380 Buttonbushes Planted In Lake Allatoona

There were 35 volunteers on hand and 380 buttonbush plants were added in Lake Allatoona. The annual drawdown at the lake allows anglers access to areas that are now dry but will soon be flooded fish habitat.

On Feb. 4, fishing club members of the E3 Bassmasters, the Marietta Bassmasters, Lake Allatoona USACE volunteers, the Lake Allatoona Association and the Georgia DNR conducted another planting as part of an ongoing habitat enhancement project on Allatoona Lake. The fishing club members belong to the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, as well as the local chapter of Georgia Bass Nation. BASS encourages clubs to work with resource managers in their respective areas to enhance and protect freshwater fishing habitats for public enjoyment and benefit. There were 35 volunteers on hand and 380 buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) plants were planted. 

“The immediate goal is to increase the abundance of quality largemouth bass spawning and rearing habitat,” said Jackson Sibley, the WRD fisheries biologist overseeing a number of important projects for improving and protecting Lake Allatoona. “Due to the reservoir’s dramatic annual drawdown, most native plants, which can be predictive of largemouth bass year class success, are absent from Lake Allatoona. Introduction of buttonbush plants provides both refuge and foraging habitat during the critical juvenile life stage of this popular sport fish. Aquatic vegetation plantings represent one element of a lake-wide management strategy aimed at providing largemouth a competitive edge against their smaller cousins, the Alabama spotted bass. The management efforts also incorporate supplemental largemouth stocking, population monitoring and the introduction of offshore and nearshore adult wintering habitat. Buttonbush provides a plethora of other ecosystem services, most notably of which is serving as a pollinator for communities of insects. In summertime, when the buttonbush’s namesake spherical flowers are in bloom, the plants team with life above and below the water line, from beetles to bees, lizards, butterflies, tadpoles and beyond. The seeds are also a food source for waterfowl.”

In summertime, when the buttonbush’s namesake spherical flowers are in bloom, the plants team with life above and below the water line, from beetles to bees, lizards, butterflies, tadpoles and beyond. The seeds are also a food source for waterfowl.

Once established, the plants are capable of reproducing, thereby creating additional plant groupings that will continue to enhance the targeted areas. 

There is a collaborative effort between the USACE and Georgia WRD to grow these native buttonbushes for annual plantings. Linda Purvis spearheads the efforts and volunteers of the USACE on Lake Allatoona. She is passionate about increasing the pollinating benefits of plants around the lake. Collin George of the Georgia DNR has been instrumental in developing rooting and grow-out processes for the buttonbush plant. He has shared his knowledge and processes with the USACE to increase plant production. The USACE has invested in building a greenhouse to aid in this endeavor. These joint efforts yield beautiful, fully rooted plants approximately 36 inches tall. The development of these larger plants greatly increases their viability. When more mature plants are installed in shallow-water areas, it significantly enhances habitat for largemouth bass and other game and forage fishes.

Buttonbushes that are planted are about 3 feet tall.

The USACE invested in building a greenhouse to aid in growing the buttonbushes.