Valuing the Irreplaceable: Bunched Arrowhead

The conservationist Aldo Leopold, often called the father of modern wildlife management, once wrote:

“The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant: What good is it?”

He followed with a guiding principle of conservation:

“To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering.”

Those words apply directly to bunched arrowhead, a small flowering plant found almost exclusively near Travelers Rest.

A Rare and Fragile Habitat

Bunched arrowhead once served as a food source for Native Americans. Today, it survives only in Piedmont seepage forests—wet, sloping foothill habitats formed as groundwater slowly moves across the landscape. These ecosystems are both rare and highly vulnerable to disturbance.

Protection Takes More Than a Listing

The species was added to the federal endangered species list in 1976. But listing alone does not prevent habitat loss from development. Long-term protection depends on permanent land conservation, ensuring these areas remain in their natural state. An array of partners – local (Naturaland Trust), state (Department of Natural Resources), and federal (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) – are making it happen.

Local Conservation at Work

Through partnerships in 2022 and 2024, the Greenville County Historic & Natural Resources Trust helped protect 50 additional acres, expanding what is now the Bunched Arrowhead Complex Heritage Preserve to 380 acres conserved for future generations.

Did you know? Some of the most valuable natural resources can’t be replaced—and protecting them starts at the local level.