A friend in the woods 



BY KATHY HART 



Marcia Lyons shifts into four-wheel drive 

 as she forces her vehicle up a steep incline 

 on a narrow sand path in Buxton Woods. 



Talking over her shoulder, Lyons explains 

 the reason for the roller coaster ride: 

 "Buxton Woods grew up on an old dune 

 system. So, the forest alternates between 

 ridges and low spots. Some of the ridges 

 reach as high as 60 feet." 



Lyons knows Buxton Woods well. 



For her, the twisted limbs of the live oak 

 and the spindly trunks of the loblolly pine 

 are home and office. 



She and her family live beneath the pro- 

 tective canopy of the Buxton woodlands. 

 And as a park naturalist, she shares 

 custodial duties for the 1,000 acres of the 

 forest managed by the Cape Hatteras 

 National Seashore. 



But for Lyons, Buxton Woods is more 

 than duty; it's a love. 



She enjoys nothing better than telling 

 folks about the plants and trees that knit 

 together to form this tightly woven seaside 

 forest. 



Pointing out the window to the trees 

 beyond, Lyons explains that the dominant 

 forest species are the live oak, laurel oak 

 and loblolly pine. 



Lyons says the woods were logged dur- 



JEANETTE'S SEDGE Photo by Kathy Hart 



ing the 1700s and 1800s. First the live oak 

 and red cedar were cut for shipbuilding. 

 Then loggers turned to the pine and 

 dogwood. 



Meanwhile, Hatteras Island was also used 

 for grazing cattle, horses, sheep, hogs and 

 goats, she says. The goats, in particular, fed 

 on the young tree and shrub shoots in the 

 forest. 



Finally, in the 1930s a penning law forced 

 livestock owners to fence their animals. 

 Afterward, the flora of Buxton Woods 

 flourished abundantly. 



Because of logging, grazing, occasional 

 fires and hurricanes, Buxton Woods is a 

 relatively young woodland, Lyons says. 

 Most of the trees date back only 40 to 50 

 years. 



Suddenly, Lyons brings the vehicle to a 

 stop and points to a spike-leaved plant that 

 resembles a fan. 



"That's a dwarf palmetto," she exclaims. 

 "Buxton Woods is the northern-most limit of 

 its range. The same is true of the cherry 

 laurel." 



Hatteras Island is a transition zone be- 

 tween subtropical and cold-tolerant species. 

 Winds off the nearby warm Gulf Stream en- 

 courage the subtropical plants to thrive, 

 Lyons says. 



The island's location and isolation have 

 also led to unique subspecies of woodland 

 creatures such as the eastern king snake. 

 And when it comes to mammals, Buxton 

 Woods has greater diversity than any other 

 maritime forest in North Carolina or the ad- 

 jacent states, Lyons proudly proclaims. 



In fact, she's proud of every shrub, tree 

 and vine in Buxton Woods. By telling 

 people about them, Lyons hopes they will 

 better understand, appreciate and perhaps 

 preserve this special forest. 



The car stops again, Lyons hops out and 

 gazes across the "most scenic spot in the 

 woods'— Jeanette's Sedge. Here in a low 

 spot between ridges, fresh water oozes 

 from the ground to form a marsh surround- 

 ed by lush vegetation. 



She's right. It's beautiful... the kind of spot 

 you want to show your kids 15 years from 

 now and your grandchildren 15 years 

 beyond that. 



Lyons smiles. She knows she's made 

 another friend for the forest. 



