Busting a Seam

Growing out of a small seam of soil, the marginal wood fern, Dryopteris marginalis, has found a home on a sandstone boulder in Linn Run State Park near Ligonier in Westmoreland County. Plants often root in the even smallest seams of soil. As the roots grow, they often fragment rocks in a process called "root wedging," although freezing water is a major cause.

Plants are part of the five soil forming factors: topography, climate, time, parent material and organisms. Plants also help to anchor the soil onto hillsides and act to catch sediment from runoff of agricultural fields.

Today's photo was taken by WPC Heritage GIS Technician Brad Georgic.

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