Hurricane Isabel (September 2003) was the largest, most damaging hurricane to hit Virginia in at least 70 years. Permanent plots established in a maturing upland hardwood forest in 2002 were resampled in 2004 to assess hurricane damage. Tree loss among stems ≥10 cm diameter breast high (dbh) varied from none in 7 of the 20 plots to 50% of stems and 83% of canopy cover in a plot hit by a local microburst. Loss was greater on ridges and other higher elevation sites, and downwind of expanses of water. Loss was significantly higher in trees ≥60 cm dbh. Loss in Quercus velutina (46.6%) was significantly higher, and in Fagus grandifolia (7.7%) and Acer rubrum (7.4%) loss was significantly lower than the overall loss rate (16.9%). The latter two species occurred mostly in the lower canopy and understory, where tree loss was generally lower. Among stems ≥2.5 cm dbh but <10 cm dbh, all loss was secondary damage from falling larger trees, but was significantly higher in Oxydendrum arboreum (36.4%) and significantly lower in Acer rubrum (3.6%) than the overall loss rate for this size class (11.0%). Ilex opaca had a low loss rate in both larger and smaller size classes, but in both classes, difference from the overall rate was just short of the p < 0.05 level.

The ability to propagate and successfully reintroduce rare plant species is an important component in the conservation biologist's toolbox. Unfortunately for many species, propagation methods and details about the species' life histories, which can potentially inform reintroduction efforts, are often unknown. We describe for the first time the pseudoannual life cycle of rough-leaved loosestrife (Lysimachia asperulifolia Poiret [Primulaceae]) and techniques that we have used to vegetatively propagate and reintroduce this federally endangered species endemic to the Atlantic Coastal Plain of the United States. Using simulated dormancy and controlled soil temperatures, we increased the number of collected viable rhizomes by approximately 76% over one growing season. At two translocation sites, stem numbers increased an average of 318 ± 145 SD % in five of seven test plots between 2004 and 2010. Using dormant-season–harvested rhizomes and/or reducing competition prior to transplanting via mowing or using herbicides greatly improved translocation success. Only plots receiving neither competition-reduction treatment and outplanted with summer harvested rhizomes showed reductions (73 ± 21 SD %) in the number of stems. Although limited flowering and no capsule production was detected at the translocation sites, a similar lack of sexual reproduction is common in many natural populations of L. asperulifolia. Overall, our results will allow the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and their conservation partners to more confidently pursue recovery goals for the species.

The Miccosukee gooseberry (Ribes echinellum Coville), a federally threatened shrub, has a restricted distribution at single sites in north Florida and South Carolina. The Florida population is apparently stable overall, but one subpopulation has declined over the past decade. This decline spurred resumption of long-term monitoring and research into potential causes of the plant's rarity. In 2010 distinctive evidence of fruit predation inspired the title question. Using a time-lapse infrared camera we discovered a cotton mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus LeConte) eating fruit of the gooseberry. This type of fruit predation is apparently pervasive based on observations of plants scattered throughout the population. Cotton mouse scat is smaller than gooseberry seeds indicating that the seeds were probably destroyed during ingestion. Seed predation by the cotton mouse could have a significant negative effect on seed dispersal of the Miccosukee gooseberry.

Sphenoclea zeylanicais described and its phenology, habitat, and distribution documented in North America, based upon data from voucher specimens and original field observations. The species, an exotic native to Asia, has been in the United States since the mid-1800s, with the earliest records from Louisiana where it was most likely introduced as a contaminant of rice seed. Its distribution and spread are linked strongly with cultivation of rice, and we document its dispersal in the United States over the past 150 years with the postbellum expansion of rice agriculture in the Mississippi River Valley. Photographs and scanning electron micrographs illustrate structural details of inflorescence, flower, fruit, and seed.

Baum, David A. and Stacey D. Smith. 2012. Tree Thinking: An Introduction to Phylogenetic Biology. Roberts and Company Publishers, Greenwood Village, Colorado, 476 p. Hardcover, $75.00. ISBN 978-1-9362-2116-5.

Jones, Ronald L. and B. Eugene Wofford. 2013. Woody Plants of Kentucky and Tennessee: The Complete Winter Guide to Their Identification and Use. University Press of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, 224 p. Hardcover, $45.00. ISBN: 978-0-8131-4250-0.

The Currituck National Wildlife Refuge (CNWR) in North Carolina is inhabited by feral horses (Equus caballus), feral pigs (Sus scrofa), and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). The impact of these species on the vegetation of CNWR is unknown. To assess impact, we created two replicate exclosure plots within maritime forests, brackish marshes, and maritime grasslands. An electric fence divided each habitat into two sections: including or excluding horses. On each side of the electric fence within each habitat, we sampled three different 5 × 5 m plots (i.e., 36 plots). The first was a fenced exclosure 3 m high, the second a fenced exclosure raised 1 m above the ground and extended to 3 m, and the third, a control, was not fenced. Within plots, we created two 1 m transects, and randomly selected and tagged grasses, forbs, shrubs, and trees. We measured the distances from base to tip of herbs and from branching point to terminal bud in shrubs. We used a linear model to analyze plant growth rate. We used a length ratio adjusted by the number of days as the response variable. Out of 1,105 tagged plants, we detected 87 disturbances; 80 where horses were present and 7 where horses were excluded. Overall, horses were responsible for 84% of disturbances. Most disturbances occurred in brackish marshes on Schoenoplectus pungens. We detected a significant effect of exclosure treatment on plant growth rate where horses were present (p = 0.035), but not where they were excluded (p = 0.32).