SITE ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETIVE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ALLEGAN PINE PLAINS ECOSYSTEM Thesis for the Degree of M. S. MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY _ LEON A SCHADDELEE, IN 1975, ' JMESIS ' f' ,',L .4 4- c , a- - cl.’ .¢ ~ v- . l .. l . h uh ‘ H ‘3 ‘ -M O ///////////////////////////////////////I///////// ‘ PLAC CEINRETUBNBOXto Doromov othb checkoumomywmoord. I TOAvoIDFIuNEsm umonor crochet om duo. .—______________—————-——'—'—'—'_]___.———————————'—_.'—'_—'__-—_—-—-—-_—-—I--—--I ‘ DA1TE DUE DATE DUE DATE DUE , QI -' ABSTRACT SITE ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETIVE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ALLEGAN PINE PLAINS ECOSYSTEM By Leon A. Schaddelee, Jr. The public is deprived of experiencing many fine natural areas because agencies managing the areas deem them too fragile to be developed for use. It is my thesis that the primary preserva- tion objective can be integrated with a secondary interpretive-use objective, so that the two are compatible. In fact, rather than compromising the preservation function, interpretive development, by preventing haphazard and unconforming use, can be a means to preservation. Methods of visitor control are discussed in context of an actual interpretive plan for a quality natural area, contain- ing fragile biotic communities and rare plants, in Allegan County, Michigan. This is presented as a model for use in developing other areas. SITE ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETIVE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ALLEGAN PINE PLAINS ECOSYSTEM By Leon A. Schaddelee, Jr. A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Department of Parks and Recreation Resources 1975 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My thanks to Mr. Charles Friley, chief game biologist at Allegan State Game Area, for introducing me to several of the studies I found so useful; Dr. Richard Brewer of Western Michigan University, for additional research papers; Dr. William Tans for information on the Wisconsin Scientific Areas; also to Miss Maya Hamady, Dr. M. Max Hensley, Mrs. Agnes Hess, Mr. K. I Lange (Devil's Lake State Park [Parfrey's Glen Scientific Area], Wisc.), Mr. Roy Lukes (The Ridges Sanctuary, Misc.), Mr. Mike Madany (Markham Prairie, Ill.), Mr. Max Medley, Mr. Roland Nagel, Mr. "Mo" Nielsen, and Mr. Floyd Swink; to Mr. Paul Risk, my advisor, and to Mrs. Francie Hinckley Smith and Mr. Robert Hinkle, members of my graduate committee; and most of all, to Mr. Ken VanderKamp for his ample assistance in conducting the inventory, and especially for his companionship in the discovery of what makes a certain very special place so special. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES . INTRODUCTION . Purpose of Thesis . . Rationale for an Interpretive Program in the Allegan Pine Plains . . . . . . . . . . . THE SITE Location . . . Method of Investigation . Field Work . Library Research . Strengths and Weaknesses .of the Research Presented Here Natural Features Climate Geology Soils Vegetation Introduction . . Major Plant Communities Rare Plants . Non-vascular Plants Animals Mammal s . Birds . . Reptiles and Amphibians Insects . . Archeology INTERPRETATION OF THE SITE Introduction Land Zoning. . . Methods of Visitor Control . Non- -personal Interpretation Self-guiding Trails Wildflower Trail Trail Construction . iii Page vi Page The Interpretive Center . . . . . . . . . . 117 Personal Interpretation . . . . . . . . . . l25 Guided Walks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 Off-site Activities . . . . . . . . . . . 127 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . l28 LIST OF REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . l32 APPENDICES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . l38 A. SPECIES PRESENCE LISTS FOR VASCULAR PLANTS FOR THE SIX MAJOR COMMUNITIES . . . . . . 139 l. Oak Forest . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 2. Oak Openings . . . . . . . . . . l43 3. Cedar- Hemlock Swamp . . . . . . . . . l47 4. Sedge Bog . . . . . . . . . . . l50 5. Tamarack Bog Forest . . . . . . . . . l53 6. Red Maple Swamp . . . . . . . . . . l54 B. TEXTS FOR SELF-GUIDING TRAILS . . . . . . . 157 l. Tamarack Trail . . . . . . . . . . . l58 2. North Woods Trail . . . . . . . . . . l64 3. Savanna Trail . . . . . . . . . . . l7l iv LIST OF TABLES Table - Page 1. Climatological Data for Allegan Sewage Plant . . . 20 2. Percentage Distribution of Plant Communities for Six Southwest Michigan Counties . . . . . 30 Figure Nam-500K) 10. 11. 12. 13. LIST OF FIGURES Location of Allegan Pine Plains in Michigan Allegan State Game Area . The Miner Lake Area Lake Pullman and Related Drainage Pattern . Allegan County Presettlement Vegetation Pattern . Miner Lake Area Vegetation Pattern Presence Percentages for Four Prairie Species in Each of Four Prairie Types . . Land Zoning for Miner Lake Area Interpretive Signing . Tamarack Trail and Floating Island Trail North Woods Trail . Savanna Trail Post-glacial Plant Migration Streams vi Page 11 23 28 33 42 93 . 105 . 106 . 108 . 110 . 122 INTRODUCTION Purpose of Thesis The purpose of this thesis is to present an interpretive master plan appropriate to a high quality natural area. A natural area as significant as the Allegan County, Michigan location dis- cussed here demands a plan of unusual caliber, and one that takes into account factors not normally considered if visitors are to get the most out of the site while the resource is at the same time preserved in its original integrity. Hopefully the principles pre- sented here will be applicable elsewhere, so that the plan for the Allegan Pine Plains site can serve as a development model for other fine areas. Especially likely to benefit from such a model would be the agency, such as the state department of natural resources, charged with providing outdoor recreation within the large region, where several quality areas might occur. Agencies working with relatively small budgets and staffs to develop small areas might find this method a viable alternative. The problem of interpreting rare and fragile ecological systems has not, on the whole, been adequately dealt with in the past. Rather than wrestle with the problem, it is usually avoided simply by closing a given area to all use, including that of inter- pretation. In other words, the decision is made that preservation is more important than interpretation. The assumption, however, 1 upon which that decision is based--that preservation and interpreta- tion are incompatible--may be at fault. There may be cases where interpretation can actually be a means to preservation. Furthermore, total_preservation as a goal may not be as desirable as partial pre- servation accompanied by an excellent interpretive program. Most sites can probably sustain a certain amount of minor vandalism with- out loss of their essential integrity; such disturbances may be a small price to pay for the recreational-educational benefits of an interpretive program. Just because the biotic systems of the site are rare or fragile, or harbor rare species, the public need not be automatically excluded. It is my thesis that, as a general rule (there are exceptions), any_area can be opened to the public, pro- vided that development is well thought out and conducted with care and sensitivity. If we limit ourselves to interpreting the commonplace, we deny ourselves many opportunities to offer a quality recreational experience. "The weeds in a city lot," wrote Aldo Leopold, "convey the same lesson as the redwoods." But the difference between inter- preting weeds and redwoods may be the difference between an educa- tional and a recreational experience--or, at any rate, between two levels of recreational experience, one considerably more rewarding than the other. Interpretation as a public service in the area of outdoor recreation is much easier to justify if we have redwoods rather than weeds to work with, simply because more people are more excited by the extraordinary. Half of the success of any interpretive venture depends on the quality of the resource you have to work with; the other half depends on a program outstanding enough to match it. If we don't interpret the rare, we're not doing our job, since the natural scene consists of much more than communities that are common and compatible with "civilization." We don't want to be guilty of misleading the public by implying that this is all there is to it. The awesome diversity of the natural world is our prov- ince, and this diversity includes much that is rare and even vanish- ing--the more so as time and civilization march on. If the present trend continues, with diversity yielding ever more to uniformity, interpretation in the future will be dealing increasingly with the rare. In addressing some of the problems of interpreting rare and delicate natural communities, this paper ought to find increasing relevance! Rationale for an Interpretive Program in the Allegan Pine Plains The Allegan Pine Plains area lends itself extremely well as a testing grounds for my thesis that rare and fragile ecological systems arg_compatible with interpretation. 