Plummers Island facts for kids
Plummers Island is a small, 12-acre island in the Potomac River in Maryland. It's about nine miles from Washington, D.C.. This island is super special because it's the most studied island by scientists in all of North America! You can even see it from the American Legion Bridge.
Scientists started studying Plummers Island way back in 1899. A botanist (a plant scientist) named Charles Louis Pollard created a group called the Washington Biologists' Field Club. They were looking for a place to study nature close to Washington, D.C..
The club first rented the island in 1901. Seven years later, they bought it! Today, the U.S. National Park Service owns Plummers Island.
Plummers Island: A Special Place for Science
In 2008, a science magazine called the Bulletin of the Biological Society of Washington published many articles about the plants and animals on the island. These studies showed just how much life is there!
Amazing Plants and Animals
Scientists have looked closely at the island's three main types of plant areas. These are the riverbank areas, the flat terrace areas, and the upland forest areas.
They found an incredible number of insects. There are 3,012 different kinds of insects! These insects belong to 253 families and 18 different groups, like springtails, dragonflies, earwigs, cockroaches, stick insects, grasshoppers, booklice, thrips, true bugs, net-winged insects, dobsonflies, beetles, scorpionflies, caddisflies, butterflies and moths, flies, fleas, and ants, bees, and wasps.
Another study found 19 types of freshwater mollusks (like snails and clams) right around the island. This includes 7 types of clams and 12 types of snails. This brings the total number of mollusks known in the Middle Potomac River to 42 species.
Scientists also keep a list of all the vascular plants on the island. This list includes ferns, fern relatives, gymnosperms (like pine trees), and flowering plants. They have found 885 different plant species that grow wild on the island and the nearby mainland. Of these, 704 are native to the area, and 181 have come from other places and now grow naturally there.
What About the Bridge?
In September 2017, the Governor of Maryland announced plans to make the I-270 and I-495 highways wider. These highways are part of the Capital Beltway. This project would add special toll lanes.
To do this, the American Legion Bridge would also need to be made wider. This bridge is very close to Plummers Island.
In July 2020, the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) shared a huge report. This report explained how the bridge project might affect people and the environment. A decision about the project is expected in 2021, with construction possibly starting in 2022.
If the project happens, it could cause big problems for Plummers Island. The island is right next to the bridge. The plans might destroy or move the small water channel that separates the island from the mainland. Many trees would be cut down, and a large part of the island could be flattened.
The native beech forest on the mainland side would also need to be cut down. The wet areas between the mainland and the island could be destroyed. This could lead to many unwanted plants taking over the area.
