Halyburton Park

Halyburton Park 

Visitor Center and Garden 

Halyburton Park is a city park that is located along 17th Street in Wilmington NC and serves as a recreation and conservation area. This park is 58 acres and  according to the City of Wilmington website is 70% undeveloped. Halyburton was created in 2004 and was initially intended as a soccer complex before conservation groups stepped in to protect the park's rare ecosystem. Today this park is one of the few examples of pine barren and sandhill habitat in Wilmington with Carolina Beach State Park being the other example. It has two Carolina Bay Lakes, ephemeral wetlands, and pine-oak woodlands that are managed with periodic fires.

Ecology   

Halyburton Park consists of four major kinds of ecosystems that are endemic to the area and now rare because of development and agriculture. The majority of the landscape is made up of pine barrens and  sandhill forests containing Longleaf Pine, Turkey, Black, and Red Oaks, and a mixture of grasses, wildflowers, and shrubs. The other ecosystems include microhabitats such as freshwater and ephemeral wetlands associated with bay lake, an example of Pocosin Forests, and a small amount of Pond Cypress/Tupelo Swamp. While development amongst the 17th Street Corridor and the Myrtle Grove Area has erased most of the once expansive pine barrens, savannas and swamp forests, the park still serves as an oasis for wildlife, and is a good place to learn about pineland ecosystems.

Highlights

Turkey Oaks along the trail in autumn color

Pine Barrens: Pine Barrens or Sandhill Forests are the main plant community at Halyburton Park and is one of the few surviving examples of this habitat within New Hanover County. These forests once covered most of the Coastal and Sandhills regions of North Carolina (Wilmington inland to Fayetteville and from New Jersey to Florida). However, logging, tree farming, agriculture, and development has destroyed most of this habitat, while fire suppression, invasive species, and overabundance of deer damaged what remained of this ecosystem. Pine Barrens are similar to Pine Savanna habitats except that the soil is mostly xeric (dry) and is more like a desert. Savannas are generally wetter, and have a rich diversity of plants, thus they look more like a prairie with scattered trees. Both habitats are fire dependent and will eventually revert to shrubland, hardwoods, or dense pines if they are not burned every 3-10 years. 

Pines and oaks are the primary trees that grow in Pine Barrens. Longleaf Pine are the main type of pine that grows at Halyburton although there are isolated stands of Pond Pine near the bay lake. In some habitats Slash, or Shortleaf Pines are the primary trees in the area. Pitch, Virginia, White, or Jack Pines replace Longleaf and Shortleaf Pines further north. Turkey, Red, Post, and Black Oaks are the second group of trees that grow in Halyburton's Pinelands. Beneath the oaks are a mixture of shrubs such as huckleberry, blueberry, fetterbush, sand myrtle, wax myrtle, and Common Juniper. Wiregrass, switchgrass, Indian Grass, and three awn grass along with a variety of wildflowers fill the open spaces in the savannas. Notable plants that are at Halyburton include Pondspice, Spicebush, and Luipine (a host plant for the threatened Frosted Elfin Butterfly), among others. 

Largest bay lake with splatter docks, alder, duckweed and spicebush

The smaller bay lake with sedges and switchgrass around it

Carolina Bay Lake: Halyburton Park has two bay lakes with the largest one being located just behind the visitor and nature center. Both lakes are basins that are flooded during periods of rain and become dry during droughts. While there are many examples of Bay Lakes including Lake Waccamaw, the Halyburton Park example gives a glimpse into these unique wetlands. The largest lake is bordered by pocosin forests, and a small patch of Pond Cypress and Pond Pine swamps. When dry, the basin is a wet meadow with dozens of grass, and plant species as well as alders, willows, and myrtles. During wet periods, most or all of the pond is inundated and hosts alligators, turtles, amphibians, and waterbirds (herons, rails, bitterns, kingfishers etc). The second bay lake is located deep in the barrens near the center of the park and is almost always dry (except during extremely wet years). This pond is mostly covered in canebrake, spicebush, and the rare pondspice plant and is surrounded by barrens. The pocosin forests on the southern side of the main lake are made up of pond cypress, sweet gum, tupelo, and titi trees. 