1. The particular site to be discussed here is a natural area of undisputed high quality. (At the time of this writing, it does not enjoy the legislative protection of a dedicated natural area, although it is in the process of obtaining it). Using the priority ranking scheme for natural areas developed by the Wisconsin Scientific Areas Preservation Council (Tans, l974), the site would receive high or highest ranking in all of the most important crite- ria except for degree of threat. These are: A. Quality, as measured by: l) diversity of native plant or animal species, i.e. are the expected (modal) species present? 2) plant community structure and integrity; 3) the extent of significant human interference (disturbance) to the community. and 4) the extent to which a community corresponds with our concept of the identified natural community as it existed before settlement. B. Size and buffer, measured in terms of adequacy to protect an area: from the direct and indirect activities of man and from the elements. C. Commonness, measured by: the acreage of the type in presettlement vegetation, the method of historical conversion of the type and its resultant degree of destruction, restricted nature of occurrence, the presence of rare or endangered species, and the amount of the type in the present landscape of the region. D. Community diversity, measured in terms of: number of plant community types or other natural features within.a tract. Because of the presence of communities that are uncommon and little known in southern Michigan, and because of the high percent- age of rarities, preservation of the Allegan Pine Plains site is of utmost importance. At the same time, because of these very quali- ties, the Pine Plains location makes an ideal site for an interpre- tive program. It is essential that an interpretive program be com- patible with the primary goal of preservation. 2. The potential for interpretive activity at the Pine Plains is much enhanced by its close proximity to several large population centers. It is located about 25 miles from Holland, 45 miles from Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, and 50 miles from Muskegon. The Grand Rapids metropolitan area alone has a population of about 435,000 (l970). Lansing, Battle Creek, Jackson, the Indiana cities of South Bend, Elkhart, and Gary, and the easternmost part of Chicago are all located within TOO miles of the site. The large numbers of people within day-trip distance of the Pine Plains guarantees enough usage to justify an interpretive center there. It should be remem- bered that the Pine Plains is strategically located within the bound- aries of the emerging megalopolis which will eventually stretch from Pittsburgh to Chicago. As this land-use pattern takes shape, the natural area value and recreational potential of the Pine Plains will increase. 3. Most of the site is already in state ownership. Enough, in fact, that an interpretive program could be instituted immediately, without prior land acquisition. The addition of Miner Lake would be highly desirable and would contribute much to the interpretive poten- tial, as well as insuring the safety of an excellent, state-owned bog which is an integral part of the lake system; its acquisition is not, however, at this time necessary. 4. Paradoxical as it may sound, there seem to be some cases in which preservation depends, at least partially, on planned develop- ment to deliberately attract more people to a site. The Miner Lake area will undoubtedly receive increasing use in the future. The land just to the west and north of the bog is now being subdivided for residential development; the remoteness which has protected the bog in the past cannot be counted on much longer. Furthermore, as word gets around, more naturelovers can be expected to visit the site and "love it to death." Uncontrolled, haphazard use is bound to lead to degradation of the resource. Planned development, however, can mean the accommodation of many more visitors with little, if any, environ- mental damage. If the Miner Lake area is really going to be pre- served, therefore, planned development must certainly be seriously considered. The alternative, fencing the entire area and posting a warden to see that no one enters without a permit, is certainly not the best. Preservation may be achieved, but at the cost of use. THE SITE Location The Allegan Pine Plains is a l2 by l6 mile tract in west- central Allegan County, about l0 miles inland from Lake Michigan (see Figure T). It embraces nearly all of Heath and Valley Townships and much of Manlius, Monterey, Clyde, Allegan, and Lee Townships. Most of this region is administered by the Department of Natural Resources as the Allegan State Game Area (see Figure 2). . Three blocks of land in Manlius Township, totaling about 528 acres and located within a mile of each other, were selected as the site for an interpretive center on the basis of their out- standing quality; their natural features represent the best that the Pine Plains has to offer. The Miner Lake Unit consists of 168 acres in the north half of Section 34. The Kalamazoo River Escarp- ment Unit includes 80 acres in the southeast corner of Section 27 and about 120 acres in the southwest corner of Section 26. The Savanna Unit embraces the northeast corner of Section 35 (T60 acres) (see Figure 3). Private inholdings separate them from each other. Such inholdings are unfortunately abundant throughout the Allegan State Game Area. The Miner Lake area is located within a mile of M-89, nine miles from I-196 (US 31), and 23 miles from US lBl. The nearest town is Fennville, two miles to the west. Three roads, all unpaved but passable in all but the snowiest weather, provide access to all 7 gym—(FAKE J EN A 1 s 105% "J 1 [ml (ASS S m mu GP. ”.55 Lm AP. Figure l.--Location of Allegan Pine Plains in Michigan. Figure 2.--Allegan State Game Area. MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES ALLEGAN STATE GAME AREA ALLEGAN COUNTY, MICHIGAN SCALE 0 I 2 3 4 5mm: BASE LEGEND ,. _ '15? EXIT"? STATE LANDS DEDICATED Ton W050 "PW“ Laws}; STATE CONSERVATION USES H mm GRADE EPARAT N '6 S '0 . NATURAL RESOURCES DEPANTAAENT UIITS INTERCHANGE SHOMNG MIPS WATERFO'L PROJECTS HARD SURFACED m GRAVEL m Gm DIRT m m DIRT MAD PUBLIC ACCESS SITES IIIIH-I STATE CAI? SDMDS WMCIPAL AID ROADSIDE PARKS GOLF COURSE (MINI. 10 27F 33¢ b lh‘. (K\ o I“ at. do «a; a; .fihfl r _ m : ofi... can: I; 9. \ \‘ 37'3")»: at: .m o. as: ~ .2 so. a I a 4 0 .3 2;? o o A n * \S . n ” c E :. g u M ' znb LS MISS m 99 _4J Q. 5 K d Q _~ On q .\ u. _ LS 2»; €88.80 0. t o H p q 0 3i 8» u n a c.. m a o 1.. t = H ....II a. a 1.. .-. 4.. .1 J .L - i. .V‘ .nuv p “Susan V. W... 1 , .A.a R.u.1 fin. ...- . Vsdtui A... ,4. ., II. 1%. .. a lint ¢ 21”». .. D...“ It. . . , . I . . .‘ ”1* Wu fir . . . ,.. .a . . in .J A .IAI . I c . . . ., S... , .. _. he. AIK/ I. .s L . 99.3.3: . .rhI - J . l‘ c a. .& I... l/I/W ‘. n . .. J”: c v . .PF 0 A. t. . O. f g. A ...A 50 m . a 8». vs .a. A ..._ :3 . , S .$,~ z... ...... an a V.«.w. . . Trv, .‘ I 9 Int. . (N . c . ,2. .0 .\w < V a , v. 58 v 2 .mm w. r81...” K .. J... .u I :35 .1. ,A F O» .9. .V . IS 4' x .. 2 15 I '10 (79 a. < 5 .N. . 333 R; s. II _ n or-_ x. L. 9 I. _ \ E. H .\ x M n c \ ._ L, 5 _ Ev: ,_ _ _ .h I . i 3 2 0 «a f F E p .. _ IS H109 u”... u .fi :a‘ N ,_oz .poo pamm .mzq a—sa mesa xmz .Na< .Nmz .nwu .cmw .ucmpm mmmzmm cummpp< cow mama PNUFmopoNNENFQII.P mgm N o N_ N N_ NN :NNNNN< unmemnwg mwcwmgm ago mcwauxmo xgoxuwzlxmo NWMWMMmgmwwm mpamz-;ummm zucaou .wapczoo cmmwgowz pmmzspaom xwm Lek mmwuw:=EEoo pcmpm No cowpsawgumwo mmmucmugmmnu.m m4m< 5mg an 35 moisture content in the soil; crown fires are much less frequent. All species show high fire tolerance. The forest history is one of succession and retrogression cycles. Stability is low; in absence of fire, the forest readily succeeds to Dry-Mesic or Mesic Northern Forest. Brewer et al. (1973) counted pine stumps in the Allegan Pine Plains and found that the original vegetation contained 19-24 pine trees per acre in three tracts studied, and seven in one tract. They estimated their diameter at breast height (dbh) at 7-18 inches. (Some stumps, it was noted, can be considered lost to decay). According to the 1831 land survey, white pine dominated, and white oak was second in importance. It is estimated from the survey data that the pine density was about 27 trees per acre; their diameters ranged from 7 to 30 inches. Today, the larger trees are white and black oaks, with some white pine. Black oak is predominant in most areas; white oak, how- ever, is a close second. Canopy tree density ranges from 122/acre to 225/acre in the tracts studied by the Brewer team. Smaller trees are also white and black oaks, especially white; bigtooth aspen and black cherry occur in much lesser numbers. In the understory, white oak is by far the dominant species; black oak, bigtooth aspen, pine, black cherry, and flowering dogwood are much less frequent, though all are conspicuous. In some places red maple is common in the understory. To these species noted by the Brewer team can be added sassafras, witch hazel, and two species of shadbush. 