MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WKRN) — You may have never heard of it, but the only place on Earth where the “Stones River Bladderpod” can be found is on the East Fork of the Stones River in Rutherford County.
Tennessee State Botanist Todd Crabtree, who helps with the management of the rare plant on public lands in order to preserve it.
“It is so rare, that it is on a candidate list for federal listing,” Crabtree explained. “To prevent it from being federally listed and protected, the Department of Environment and Conservation, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, entered into a candidate conservation agreement. It’s only in the Stones River Watershed, and at this point, only in areas where we manage for it.”
At the Walter Hill Floodplain State Natural Area along the East Fork of the Stones River near the greenway trailhead, Crabtree oversees the yearly population of the Stones River Bladderpod.
Crabtree said after the river has deposited the seeds of the plant, the soil needs to be disturbed and overturned to help them germinate. Since the rare plant starts growing in the fall and flowers in early spring — opposite of most farm crops — farming of the land is ideal for the Stones River Bladderpod.
“The disturbance that the farmer provides when they are plowing before the growing season before they plant benefits this plant,” Crabtree added.
There is reportedly an agreement with a local farmer who grows a corn crop in the area, and so far, conserving the rare plant has been a success.
Crabtree said he hasn’t found as many of the plants this winter compared to years past. However, he added that he has seen years where there were fewer plants followed by years when they were abundant.
For now, the Stones River Bladderpod remains off the federal list for needing protections, which is thanks to the plan that has been put into place locally.
