Serpentine soil

Serpentine soil is a shallow, dry, low-quality soil type with low nutrient content. Although rare in most of North America, it was historically found in large quantities in the vast prairie-like grasslands that covered southeastern Pennsylvania and northern Maryland before European colonists arrivedMaryland DNR, Natural Communities - Serpentine Grasslands. The Soldiers Delight Natural Envirornment Area near Owings Mills and the Bare Hills Historic District around Lake Roland are among the last surviving serpentine barrens in Maryland, and Soldiers Delight is among the most biodiverse serpentine regions in the world.
Serpentine soil is generally quite hostile to most plants; not only is it is low in calcium and nitrogen, but the high magnesium content inhibits the uptake of what little calcium there is, and serpentine soil also contains high levels of heavy metals, which can be toxic to many plantsUS Forest Service, Serpentine Soils and Plant Adaptations. As such, the plants that grow in serpentine soils are uniquely adapted for the job, and some of them are among Maryland's most unique (and endangered) native species. They serve as hosts for equally rare native butterflies and other insects, including at least one leafhopper species that is so rare it hasn't even been given a scientific name yet.
Maryland's serpentine barrens are almost gone: the genocide of Native communities (and the loss of their unique agricultural technologies), followed by extensive chromium and copper mining to extract those heavy metals and then heavy residential development, has led to their replacement with new-growth pine forests. Today, if you live in one of the surviving areas of serpentine soil - especially if you have a dry, south-facing slope - you may have an opportunity to help establish your own tiny patch of an almost-gone ecosystem unique to Maryland. We strongly encourage anyone living in the vicinity of Soldiers Delight or Bare Hills to contact the Maryland DNR to learn what they can do to encourage the growth of native serpentine grassland species on their own property.
Category:Soil types
Category:Maryland ecosystems