36 We found that in the Miner Lake and Kalamazoo River Escarp- ment Units, conspicuous plants in the low shrub and herb levels were bracken, Pennsylvania sedge, black oatgrass, wintergreen, black huckleberry, and low blueberry. Species of special interest were pink lady's slipper, pipsissewa, roundleaf pyrola, trailing arbutus, downy false foxglove, and cow-wheat. Future succession, according to Brewer et al., will empha- size the white oak more. Red maple, present as small trees, could develop increasing importance, as it apparently has in northern Michigan and elsewhere (see references in Brewer et al.). A forest dominated by red maple and oaks could be transitional from dry oak forest to mesic beech-maple. White pine probably will never return to dominate the forest as it once did, although Brewer et a1. note that the late leafing out of the oaks, resulting in late closing of the canopy (early June) may give young pines the light they need to continue growth. Presumably they could once again become important in the canopy. Oak Forest Phenology Based on Wenger (1970) and on personal observation. Informa- tion on bird movements is provided here for convenience. Mid April--red maple flowers Late April-~Smooth shadbush flowers; trailing arbutus Early May--downy shadbush flowers; low blueberry, plantain- leaved pussytoes, and northern downy violet; ovenbird, great crested flycatcher, scarlet tanager, and rose-breasted grosbeak arrive; spring azure and mourning cloak butterflies 37 Mid May—~smooth shadbush out of bloom, leaves unfolding (red in color); downy shadbush still in peak bloom; dogwood begins; wood betony; bracken fiddleheads up; canopy trees begin leafing out; wood pewee, yellow-throated vireo, wood thrush, least flycatcher arrive; migrating warblers pass through Late May--pink lady's slipper and bastard toadflax; whip- poor-will, red-eyed vireo, and cuckoos (two species) arrive Early June-~black cherry flowers; dewberry, mapleleaf Viburnum, black oatgrass; leafing out of canopy completed; leaf- rollers conspicuous in witch hazel Mid June--bracken full-grown; lepidopteran larvae and carabid beetles abundant Late June-—pasture rose flowers Early July--New Jersey tea flowers; pipsissewa; smooth shad- bush berries ripening; blueberries ripe Mid July--roundleaf pyrola and flowering spurge bloom; downy false foxglove; deer flies abundant Late July--wintergreen blooms; ovenbirds leave (first summer residents to do so) Mid August--woodland sunflower and bluestem goldenrod bloom Late August--dogwood fruits turning red Early September--white oak acorns drop Mid September--flowering dogwood starting to turn color ) Late September--wood pewees leave (last summer residents to do so Early October--sassafras (gold-yellow) and dogwood (pale yellow to pale red) turn color Mid October-—bracken brown, shriveling; leaf shed of shadbush completed; oaks turn color (russet to purple-brown); black cherry leaves yellow; huckleberry red, low blueberry dark red to purplish (both very attractive); pink lady's slipper leaves wilted, yellow with brown edges; trailing arbutus in bud Late October--cherry, shadbush, maple, sassafras, and dog- wood completely shed; two-thirds oak leaf loss 38 Early November--witch hazel flowers Mid November--most oak leaves gone 2. Oak Openings. This association is made up of Curtis' Savanna and Sand Barrens. It constitutes one of the most beauti- ful vegetation types in Michigan, a natural park of grassland broken by individual trees and clumps of trees. Savanna occurs where the soil is least disturbed and a thin sod covers the sand. Sand barrens represents an earlier successional stage; sod gives way to exposed sand on which the pioneer mosses (Polytrichum) and lichens (Cladonia) grow, with panic grasses and purple needlegrass. The sand barren type dominates abandoned fields. Both associations are dependent on fire for their main- tenance. Without fire, savanna grows up to brush within 10 years, to forest in 25-30 years. Conversion from sand barrens is much slower. The last fire in this area occurred in 1967 or 1968. Effects of fire other than control of brush are documented by Smith and Owensby (1973) and by Anderson (1973). Curtis observes that the sand barrens presents "an extremely severe and exacting environment," characterized by high soil tem- peratures (140-155°F in summer), high evaporation rate, low surface moisture, and the "almost total lack of available nutrients." Not surprisingly, many plants survive only by special adaptations. These include: --an annual lifestyle, permitting plants to bloom in the cool, moist spring and then die back and survive the summer as seeds (blue toadflax, false dandelion, Venus looking-glass) 39 --water storage (prickly pear, racemed milkwort, which pro- duces swollen, white, cleistogamous flowers on underground branches; these do not set seeds and are used for water storage) --small, hard, tough leaves to reduce transpiration (bear- berry, slender knotweed) --hairy covering to reduce transpiration (sweet everlast- ing, long-bearded hawkweed) --deep tap roots (butterfly weed, wild lupine) Some species, notes Curtis, seem not to have any such adaptations and yet survive splendidly (birdfoot violet). Trees of the oak openings are black and white oaks, black cherry, and sassafras. Common shrubs are New Jersey tea, early low blueberry, common dewberry, and pasture rose; less common ones include shadbushes of four species, eastern dwarf cherry, bear- berry, black huckleberry, and late low blueberry. A large variety of herbs is present, dominated by Pennsylvania sedge and the follow- ing grasses: Kentucky bluegrass (an alien), junegrass, poverty oat- grass, black oatgrass, starved panic grass, and little bluestem. The abundance of several kinds of wildflowers is responsible for impressive floral displays in the spring. The summer aspect is totally different. The lush, flower-Spangled green of spring gives way to a seered yellow-brown look; the dessicated lichens crunch underfoot, fruiting lupine and coreopsis are brown and shriveled, and flower color is sparse. I have observed in years past, how- ever, that if rain has been plentiful during the summer, several species are capable of putting on a minor show about the end of August. 40 Oak savanna was a common vegetation type in the Great Lakes region at one time. Braun (1950) describes the Kankakee sand plains as "an area of some 3,000 square miles partly in Illinois and partly in Indiana. Low ridges in the sand plains are forested; black oak (of small stature) is usually the dominant tree. In open stands, prairie species are abundant in the undergrowth" (p. 189). Good examples of this area are apparently now rare—-at least no parts of it have been preserved or identified as being worthy of preserva- tion (Lindsey et al., 1969; Illinois Nature Preserves Two-Year Report, 1973). In southern Wisconsin, probably the most important vegetation type at the time of settlement was oak savanna, dominated by bur oak, white oak, and bluestem. Writes Curtis: "Beyond ques- tion, an oak savanna with an intact ground layer is the rarest plant community in Wisconsin today." So it would seem that this vegeta- tion type--or at least good examples of it--are rare not only in Michigan but in adjacent states as well. Two of the dominant grasses (three including the alien blue- grass) are dominants in true tallgrass prairie; two others, less common but conspicuous, are big bluestem and Indian grass. The strong affinity of this grassland flora with true prairie is inter- esting and significant enough to warrant extensive discussion. Out of a list of 68 Michigan prairie species compiled by Scharrer (1971), 27 occur in the Savanna Unit; three additional species have been found outside the Unit. Betz's list (1965) for 41 Chicago-area prairie contributes another six.* It is interesting that the best prairie remnant discovered by Scharrer (in Cass County) had 28 prairie species, only one more than the number for the Savanna Unit. The comparison between the Allegan oak opening flora and the Newaygo County sand prairie flora shows much greater similarity than dissimilarity. By far the majority of prairie species (35) are had in common; 16 more occur only at Newaygo (including porcupine grass, tall cinquefoil, prairie avens, round-headed bush-clover, downy phlox, hoary vervain, hardleaved goldenrod, western silvery aster, and heath aster—-Hauser, 1953, and personal observation). Only one prairie plant, Ohio spiderwort, seems to occur in Allegan but not in Newaygo. Curtis and Greene (1949) recognized sand prairie as one of four prairie types in Wisconsin. They found it to be the "least distinct . . . and subject to greatest disturbance. Vegetation seems to be at subclimax level, rarely reaching stability." Of the 10 most typical Wisconsin species, five occur in the Pine Plains, six in Newaygo. Of the five species they listed as being preferen- tial for sand prairie, four are found in the Pine Plains (rough blazingstar, little bluestem, junegrass, and long-bearded hawkweed); all five occur in the Newaygo sites (the fifth being round-headed bush-clover). See Figure 7 for an interesting comparison based on their data. * Kenoyer (1934) notes that a seventh, the prairie avens (Geum triflorum) is found here. If so, it must be very local, as we failed to find it anywhere in the Pine Plains. 42 75« . NF 50‘ ,— 25- - _.._Il_ Fl _ L H D S L II D S Cylindric Blazing-Star Rough Blazing-star 75. 501 h— - 25‘ H ‘ H e ._.r-TI—T_ L 14 D S L II D S Hoary Puccoon Hairy Puccoon L - Low Prairie H - High Prairie 0 - Dry, Lime Prairie S - Sand Prairie Figure 7.