Habitat Garden: The city maintains a small habitat garden to educate visitors about birds, pollinators, and how to provide wildlife habitat in home gardens. The exhibit includes dozens of native plants including Joe Pye Weed, goldenrod, asters, sunflowers, milkweeds, and fruit bearing shrubs like Beautybush, hawthorn, and holly. This garden also has bird tables to attract songbirds as well as Grey and Fox Squirrels. Towards the pond overlook there is a small carnivorous plant garden with pitcher plants, Venus Flytrap, and other plants. In front of the nature and event center, a water garden with native and nonnative plants provides hummingbird and pollinator habitat as well. Throughout the year, you can see chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, House Finches, Red Bellied Woodpeckers and Brown Thrashers near the bird tables, while the winter brings goldfinches, siskins, White Throated/Crowned Sparrows, and flocks of blackbirds. 

Wildlife

Fox and Grey Squirrels are ubiquitous mammals in our area (Fox Squirrel from file)

Halyburton Park is home to a variety of birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects throughout the year. Most of the animals at this park are common species such as Grey or Fox Squirrels, Opossums, Raccoon, Grey or Red Foxes, and Coyotes, although bears and deer can visit any woodland or park in Wilmington. Informational signage also includes lists and photos of other animals that would exist in Pinelands or Pocosin, as well as in the Cape Fear Region as a whole. Halyburton is not a significant birding site although like Longleaf Park (formerly Hugh McRae Park) it is a good place to start. Some animals that stand out at Halyburton include Pinewood's and Grey Treefrogs, Pigmy Rattlesnake, Eastern Box Turtle, and the Eastern Flying Squirrel. In  the Bay Lakes you may see an  alligator or muskrat on occasion although amphibians, turtles (like sliders, cooters, or Painted Turtles), and the occasional heron, or bittern are the norm. 

Eastern Towhee is one of the many year-round species (Photo from my files)

Birds of Interest: Halyburton is one of the best examples of Pine Barren habitat in Wilmington and is more assessable to casual birders than Carolina Beach State Park, or the major gamelands and preserves in Brunswick, Pender, Onslow, or Columbus County. As a Pineland Habitat, you will see  mostly birds like Brown Headed Nuthatches, Pine Warblers, and Blue Jays mixed with the usual Red Bellied Woodpeckers, Carolina Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, and Carolina Wrens found in woodlands and gardens across the region. Autumn brings some migratory traffic although aside from a few warblers (mainly American Redstarts, Palm Warblers, Yellowthroats), vireos, and the occasional rail or bittern, there is not much (compared to Carolina Beach State Park, Airlie Gardens, Greenfield Lake, or Burnt Mill Creek). According to informational signage, there were once Red Cockaded Woodpeckers in the area and the park could be suitable habitat for a colony (although it is too small and isolated to sustain a population). The bird tables are an easy and fun way to watch birds casually, while the park's guided bird tours (often free of charge) takes groups into the woods to learn basic techniques. 

Notable Birds: Pine Warbler, Brown Headed Nuthatch, Hairy and Downy Woodpecker, Blue Jay, Common Crow, Eastern Towhee, Red Shouldered Hawk, Great Blue Heron, and Great Horned Owl. Wood Ducks or Mallards are seen occasionally in the pond.

During the summer there are Whippoorwills, Chucks-Wills-Widows, Yellow Billed Cuckoos, White Eyed Vireos, Crested Flycatchers, and Yellow Throated Warblers in the park.

Ranger releasing a Pigmy Rattlesnake at Halyburton in 2014

Unique Wildlife: Halyburton also has some unique and in some cases rare animals. The most notable  animals include the Pigmy Rattlesnake, the Frosted Elfin Butterfly (a threatened species), and several frog and salamander species that are specific to ephemeral wetlands that do not have fish. The Southern Flying Squirrel, Grey or Red Fox, White Tailed Deer, and the Coyote are not rare or extraordinary but are notable inhabitants or visitors that most people will not encounter. The park also has bat houses, a Flicker Box, and several flying squirrel boxes.

Amenities 

Halyburton Park offers a variety of facilities and amenities to visitors and is one of the few parks with an event and education center. This facility includes a nature exhibit with reptiles, insects, and amphibians, a small gift shop, an event room for weddings, educational events, meetings, or yoga/pilates classes, and a patio for outdoor events. There is also a playground, picnic pavilions, and an interpretive trail near the parking lot that educates visitors about precribed burning, pineland habitats, and wildlife. The 2.1km (1.3mi) paved trail allows for jogging, walking, biking, or casual activities and is part of the Wilmington Cross City Trail. There are also hiking trails that take visitors into the Pine Barrens, Pocosins, and to overlooks. Overall, the trails are low-impact, assessable, and are a good place to bring family and children to exercise and enjoy nature. Because of the current events, it is important to double check the city's website to check the status of events or and facilities.