| Habitat Overview |
A key factor of this habitat is the presence of shrubby species of the Ericaceae that form dense thickets in a variety of upland habitats. This group occurs widely across the state, with all members being found extensively in at least two of the state's physiographic provinces. All of these species occur in upland habitats; species that occur in both uplands and wetlands are included in other habitats.
Heaths included in this habitat are all shrubs and most occur in either open woodlands or in barrens that lack a tree canopy. Almost all are associated with acidic, rocky or sandy soils but at least one species, Vaccinium stamineum, also occurs in Basic Oak-Hickory Forests (LeGrand and Sorrie, 2019). Species of Vaccinium and Gaylucassia are found in most occurrences of this habitat. Dense tangles of Kalmia latifolia that exclude most other species of shrubs are also included.
Most of the insect members of this habitat are herbivores on Blueberries (Vaccinium sp.) and Huckleberries (Gaylussacea), although there are several that additionally feed on Azaleas (deciduous Rhododendrons), Staggerbush (Lyonia mariana), Fetterbush (Eubotrys sp.). One species, Callophrys augustinus, feeds primarily on Kalmia latifolia.
This habitat does not include thickets of evergreen Rhododendrons, which are more restricted to the mountains and support a different set of symbiotic species. Both the General Upland Heath Thickets and Montane Rhododendron Thickets and Balds intersect the General Shrublands and Thickets habitat, which contains generalists that make use of all types of shrubby habitats in the state.
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| Related NHP Natural Communities |
NHP Natural Communities (Schafale and Weakley, 1990; Schafale, 2012) that contain significant amounts of upland heaths are present in all three physiographic provinces of the state. Mountain examples include: High Elevation Red Oak Forest, Montane Oak–Hickory Forest, Heath Bald, White Pine Forest, Pine–Oak / Heath, Low Mountain Pine Forest, Southern Mountain Pine–Oak Forest, Southern Mountain Xeric Pine–Oak Woodland, Chestnut Oak Forest, High Elevation Rocky Summit, and Low Elevation Acidic Glade. Piedmont examples include: Dry-Mesic Oak–Hickory Forest, Dry-Mesic Oak-Hickory Forest, Dry Oak–Hickory Forest, Dry-Mesic Basic Oak–Hickory Forest, Acidic Shale Slope Woodland, Piedmont Monadnock Forest, Piedmont Acidic Glade, Piedmont/Coastal Plain Heath Bluff, Dry Piedmont Longleaf Pine Forest, and Xeric Hardpan Forest. Coastal Plain examples include Xeric Sandhill Scrub, Pine/Scrub Oak Sandhill , and Mesic Pine Savanna. |
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