--Presence Percentages for Four Prairie Species in Each of Four Prairie Types. 43 In closing this section, a comparison between the Allegan savanna flora and the vegetation of the jack pine plains of north- ern Michigan is appropriate. Beal (1904) lists most of the plants to be found there. The list is reproduced here, the nomenclature updated to conform with the Eighth Edition of Gray's Manual (Fernald, 1950). Species common both to the Pine Plains (but not necessarily to the Savanna Unit) and to the jack pine plains are noted with an asterisk. Most Common Species *Amelanchier arborea *Populus tremuloides *Andropoqon qerardi *Prunus pensylvanica *Andropoqon scoparius *Prunus pumila ' *Aster 1aeyi§ *P Pteridium aguT iljn num *Carex pensvlvanica Quercus coccinea *Eflmmmm *Duencus m *Danthonia spicata *Rumex acetosella *Epiqaea repens *Salix humilis *Erigergn canadensjs *Solidago nemoralis *Gaultherja procumbegs Vaccjnium myntillgiges __.v_D__SOr 20 Si Mnad n ' *lamm angustjioljum *Pinus banksiana *Vaccinigm ya§1llan§ Less Frequent Species ,Agrostis scabra *Liatris cylindraggg *Antennaria plantaqinifolia *Lithospermum croceum *Apocynum androsagmifolium *Lycopodium complanatum ___al1a.n1§p1ga, *Maianthemum canadense mew MOM *Ldimlinem *£e_n_9_tb_s.a__er_icanus *Monanda ' Cirsium pumilum *Oenothera biennis *Comandra umbellata *Panicum depaupenatmm *Convolvulus spithamaeus *Panicum dichotomum Diervilla lonicera .Einus nesinosa fggjgeron striqosus *Pinus strobus Eestuca ovina *Polyqala polyqama *Fragaria virqiniana ngpulus grandidentata *Gaylussacia baccata *Potentilla canadensis 44 Gnaphalium macounii Potentilla tridentgta *Helianthemum canadense *Quercus alba *Helianthus divaricatus Rubus canadensjs *Heliantbus Occidental: *Bubus. mm: 180.115.1111]. *Rudbeckja birta *Houstonia lgn gjfglja *Solidago jungea *Koeleria cristata Viola adunca *Krigia virqinica *Viola pedata Oak Opening Phenology Late April--big bluestem renews growth Early May--Pennsylvania sedge, early buttercup, spring beauty bloom; olympia butterflies common Mid May--birdfoot violet, hoary puccoon bloom; big leafy rosettes of columbo conspicuous Late May--wild lupine blooms (great blue patches), with rock sandwort, hairy puccoon, prairie ragwort; columbo begins growth of stalk; Karner blue butterflies abundant Early June--crickets singing; orange hawkweed (alien) blooms; foliage of big bluestem conspicuous Mid June--columbo stalk five feet high; junegrass, black oat- grass, Ohio spiderwort, hairy beardtongue, and lanceleaf coreopsis (much yellow) bloom; little wood satyr butterflies abundant Late June--pasture rose and columbo (only in certain years) bloom Early July-~poverty oatgrass, flowering spurge, prickly pear bloom; black oatgrass seeds picked up in clothing Mid July--New Jersey tea, goat's-rue, butterfly weed, race- med milkwort bloom; deer flies abundant Late July-~1ong-bearded hawkweed, whorled milkweed, cylindric blazingstar, woodland sunflower bloom; black oatgrass seeds com- pletely shed; tawny-yellow aspect; Karner blue butterflies commonly seen on butterfly weed Early August-~showy goldenrod (var. angustata) and western sunflower bloom; flower stems of big and little bluestem conspicuous 45 Late August--rough blazingstar, azure aster, sweet ever- lasting, gray goldenrod, big and little bluestem, Indian grass bloom; black cherry fruits ripening; leaves of columbo died back Early September--showy goldenrod (typical variety) blooming, angustata fruiting Mid September--only gray and showy goldenrods and azure aster still in full bloom Mid 0ctober--attractive yellow (cherry) and purple—brown (oak) aspect; pale brown patches of big bluestem; pasture rose bright red; columbo pods still retaining seeds; a few azure aster flowers 3. Cedar-Hemlock Swamp, At the base of the Kalamazoo River escarpment, over 40 feet below the oak forest, is a swamp of north- ern conifers dominated by northern white cedar and hemlock. Curtis calls the type Northern Wet-Mesic Forest. It is very stable, but is succeeded eventually by Northern Mesic Forest. White pine occurs in the drier and tamarack in the wetter parts. Associated hardwoods are black ash, yellow birch, and red maple. Spicebush is predomi- nant in the tall shrub layer, which offers quite a variety of species. Dominant herbs are cinnamon fern, skunk cabbage, Canada mayflower, marsh marigold, goldthread, and wild sarsaparilla. Of special inter- est are over 30 species of distinctively northern plants (see Appendix A, Section 3) and nine species of orchids, of which the showy lady's slipper is visually the most impressive. As a southern plant growing in a northern forest type, lizard's-tail is noteworthy. Seepage springs with water high in calcium are responsible for the presence of several calcicolous species. Twinflower is known to occur in the same habitat at a location about 40 miles south (Grande Mere, Berrien County) and is to be expected here as well, although the inventory did not turn it up. 46 The swamp represents a relict plant association, persisting in response to favorable microclimatic conditions, and later invaded by a more southern element. One of the most conspicuous plant com- munities in northern Michigan, cedar swamps are rare this far south. The forest presents a mature aspect. The trees create a gloomy environment of deep, cool shade. While not especially large, they are good-sized relative to what is normally seen. Four of the largest cedars were 15.6, 16.4, 17.8, and 17.9 inches dbh. While hemlock, cedar, and pine seedlings occur (rather sparsely), trees of intermediate size appear to be absent. The forest floor is cut by numerous small creeks and pitted by pools of water or muck. Bryophytes are especially conspicuous in such a forest. Sphagnum occurs in the wettest areas, associated with tamarack, poison sumac, showy lady's slipper, and pitcher plant. In the higher, drier parts, beds of an attractive, large-leaved moss, pro- bably Mgium, are common, especially on dead wood. Other species include fern moss (Thuidium) and tree moss (Climacium dendroides); liverworts are also common. Fungi are noteworthy for their variety; a discussion on the fungi found here is reserved till a later sec- tion. Cedar-Hemlock Swamp Phenology Early Apri1--skunk cabbage blooming Mid May-~goldthread and naked miterwort (on logs) Late May--pink and yellow lady's slippers, large-flowered trillium, swamp saxifrage blooming 47 Early June--purple avens Mid June-—showy lady's-slipper and pink pyrola Late June--bog twayblade Early July--northern green orchid and white adder's-mouth, small enchanter's nightshade; dwarf raspberry fruit ripe Late July--lizard's-tail and green-headed coneflower Early August--clubspur orchid and purple fringed orchid; red baneberry in fruit; painted boletinus conspicuous Late August--hemlock-parsley blooming; spikenard in fruit Mid October--strongly contrasting dark green overstory and yellow (spicebush) understory; leaves of birch already shed; no sign of skunk cabbage (I); much pine needle shed 4. Sedge Bog. Sedge or Open Bog (Curtis' term) is found just south of Miner Lake. Merging with it are two associated com- munities, Northern Sedge Meadow and Emergent Aquatic Community. Parts of the association seem to fit Curtis' description of an open bog-sedge meadow hybrid, produced by natural or artificial drainage lowering the water table, allowing fire to destroy surface peat layers. The dominant plant is probably water sedge (more associated with sedge meadow); slender sedge is also abundant (more associated with sedge bog). Other common sedges are tawny cottongrass, white beakrush, and twigrush. Other common herbs include royal and marsh ferns, cattail, and bluejoint. Common shrubs are meadowsweet, steeplebush, bog rosemary, leatherleaf, and large cranberry. Bog wildflowers include orchids (four spp.), pitcherplant, sundews (two spp.), buckbean, and bladderworts (four spp.); sedge meadow flowers include marsh cinquefoil, common Skullcap, marsh bellflower, 48 spotted joe-pye-weed, goldenrods (four spp.), and asters (three spp.). Emergent aquatics include three-way sedge, great bulrush, white waterlily, spatterdock, mermaid-weed, and purple bladderwort. Along the east shore of the lake basin, these give way to a fringe of sloughgrass, or prairie cordgrass, on slightly higher, drier ground. This is a prairie species also characteristic of Southern Sedge Meadow. A narrow shrub zone surrounds this part of the lake basin, made up of autumn willow, meadowsweet, swamp rose, and some buttonbush. An outstanding late summer feature of these shores is the spectacle of masses of bright yellow tickseed-sunflower. Two floating bog mats are found, separated from the rest of the sedge bog by emergent aquatic vegetation and from each other by Miner Lake itself. Located on private property, their future is uncertain and they will probably not be available to interpretation. However, as part of the Miner Lake basin complex--and a very fas- cinating part--they certainly deserve comment. The vegetation offers a few elements not found in the sedge bog proper, including Car- olina yellow-eyed grass, pickerelweed, dwarf St. Johnswort, and humped bladderwort. Rose pogonia occurs in abundance on both mats, grasspink is found only on the