Ferncliff Peninsula Natural Area
Encyclopedia
Ferncliff Peninsula Natural Area is a 100 acres (40.5 ha) peninsula
with a unique habitat
with many rare and unusual, for Pennsylvania, plants. It is part of Ohiopyle State Park
, near Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania
. It was declared a National Natural Landmark
in November 1973 and was named a State Park Natural Area in 1992. These acts will prevent all further development in the peninsula area.
in the Youghiogheny River
which flows north into Pennsylvania from West Virginia
and Maryland
carrying seeds from that region. The warmer microclimate
inside the river gorge allows these plants to survive. It is a good example of a late successional forest in the Allegheny Mountains
.
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
with a unique habitat
Habitat (ecology)
A habitat is an ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular species of animal, plant or other type of organism...
with many rare and unusual, for Pennsylvania, plants. It is part of Ohiopyle State Park
Ohiopyle State Park
Ohiopyle State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Dunbar, Henry Clay and Stewart Townships, Fayette County, Pennsylvania in the United States. The focal point of the park is the more than of the Youghiogheny River Gorge that passes through the park. The river provides some of the best...
, near Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania
Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania
Ohiopyle is a borough in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 77 at the 2000 census. While Ohiopyle has a tiny year-round population, it is often filled with tourists on the weekend, who come take advantage of outdoor recreation...
. It was declared a National Natural Landmark
National Natural Landmark
The National Natural Landmark program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only natural areas program of national scope that identifies and recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features in...
in November 1973 and was named a State Park Natural Area in 1992. These acts will prevent all further development in the peninsula area.
Description
The peninsula is created by a meanderMeander
A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse. A meander is formed when the moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternately eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing them on the...
in the Youghiogheny River
Youghiogheny River
The Youghiogheny River , or the Yough for short, is a tributary of the Monongahela River in the U.S. states of West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania...
which flows north into Pennsylvania from West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
and Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
carrying seeds from that region. The warmer microclimate
Microclimate
A microclimate is a local atmospheric zone where the climate differs from the surrounding area. The term may refer to areas as small as a few square feet or as large as many square miles...
inside the river gorge allows these plants to survive. It is a good example of a late successional forest in the Allegheny Mountains
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
.