MNPS 2006 Annual Fall Conference, "Botanical Diversity of Montgomery County: The Geology-Botany Connection"

This conference explores the relationship of the different geological terrains found in Montgomery County and the natural communities and plants associated with them. The schist and gneiss of the Potomac Gorge, the diabase found at Hoyles Mill and Edwards Ferry, and the serpentinite region near Rockville each support a different type of flora. Talks and field trips will emphasize these connections.

Despite intense suburban development, Montgomery County has a rich diversity of natural areas protected by national, state, and county parks. The Potomac River and the C&O Canal National Historical Park rim the entire western edge of the county with easy access at many points, including Great Falls and Little Falls. The ten mile long Potomac Gorge is known to contain some of the rarest plant communities in the eastern United States. State natural areas adjoin the C&O NHP in many areas. County parks such as Blockhouse Point, Rachel Carson, Hoyles Mill, and Little Bennett also preserve large areas of forests and stream valleys. Sugarloaf Mountain Park, on the nortwestern border of the county, surrounds a 1282-foot-high quartzite monadnock that is the highest point on Maryland's Piedmont.