southern mat. The chief interpre- tive value of these mats, of course, is the fact that they are float- ing islands which, when walked upon, can be made to shiver and roll and ripple not unlike a mound of jello. On the shore opposite the southern mat grows a colony of Rhynchospora macrostachya, a sedge found only on the Atlantic 49 Coastal Plain and around the southeast corner of Lake Michigan. Voss (1972) says that because of its large size, it serves well as an indicator plant for smaller, less conspicuous sedges which share its oddly disjunct range. My field studies were terminated before I had a chance to search for these lesser associates, which--if they occur at all--would probably include Psilocarya scirpoides and Scleria reticularis. Ely and Crooked Lakes, six miles away, are known to harbor a large selection of these Coastal Plain disjuncts (Pierce, 1974). In fact, Crooked Lake probably has more kinds than any other location in Michigan. Pierce observes that three conditions must be met for these plants to be present: 1) a shoreline consisting of sedge peat grading into acid sand; 2) soft water (neutral to moder- ately acid); and 3) a lake level that fluctuates greatly from season to season and year to year, due to absence of inlet or outlet ("seep- age lake"). Miner Lake seems to meet these conditions. Seasonal lake level fluctuation is very pronounced; in spring the lake is two to three times its late summer size. The only indication we have, however, that the level changes from year to year is the pre- sence of the sedge. Pierce states that the seeds of these plants were no doubt introduced from the northern Coastal Plain by water- birds, and that their "distribution in the Midwest is related not so closely to geologic history [as was long theorized] as to present distribution of a suitable habitat." Much of the research done by Crow (1969) at Pennfield Bog near Battle Creek (Calhoun County) is applicable to Miner Lake Bog. 50 He concluded that 10% of the species were widespread, 26% were typical of the Eastern U.S., 8% of the unglaciated Coastal Plain, 28% of the glaciated Northeast, and 28% were northern and circum- boreal. Judging by the similarity between the species lists for the two bogs, these percentages would be very roughly comparable to Miner Lake. Curtis (1959) stresses the extreme limiting factors pre- sent in open bogs, which prevent other plants from moving in and competing and which therefore contribute heavily to the unusual longevity of this successional stage. These factors are: water saturation, high surface temperature coupled with low root-level temperature, high acidity (all three of which prevent or retard decay), low nutrient level (a function of poor decay), and pos- sibly the production of toxic substances by Sphagnum and other bog plants. Crow (l969a) measured average pH values in the various bog zones and found that open water was neutral; the sedge-cranberry zone was 6.03 but ranged from 4.7 in Sphagnum hummocks to 6.8 in depressions; leatherleaf areas were 4.76; areas of highbush blue- berry growing under tamarack were 4.5, of Sphagnum under tamarack, 4.18; and the red maple zone was 4.81 (6.42 in openings at the outer edge). The depressions in the sedge-cranberry zone, with their near-neutral pH, present an interesting microhabitat. In late sum- mer, notes Crow, the low acidity, higher temperatures, and lower water table permit some decay to take place. Growing here but nowhere else in the bog are spoon-leaved sundew and flat-leaved 51 bladderwort. Both of these are also found at Miner Lake, under apparently the same circumstances. Sedge Bog Phenology Based on Brewer (1966) and on personal observation. Late April--leatherleaf blooms Early May--northern bog violet; spring peepers calling Mid May--buckbean in bloom; bog rosemary begins Late May--pitcher plant begins; arethusa begins (through mid June) Early June--spatterdock and white waterlily begin; cranberry begins; marsh cinquefoil, flat-leaved bladderwort; buckbean in fruit; green frogs calling; spotted turtles seen Late June--rose pogonia begins Early July--grasspink begins (through late JulYI; ragged fringed orchid, purple bladderwort, white beakrush; leaves of cord- grass very conspicuous; bog copper butterflies abundant Mid July--spoon-leaved sundew and yellow-eyed grass; scat- tered cranberry blossoms, many yellow cranberries Late July--tawny cottongrass blooms Early August--steeplebush begins; cordgrass and bog golden- rod Mid August--tawny cottongrass in fruit; new growth of leather- leaf noticeable, and flower buds present Late August--cranberries begin to redden; tickseed-sunflower and rush aster begin Mid October--cottongrass still in fruit, shedding seeds; leatherleaf mostly green, some orange leaves; poison sumac mostly leafless, hanging clusters of white berries conspicuous (yellow- rumped warblers feeding on them) 52 5. Tamarack BogiForest. In southwest Michigan sedge bog succeeds to tamarack thicket which yields to tamarack forest (Brewer, 1966), called Northern Wet Forest by Curtis. It is very stable but given certain conditions will succeed to mixed forest (pine-maple- birch). In northern Michigan it succeeds to black spruce, which succeeds to white cedar. Brewer (1966) observes that changing water levels, fire, and insect damage usually prevent this sequence from being carried to completion. As with sedge bog, the environment is very acid and very wet, hence very low in oxygen. The anaerobic conditions inhibit decay, so that mineral nutrients are essentially unavailable. Curtis notes that since bogs are lower than the sur- rounding land, cool air collects there and causes dense night fog, which encourages a heavy growth of moss and lichens on the twigs. About six acres of tamarack forest exist in the southeast corner of the Miner Lake basin, surrounded by sedge bog. (On the east, only a very narrow strip of bog-meadow separates it from the oak forest). White pine joins the tamarack in making up the over- story; highbush blueberry creates a very dense understory. Several shrubs are associated with it: speckled alder, two species of chokeberry, poison sumac, winterberry, and mountain-holly. Vir- ginia chainfern and several sedges are common, but wildflowers are scarce. Canada mayflower, goldthread, pitcher plant, bristly dew- berry, and wintergreen are probably the most common. In the clear- ings, where sunlight permits, pink lady's slipper, grasspink, and white fringed and yellow fringed orchids are common. The grasspink 53 is exceptionally large and showy here. Hybrids between the two fringed orchids are more common than either species. Deep cush- ions of bright green sphagnum moss everywhere cover the ground. Tamarack Bog Forest Phenology Based on Brewer (1966) and on personal observation Late Apri1--tamarack begins to leaf out Mid May--tamarack in flower (male and female on same twig); blueberry begins to bloom; pick lady's slipper (to mid June) Late May--pitcher plant begins; chokeberry in flower Early June-—new cones on tamarack; green developing fruits on blueberry Mid June--poison sumac begins Early July--new growth of tamarack noticeable; wintergreen with new growth; grasspink, Indian pipe, dewberry begin Mid July--blueberries ripening (some remain green to end of month) Late July-—white fringed and yellow fringed orchids begin; wintergreen Mid August--cottongrass fruiting; 10-14" of new growth on young tamaracks Late August-~blueberries almost all gone; chokeberries begin- ning to ripen; dewberries ripening Mid October--tamaracks still mostly green, just beginning to turn color; winterberry leaves a blackened green, bushes loaded with red berries; blueberry dull orangy mass beneath tamaracks, well into shedding (some bushes already done); cottongrass still in fruit, shedding seeds; chokeberry dark purple, mostly shed; fringed orchid stalks brown, dried-out Late October--tamaracks golden-yellow Late November--tamarack leaf-shed completed 54 6. Red Maple Swamp. Red maple swamp occupies the low land south and southwest of the sedge bog. As the highest part of the Miner Lake basin, this area has been free of water the longest, affording time for the final stage of bog succession to develop. It is currently drained by Mann Creek, which runs from southeast to northwest on its way to the Kalamazoo River. The creek is inacces- sible except to those willing to wade through deep muck and thick brush. Many small pools pit the forest floor. The red maple swamp found here is the same as Brewer's "mixed forest" and is classified by Curtis as a type of Northern Wet-Mesic Forest, though quite different from cedar swamp. At its upland edge, where it merges with oak forest, the mesic quality is quite evident and here the boreal element is most pronounced. The common tree is red maple; lesser numbers of white pine, American elm, ironwood, and ashes (at least two species) occur. The yellow birch is rather uncommon but is noteworthy because of its northen range and its unique habit of enveloping old stumps with prop roots. The white pines are quite large; three of them we mea- sured were 22.6, 25.5, and 29.6 inches dbh. Common shrubs are Spicebush, gray dogwood, and speckled alder. Dominant herbs include cinnamon fern, royal fern, several grasses, jack-in-the-pulpit, Indian cucumber-root, Canada may- flower, goldthread, bristly dewberry, four species of violet, and partridgeberry. A small colony of nodding trillium is found on the northern border. 