The Bluebells are Back! Visit URWA's Burnt Mills Floodplain Preserve to See Them

Native to this region, Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica)
are a sight to behold at this time of year along the Burnt Mills
Fllodplain Preserve.

The Burnt Mills Floodplain Preserve was established on December 21, 1989 when Ken & Yvonne Schley and Anne & Floyd Stradling deeded three parcels of land totaling 11.32 acres to URWA. The parcels had been in the Schley family and were bequeathed to Ken and Anne in 1944 upon the death of their father, Kenneth B. Schley. A grist mill was built on the floodplain shortly after the Civil War, and was taken down by Mr. Schley after he purchased the property in 1928. Its ruins still sit on the site today, adding historical interest to the preserve.

The site, on the Lamington River near the confluence of the North Branch, supports diverse wildlife including great blue heron, long-tailed salamanders, red shouldered hawks, barred owls, and freshwater mussels, including the threatened triangle floater (Alasmidonta undulate — learn more about this mussel in the “Creature Feature” on URWA’s web site at www.urwa.org). Each spring, under a canopy of sycamore, black cherry and ash, Virginia bluebells carpet the forest floor – it is a sight not to be missed!


Lesser celedine, a highly invasive plant, threatens to crowd
out the native plants along the fllodplain preserve.



Unfortunately, another plant also awaits springtime visitors – the Lesser celandine, a small yellow buttercup-like flower, is an invasive plant that is spreading across the site. Lesser celandine spends much of the year underground as thickened, fingerlike tubers or underground stems. During the winter, leaves begin to emerge and photosynthesize in preparation for flowering. Flowering occurs from late winter through midspring, and afterwards, the above-ground portions die back. The plant spreads primarily through abundant tubers and bulblets, each of which is ready to become a new plant once separated from the parent plant. The tubers of Lesser celandine are prolific and may be unearthed and scattered by the digging activities of some animals, including wellmeaning weed pullers, and transported during flood events. It is difficult, but not impossible, to control invasive plants like Lesser celandine, and URWA is committed to stopping its spread.  We will soon form a "Friends of Burnt Mills Floodplain" group to help serve as stewards of this property, and one of the priorities for the group will be to combat the spread of Lesser celedine and encourage the growth of native Virginia bluebells.  Please contact us if you'd like information about the "Friends" group. 

The preserve has been part of New Jersey’s Green Acres tax exemption program since 1990, and as is the case with all of URWA’s preserves, the Burnt Mills Floodplain is open to our members and the public for passive recreational purposes. The preserve is used by fishermen, photographers, walkers, kayakers and people who simply enjoy observing the natural world.