Scientific Note: Rediscovery and Site Ecology of Pennsylvania Catchfly (Silene caroliniana ssp. pensylvanica) at Watauga River Bluffs State Natural Area (Carter County, Tennessee)

Pennsylvania Catchfly (Silene caroliniana ssp. pensylvanica) is a Tennessee State Listed Plant known only from three counties within the state. The largest known population of the species in Tennessee occurs at Watauga River Bluffs State Natural Area (Carter County), though its status at the site has been unknown since 1998. This project confirmed the continued existence of at least 17 individuals of the species at Watauga River Bluffs, and reports on basic ecological conditions at the site over the 2022 blooming season. Understanding baseline population and ecological information about this and other species existing near the extremities of their geographic range is important in an increasingly changing ecosystem.