55 The upper edge is an ecotone where oak forest species merge with swamp species. Here are large beds of tree club moss, much goldthread, some bunchberry, shinleaf, roundleaf pyrola, starflower, and mountain honeysuckle. Most of these are especially character- istic of the mounds which were once the root systems of fallen trees. Nearby, but in wetter soil, are small colonies of beadlily occurring rarely, and clubspur orchids, also quite local. Red Maple Swamp Phenology Early Apri1--red maple and American elm flowers Early May--marsh marigold, sweet white violet, and gold— thread; clubspur orchid leaves up Late May—-Canada mayflower, starflower, beadlily, bunch- berry begin Early June--Indian cucumber-root begins Late June--partridgeberry flowers Early July-—dewberry in bloom; pyrola beginning Late July--beadli1y in fruit Early August--clubspur orchid in full bloom Late August--great lobelia begins; cinnamon fern starting to die back; dewberries ripening Mid September--red maple and sourgum starting to turn color Mid October—-red maples yellow (not red); sourgum nearly all shed; cinnamon fern brown and shriveled; gray dogwood still green, Spicebush mostly green; low blueberry dull yellow; many spring peep- ers observed in woods Rare Plants. Probably none of the plants in the Miner Lake area are rare in an absolute sense; i.e., probably all are common 56 in some part of their range. They are rare only for this part of the coUntry. Most of these plants are northerners found here very near or even at the southern limit of their distributions. They don't normally begin to get common until the latitude of Clare, Michigan is reached, about 90 miles north. This is considered the point at which the North Woods begins. The extreme southern limit for many of these plants is reached in northern Illinois and northern Indiana. A few bogs in these states still harbor most of the northerners found at Miner Lake; some are extremely rare, and others are extinct in the Illi- nois-Indiana area. Man's destruction of bog habitat there has con- tributed much to the rarity and has significantly enhanced the value of such places as Miner Lake, where a large selection of boreal species can still be found close to their southern limit. (As "the only bog in Illinois that contains a well developed tamarack forest and all prior stages of bog succession,")Volo Bog in Lake County is the only bog in Illinois that is comparable to Miner Lake (Illinois Nature Preserves Two-Year Report, 1973). Another pattern of rarity, one which accounts for only a few species in the Miner Lake area, involves southerners found as far north as southwest Michigan. These include several dry prairie plants, now limited in Michigan (except for a few hundred acres in Newaygo County) to a few railroad strips and undisturbed roadsides. Though they have always been local, man's alteration of the environ- ment is the major cause of their rarity. All are (or were) common 57 and widespread in Illinois and Indiana-~the time is rapidly approach- ing when one will have to go to a natural area preserve to find them. For some, that time has already come. Tallgrass prairie is the most decimated major vegetation type in the United States. Allegan County thus falls within a tension zone where north and south meet. Not all northerners and southerners within this zone are rare. Some, in fact, are abundant both in and outside of the Pine Plains, including such southerners as flowering dogwood, black oak, and sassafras; northerners like white pine and hemlock, while more local, are hardly rare in southern Michigan. Berrien County, 12 miles south of Allegan County and 26 miles south of Miner Lake, is one of 22 counties included by Swink (1969) in the Chicago region. Since Miner Lake can thus be considered as situated on the fringe of the Chicago region, some indication of the rarities among its plants can be gathered from Swink's comments. A list of 35 species follows, with notes from Swink and from the Illinois Nature Preserves Two-Year Report. All quotes, unless other- wise noted, are from Swink. Tree Clubmoss (Lycopodium obscurum) "Rare" Virginia Chainfern (Woodwardia virginica) Antioch Bog, Lake County, - is "the only known Illinois station" (Preserves Report). "Locally frequent" in Indiana (Swink). Canada Yew (Taxus canadensis) "In our area known only from Berrien and Kankakee Counties." ("undoubtedly extinct" in Kankakee County) Hemlock (Tsuqa canadensis) "In our area known only from Berrien County" 58 Carolina Yellow-eyed Grass (Xyris caroliniana) "very local" Nodding Trillium (Trillium cernuum) "Very rare; . . . by now it is undoubtedly extinct in Indiana." Showy Lady's slipper (Cypripedium reginae) “This plant grew by the thousands in Lake County, Indiana, where downtown Gary now stands. It is now very rare in our region, and probably extinct in most of the [Chicago region]." White Fringed Orchid (Habenaria.blephariqlottis) "Booth Lake, Berrien County" Yellow Fringed Orchid (Habenaria ciliaris) "Very rare" Clubspur Orchid (Habenaria clavellata) "Rare" Arethusa (Arethusa bulbosa) "Now almost certainly extinct in the Chicago region; known to have occurred in Lake County, Indiana," the location of "probably the last specimens of the Indiana dune region, and possibly for the entire state.“ White Adder's-mouth (Malaxis brachypoda) Not listed by Swink; appar- ently not found in the Chicago regTon. Autumn Willow (Salix serrisima) "Rare" Rock Sandwort (Arenaria stricta) "by no means common" Naked Miterwort (Mitella nuda) ”In [the Chicago area] known only from Berrien and Racine Counties." Smooth Gooseberry (Ribes hirtellum) "Very rare" Low Juneberry (Amelanchier humilis) "Very rare" Running Juneberry (Amelanchier stolonifera) Not listed by Swink; apparently not known from the Chicago area. Smooth Shadbush (Amelanchier laevis) "Outside of the [Lake Michigan] dune area, it is rather scarce." Purple Avens (Geum rivale) "Very rare" Trout Park Nature Preserve, Kane County, is the only known Illinois station (Preserves Report). Small Enchanter's Nightshade (Circaea alpine) "Very rare" 59 Hemlock Parsley (Conioselinum chinense) "exceedingly rare" Trout Park Nature Preserve, Kane County, is the only known Illinois station (Preserves Report). Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) "Now extremely rare" Roundleaf Pyrola (Eyrgla,rgtundifolia) "Very rare" Pink Pyrola (Eyrgla asarifolia purpurea) "In [the Chicago] area known only from Berrien and Racine Counties." Pipsissewa (Chimaphila umbellata) "Although collected in ten counties in [the Chicago] area, it has now become extremely rare." Trailin Arbutus (E i aea repens) "Now reduced to a very few stations in [the Chicagoi area. . . . A specimen exists collected by Vasey in 'Illinois'; apparently there is no other evidence of the pre- sence of Trailing Arbutus as a wild plant in Illinois." American Columbo (Swertia caroliniensis) "Rare and local" Downy False Foxglove (Gerardia virginica) "Rare" Flat-leaved Bladderwort (Utricularia intermedia) "Very rare, and possibly even extinct" Humped Bladderwort (Utricularia gibba) "Rare" Purple Bladderwort (Utricularia purpurea) "known only from Lake and Porter Counties in Indiana, where it is very rare." I have also seen it at Grande Mere, Berrien County. Partridgeberry (Mitchella repens) "Exceedingly rare in our Illinois and Wisconsin sectors" Twinflower (Linnaea borealis) Not yet known from Miner Lake area, but presence is likely. ”now very rare . . . being extinct in Illi- nois and almost certainly so in Lake County, Indiana. From this latter county Pepoon reported a station at Miller (east part of Gary) which had thousands of plants extending for one-fourth mile, but which apparently was eventually covered by a moving dune." Northern Wild Raisin (Viburnum cassinoides) "One of the rarest shrubs of the Chicago region, known in our area only from Berrien and LaPorte Counties." 