Flower Hill nearly doubled

On September 10, TLC purchased 8 acres for addition to the Flower Hill nature preserve in eastern Johnston County. Funding for the $29,000 purchase was provided by Wal-Mart.

The additional acreage, which lies entirely within the Flower Hill/Moccasin Creek Bluffs significant natural heritage area, nearly doubles the size of the Flower Hill preserve from 10 to 18 acres. The land is separated from the preserve by one tract about 670 feet wide (see map). TLC is seeking permission from adjacent landowners to extend the preserve trail network.

Conservation of this land provides three benefits to the public:

• Clean Water – by protecting the Moccasin Creek watershed. Moccasin Creek is a designated Significant Aquatic Habitat due to its excellent water quality and the abundance of rare aquatic species found within its waters. It is also a major tributary of Buckhorn Reservoir, which provides drinking water to the city of Wilson.

• Wildlife Habitat – by protecting the wildlife corridor along Moccasin Creek.

• Connecting People with Nature – by providing the potential for TLC to expand recreation opportunities at Flower Hill.

Truly a Johnston County jewel, thousands of visitors have flocked to Flower Hill since the mid-1930s to behold the bountiful blooms. B.W. Wells, the prominent early 20th century naturalist, called Flower Hill a “freak of nature” for its natural stands of Catawba rhododendron, a mountain species out of its element amid the flat farmland of the Coastal Plain.

The area was strongly promoted and became well-known as a distinctive natural treasure in the region, attracting thousands of visitors annually at its height of popularity in the mid-1930s.

TLC acquired the original 10 acres of its Flower Hill nature preserve in 1989 with the help of civic groups and members of the Johnston County community who were concerned this natural and historic resource may be lost to development.

Today, TLC hosts an annual outing to Flower Hill timed with the peak of the spectacular rhododendron blooms in early May, and the preserve is open to the public year-round.

Copyright © 2006-2008, Triangle Land Conservancy Last updated on 01/07/2009.