. It grows on sandy soil, open sand, or siliceous rocky plateaus, ledges, and summits. On open hilltops, it is found in pitch pine (Pinus rigida) stands, forming a springy carpet in pine barrens as seen in this photo. It grows here with Bearberry (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi) and Sweet fern (Comptonia peregrina). The ground is heavily colonized with lichens and various fungi including earthstars(Gasteromycetes). All of these habitats have relatively open light conditions, a requirement for the plant. This may be due to disturbance, often in the form of infrequent fire. Fire directly kills adult plants but results in an abundant establishment of seedlings. Corema is one of the earliest plants to bloom although this year, we were just a few weeks to early to witness the flowers. This plant is threatened in a number of ways including the infrequency of fire events, resulting in the plant being shaded out by larger vegetation. Herbivory by deer represents the next biggest threat followed by shore and cliff erosion, human trampling, and habitat loss due to development, quarrying and sand mining. |
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This Gigapan was taken at an elevation of 200ft above sea level, from the Twin Lights Lighthouse in Highlands, New Jersey. The nearby Mt. Mitchell Scenic Overlook is at an elevation of 266 ft and is the highest place on the eastern seaboard, between southern Maine and the Yucatan in Mexico!
Sandy Hook is the seven mile sand peninsula in the foreground that jutes out into Raritan Bay south of New York. A unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area and part of the National Parks of New York Harbor, it also includes Fort Hancock, a disused miltary base. Check out the snapshots and you can see the Statue of Liberty over 20 miles away, the Verrazano Narrows Bridge between Staten Island and Brooklyn, the Empire State Building in Manhattan and the Parachute Ride and the Wonder Wheel on Cooney Island! This Gigapan was taken using a Nikon D300 with a Tokina 80-400mm at 400mm (600mm 35mm equivalent). For more Gigapans of Sandy Hook see http://gigapan.org/gigapans/most_popular/?q=brianlr+sandy+hook |
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Brooklyn Bridge Park on a snowy day looking towards Manhattan, New York |
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My first "real" panoramic big size... |
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Looking south intot he garden from the high point in the back. This is a narrow view but still good to see the last fits of fall color in the viburnums. |
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My first 360 panoramic with Gigapan! Taken fromt he center of the garden |
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Looking in from the north end of the garden, we can see what little remains of the fall color. |
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The Sandstone Wall at Mooney-Mooney Brooklyn crossing of the Hawkesbury River, Central Coast 60km North of Sydney.
Nikon D700 using 80-400mm @400mm Nodal-Ninja 5 with Ez-Levellor II 3 Rows of 49 Shots |