6O Non-vascular Plants. No systematic attempt was made to identify bryophytes and lichens. Reference is made to the mosses of the cedar-hemlock swamp in the section which discusses this community. Mosses and lichens are conspicuous in the sand barrens and probably include most of those listed by Duncan (1973) as occurring in early successional stages on dry, sandy soil in northern Michigan. He records that Ceratodon purpureus came in very early and in 20 years had covered 94.5% of the plot studied. Twenty-one years later the Ceratodon had been almost totally replaced by two species of Polytrichum, juniperinum and piliferum. Lichens came in sometime between 20 and 40 years after succession began, only after the mosses had stabilized the site by their sod- like growth habit. The nine lichens found on the site were: Cladonia rangiferina 9. ms. unCTalis ggrnuta gristatglla gracilis verticillata fjmbrjata chlorophaea 10101010 101010 One noteworthy moss seen by myself was the elfcap (Buxbaumia aphylla), the capsules of which were evident on May 11 and June 8. It was found along the jeep trail which runs from the intersection of 126th Ave. and Old Allegan Rd. to Miner Lake. A greater effort was made to understand the fungi. The larger and more noticeable species were collected and later 61 identified if possible. Those species to which definite or tenta- tive names were assigned are listed below, according to the community in which they were found. They represent perhaps half of the species actually seen. Oak Forest Narrow-head Morel (Morchella angustigeps) probably; May 11 Emetic Russula (Russula emetiga) probably; July 26 Red Maple Swamp (especially ecotone) Microglossum rufum, or Clavaria sp. August 3 Earth Tongue (I:1chgglgssu_ yelutipes) probably; August 31 Spring Amanita (Amanita yerna a) August 31, October 13 Honey Armillaria (Armillaria mellea) local: many clusters on one or two stumps, October 13. This is the species responsible for foxfire. Tricholoma sp. May 31 Broad-gilled Collybia (Collybia platyphylla) probably; May 31 Vermilion Hygrophorus (Hygrophorus miniatus ganthgrellus) August 31 Pleurotus sp. on trees, May 31 Chameleon (Russula ghamaeleontina ) October 13 Cedar-Hemlock Swamp Coral Fungus (Clavaria sp.) August 31 Yellowish Chanterelle (Craterellus lutescens) August 31 Painted Boletinus (Boletinus p_ctus) August 3, 31 Funnel- shapedIClitocybe]IClitocvbe infundibuliformis) August 31 Waxy Laccaria (Laccaria Clitocybe laccata) August 31 Vermilion Hygrophorus (H ygrophorgs miniatus subsp. ) August 3 Tufted Yellow Hypholoma (H ypholoma fasjgulare) August 31 A list given me by Agnes Hess of Niles, Michigan presents some of the mid-summer mushrooms found by her in the Allegan State Game Area. Habitat data is from Graham (1944) unless otherwise stated. Scientific Name Common Name Habitat Boletus edulis Edible Bolete savanna (Hess) B, castaneus B, aurantiacus Strobilomvces strobilaceus BoletinuS'pictus Amanita verna fig muscaria 15. virosa A. brunnescens A? citrina fly caesarea Armillaria mellea Clitocybe aurantiaca C, infundibuliformis Lactarius gnrysorheus L, camphoratus L. h ro horOTdes L scroBicu Iatus L, volemus L? i eratus Russula emetica vesca . decolorans . delica lleaopo Cantharellus cibarius Clitopilus orcella Leucoagaricus procerus Mammals 1. Oak Forest. 62 Cone-like Bolete Painted Boletinus Spring Amanita Fly Amanita Destroying Angel Browning Amanita Napkin Amanita Caesar's Amanita Honey Mushroom Yellow Clitocybe Funnel Clitocybe Aromatic Lactarius Orange-Brown Lactarius Peppery Lactarius Emetic Russula Whitish Russula Chanterelle Sweetbread Mushroom Parasol Mushroom Animals mossy conifer- ous swamp open woods deciduous woods oak woods around stumps (Hess) leafy ground in woods sphagnum bogs swamps open woods mossy coniferous swamps oak woods esp. woods acid soil, woods, on moss or decayed wood sandy soil, birch-conifer savanna (Hess) savanna (Hess) open scrub oak (Hess) Hodgson (1959), in a mammal study conducted in the Allegan County oak forest, found the white—footed mouse to be by far the most abundant mammal, with a peak density of 13.8 animals per acre for August. areas. During this study 334 specimens were trapped. They were found throughout the oak and oak-pine The next most 63 common, with 60 specimens trapped, was the chipmunk. It had a maxi- mum estimated density of 2.02 per acre. The southern flying squirrel (49 animals trapped) had a maximum estimated density of 2.93 per acre but was found to be more local than the preceding two. The red squirrel (34 animals trapped) had a maximum estimated density of 3.42 per acre and was found only where pine is part of the understory. Other mammals caught were: Meadow Vole--l Short-tailed Shrew--l House Mouse--l Masked Shrew--2 Long-tailed Wease1--3 Noodchuck--3 Opossum--5 Raccoon--16 Hodgson believes the first four are rare in oak woods because they require more moisture than is available here. Other species, observed only, were: Fox Squirrel Red Fox Skunk Mink Prairie Mole White-tail Deer Ostenson and Orwoll (n. d.) studied eight quadrats along a transect just south of M-89, in the area of Palmer Bayou, where the Kalamazoo River and Sand Creek meet. Two were in dry oak uplands, where 11 white-footed mice were trapped, one pine vole, and two red squirrels; raccoon and opossum were seen. A pine-beech-oak forest yielded five white-footed mice, one short-tailed shrew, one wood- chuck, three chipmunks, four opossums, and two flying squirrels; 64 f0xsquirrels were seen. A moist beech-maple forest yielded seven white-footed mice, three short-tailed shrews, and two masked shrews. Maya Hamady, at my suggestion, set 50 mouse traps twice a day from August 17 to August 20, in Miner Lake Bog, on the edge of the bog, and in the adjacent oak forest. One deer mouse was obtained from the edge of the bog, and one white-footed mouse from the forest. Prairie mole tunnels were observed where they crossed the jeep trail. 2. Oakggpenings. Two areas of abandoned farm, grown up to grass, were observed by Ostenson and Orwoll. These yielded 10 white- footed mice, 19 prairie deer mice, and one pine vole. The thirteen- lined ground squirrel, a prairie species, was common here. This animal was sighted on only one occassion at the Savanna Unit. Wood- chuck holes were seen here, but what animals were occupying them is not known. 3. Cedar-Hemlock Swamp. No mammals were observed here, and no data is available on which would be most likely to occur. It is well-known that white cedar is a favorite food of deer. Medley (in Grande Mere, A Very Special Place, 1973) lists red squirrel and southern flying squirrel as also being typical of this habitat. 4. Sedge Bog. Ostenson and Orwoll surveyed two areas of wet sedge meadow in the Kalamazoo River floodplain and came up with 10 meadow voles, 21 meadow jumping mice, and one pine vole. Maya Hamady trapped two meadow jumping mice in the sedge bog at Miner Lake. We had hoped to obtain evidence for the presence of the 65 southern bog lemming, a species of grassy bogs (Burt, 1948) found very locally in Michigan (Dr. Baker, Michigan State University, in a personal communication to Miss Hamady). 5. Tamarack Bog Forest. The red squirrel was observed here. This is a species considered endangered in Illinois and possibly already extirpated there (Nature Preserves Two-Year Report, l973). 6. Red Maple Swamp. No mammals were observed here, and no data is available on what would be most likely to occur. From Hodg- son's material, we can assume that certain species which are rare in the oak forest are probably more common here because of the more ’ mesic conditions. Medley includes starnose mole, mink, and cotton- tail for this habitat. The following list of Allegan County mammals is based on Burt (1948). Those marked with an asterisk are those definitely known to occur within the Pine Plains, according to Hodgson, Osten- son and Orwoll, and the collection of skins assembled at the Swan Creek Highbanks Unit of the State Game Area. *Opossum (Didelphis virginiana) *Prairie Mole Scalo us aguaticus) *Starnose Mole (Condylura cristata) *Masked Shrew (Sorex cineregs *Least Shrew (Cryptotis parvg) *Short-tailed Shrew (Blarina brevicaug_) *Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus jusgus) *Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis) *Raccoon (Erggyon Iotor) *Long-tailed Weasel (Mustela_frenata) *Least Weasel Mustela rixosa) A rarity collected in Sec. 5 of Valley Twp. (Allen, 1940) *Mink (Mustela vison) *Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis) 66 *Badger (Taxidea taxus) *Red Fox (Vulpgs fulya) Gray Fox (Urocyon gingrggarggngegs) Very rare in southern Michigan; last reported in 1922 from Charlevoix County until found in Allegan County, east of the Pine Plains, in 1939 (Allen, 1940) Coyote (Canis latrans) *Woodchuck (Marmota monax) *Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel (Citellus tridecem- lineatus) *Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus) *Red Squirrel (TamiaSCTurg§_hudsonicus) Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis *Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niqer) *Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans) *Prairie Deer Mouse (Peromyscgé maniculatgs) *White-footed Mouse (Peromyscus leucopus) *Southern Bog Lemming (Synaptomys cooperi) *Meadow Vole (Microtus pennsylvgnjggs) *Pine Vole (Pitymys pinetorum) *Muskrat (0ndatra zibethica) *Meadow Jumping Mouse (Zapus hudsonius) *Cottontail (S lvila us floridanus) *White-tail Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) Several mammals have become extinct in Allegan County with- in historic time: Black Bear (Ursus americanus) Marten (Martes americana) River Otter (Lutra canadensis) Timber Wolf (Canis lu us) Cougar (Felis concolor) Lynx (Lynx canadensis) Bobcat'(Lygx rufus) Beaver (Castor canadensis) Porcupine (Enethigon dgrsatum) Snowshoe Hare (Lepus americanus) Elk (Cervus canadensis) At least the wolf, cougar, lynx, and beaver were still found in 1840 (Cook, 1889). Though not known historically from Allegan County, moose (Alces americana) and caribou (Rangifer caribou) probably occurred at one time. 67 The following six extinct mammals, all of which have left fossils in southwest Michigan, probably also occurred. Fossil records from Allegan County exist only for the mastodon (Dorr and Eschman, 1970). Giant Beaver (Castoroides ohioensis) American Mastodon (Mammut americanum) Jefferson Mammoth (Mammuthus jeffersoni) Peccary (Platygonus compressus) Scott's Moose (Cervalces scotti) Woodland Muskox (Symbos cavifrons) Birds 1. Oak Forest. Wenger (1970) studied the birds of an 18.4 acre tract in Section 30 of Valley Township, from 1966 to 1968. The list of breeding birds, with number of territorial males for each of the three years, follows: _.