ECOLOGICAL PLANT GEOGRAPHY OF 



MARYLAND, MIDLAND ZONE; UPPER 



MIDLAND DISTRICT 



FREDERICK II. BLODGETT 



Introductory. 



The Upper Midland District may be regarded as consisting of 



four natural belts crossing the state from north to south. Three 

 of these belts are hilly or mountainous, these are the Parr's Ridge 

 belt, the Bhie Ridge, including Catoctin Mountain, and the group 

 of ridges westward from North Mountain. The fourth belt lies 

 partly between the first and second of those named but mainly 

 between the Blue Ridge and North Mountain. The parts of this 

 belt are the valleys of the Monocacy and of the Antietam Creek re- 

 spectively. To the west of North Mountain there are no wide val- 

 leys of the same character as these, those present being narrow 

 with steep sides sloping to the stream bed at the bottom. 



P abb's Ridge Aeea. 



The Parr's Ridge area consists of a series of ridges of moderate 

 height, approximately parallel to the axis of the main elevation, 

 which lies to the west of the central line of the area. The relation 

 of the several elements of the topography may best be seen near 

 the town of Westminster, as the main ridge is there well developed 

 and the subordinate ones distinct on account of the valleys of the 

 streams which lie between them. The narrow valley of Little Pipe 

 ('reck, about a mile west of the town, cuts through the main axis 

 of Parr's Ridge and broadens on each side into wide valleys. The 

 streams at this point are tributary to the Monocacy River through 

 the Pipe ( 'nek valley. 