| £0 0"! CW _1 KO 0'3 \1 _a 0 C5 0:) Species Wood Duck Yellow-billed Cuckoo Whip-poor-will Yellow-shafted Flicker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Red-bellied Woodpecker Great Crested Flycatcher Eastern Wood Pewee Blue Jay Black-capped Chickadee Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch Robin Wood Thrush Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Yellow-throated Vireo Red-eyed Vireo Ovenbird no \l 01 N00 D —'I\)OO+ +N—‘h-‘N—‘OO-fi-O: —'O amooooosooooo N-b—‘OO—‘NN-b-HWNOd-‘OON-l- 0103C) hm-fi-OOOCDOU'IO-DGJN-d owOO+O—'OO—'N-‘+O—‘-'O—'+ \ICDO‘ImOCD-d bu flow—'N 68 Brown-headed Cowbird 1.3 1.0 1.0 Baltimore Oriole 1.7 2.2 1.0 Scarlet Tanager 4.6 7.4 3.8 Rose-breasted Grosbeak 4.1 7.5 4.4 nc -- not censused + -- present on tract Note that the most abundant birds here were the scarlet tan- ager and rose-breasted grosbeak; other common species were eastern wood pewee and red-eyed vireo. Species with large stable numbers tend to find xeric oak woods optimal for breeding purposes, while such forest tends to offer only marginal habitat for those with small, fluctuating numbers. The scarlet tanager, for example, favors forest in which the canopy closes late (i.e., oak forest), because enough light must remain available for the female in the canopy to observe the male near the ground as he displays his red back in court- ship (Prescott, 1965, as reported in Brewer, 1967). Visitors seen during the breeding season were: Swainson's Thrush late migrant Cedar Waxwing late migrant Red-headed Woodpecker early spring visitor Chipping Sparrow edge species Field Sparrow edge species Catbird edge species Cardinal edge species Redwing Blackbird nearby bog American Redstart nearby mesic forest Warbling Vireo nearby mesic forest Acadian Flycatcher nearby mesic forest Least Flycatcher nearby mesic forest Wenger concludes that bird density is lower in xeric oak forest than it is in other forest types, probably because the open canopy and sparse understory make good visibility possible, thus 69 increasing size of territories. Wenger admits that inadequate cen- susing technique could also be responsible for the low figures. In 1966, there were an estimated 178 territorial males/100 acres; in 1967, 266/100 acres; and in 1968, 153/100 acres. Deciduous forests on the whole average about 200 pairs/100 acres (for woods with 21 breeding species). Spruce—fir forest, because of the much greater cover, has 323-370 pairs/100 acres. It is interesting to note that Warren Woods, a virgin beech-maple forest in Berrien County, had 45 red-eyed vireo singing males per 100 acres compared to only 15 in the Allegan oak forest. According to Wenger, bird activity in the oak forest decreases dramatically towards the end of the breeding season--by August the forest is silent. This is not true of nearby mesic for- est. Birds leave soon after nesting. Ovenbirds, gone by late July, are the first to go. The last is the wood pewee, gone by late Sep— tember. Only nine species of birds were found on the tract in winter. There were 21 individuals per 100 acres during the winter of 1966-67, and 45 per 100 acres during the winter of 1967-68. The white- breasted nuthatch was most abundant and stable in its numbers; second to it was the black-capped Chickadee. Blue jay, titmouse, and robin populations are limited by snow cover; the two former species depend largely on acorns, while the latter forages on the ground for worms and insects. Foraging mixed flocks of chickadees, nuthatches, titmice, and sometimes brown creepers are typical. A list of the nine species follows: 70 Red-bellied Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Black-capped Chickadee Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Blue Jay Robin Gottshall (1969) observed the birds on three different tracts in Clyde and Valley Townships during spring and early sum- mer of 1966. Area 1 (16.5 acres) was a "relatively mature oak forest with a poorly developed shrub and brush layer." Area 2 (14.5 acres) was an "oak forest with an understory of white pines." Area 3 (18.4 acres) ranged from "mature oaks and a closed canopy to disturbed areas that hosted a tangle of greenbrier." Species observed and number of males per 100 acres for the three areas are presented below: Species Area 1 Area 2 Area 3 Ovenbird 13 24 18 Red-eyed Vireo 10 18 21 Black-capped Chickadee 21 13 4 Scarlet Tanager 16 12 16 *Blue Jay (13) (21) (13.5) White-breasted Nuthatch 12 13 8 Tufted Titmouse 10 12 10 Great Crested Flycatcher 7 19 5 Eastern Wood Pewee 10 3 8 Downy Woodpecker 2 3 10 Baltimore Oriole 13 + 5 Cuckoo (Black-billed & l3 - 12.5 Yellow-billed) Wood Thrush l3 - 5 Yellow-throated Vireo - 7 12.5 Rufus-sided Towhee - 7 15 Least Flycatcher - 7 + Cardinal - 7 - 71 Robin - - Catbird - - 2 Brown-headed Cowbird ++ ++ ++ Ruffed Grouse + ++ + Rose-breasted Grosbeak + - + Yellow-Shafted Flicker + + - Brown Thrasher - + - Whip-poor-will - - + Total number of males 140 - 148 152.5 Total number of species 17 18 21 * -- estimated number of blue jay males not included + -- species observed on site, but no territory estimate was possible Our own casual observations in the oak forest near Miner Lake produced the following list of species seen and/or heard during the breeding season: The Ruffed Grouse Cuckoo (species?) Great Crested Flycatcher Blue Jay White-breasted Nuthatch Blue-headed Vireo A pair seen by Ken VanderKamp on August 3, on jeep trail leading to lake. This is a species considered rare in Illinois. Ovenbird Northern (Baltimore) Oriole Rose-breasted Grosbeak following migrants were observed on May 11: Nashville Warbler Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler Black—throated Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Palm Warbler Dark-eyed (Slate—colored) Junco White-throated Sparrow Gottshall observed the following on May 16 and 17: Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Present in Wenger's study area in 1968; may breed here 72 Black-and-white Warbler Magnolia Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Blackburnian Warbler Chestnut-sided Warbler 2. Oak Openings. No studies are available. The following species were recorded by us during the breeding season: Wild Turkey Once native, this bird was hunted to extinction in Michigan; was reintroduced here in 1954. Two turkey pastures have been planted in the Miner Lake area: one in the Kalamazoo River Escarp- ment Unit and one adjoining the east border of the Savanna Unit. Mourning Dove Nighthawk Common (Yellow-shafted) Flicker Pileated Woodpecker Seen flying over on August 3; no doubt breeds in the oak forest and only visits here. Red-headed Woodpecker Kingbird Eastern Wood Pewee Black-capped Chickadee Brown Thrasher Robin Eastern Bluebird Northern Oriole Goldfinch Towhee Vesper Sparrow Chipping Sparrow Field Sparrow Other species of clearings and edges no doubt occur as well. One bird that should definitely be looked for here is the lark sparrow, a species that, in Wisconsin and southeast Michigan, is restricted to sand barrens for nesting (Curtis, 1959 and Bent, 1968). Apparently rather local this far north, its presence in southwest Michigan is unknown to me. Certainly, however, the oak openings provide ideal habitat. 73 3. Cedar-Hemlock Swamp. No studies are available, and our own observations produced very little. Some discussion on cedar swamp avifauna is provided by Brewer (1967). He notes that certain species seem to be more characteristic of cedar or cedar-mixed for- est than of pure deciduous or pure spruce-fir. These are: red- breasted nuthatch (the species most characteristic of cedar forest), black-throated green warbler (with hemlock), parula warbler (with hemlock), black-and-white warbler, and veery. Species most char- acteristic of the hemlock-white pine-northern hardwoods association are, according to Brewer: black-and-white warbler, black-throated green warbler, black-throated blue warbler, yellow-bellied sap- sucker, and possibly veery. Some breeding birds of the northern cedar swamp are: winter wren, yellow-bellied flycatcher, junco, purple finch, hairy woodpecker, wood pewee, red-eyed vireo, and white-breasted nuthatch. In the cedar-hemlock swamp found at Grande Mere, the Canada warbler is known to breed regularly (Medley, in Grande Mere, A Very Special Place, 1973). On June 8 Medley, in company with myself, found a pair of Canada warblers at the Miner Lake cedar site. This boreal species is unknown as a breeder in Illinois and Indiana. Nesting with this bird at Grande Mere is a southern species, the hooded warbler. It is known to nest as far north as Kent and Kalamazoo Counties (Bent, 1963) and should be looked for here also. Another southerner found commonly along the Kalamazoo River in Cal- houn County (Bent, 1963) is the prothonotary. There is a good chance 74 that both species breed in the floodplain forest along the Kalamazoo River here in the Pine Plains, and may enter the cedar-hemlock asso- ciation as well, though probably not to breed. From an examination of the relevant literature, I have com- piled the following list of northern species which might be found nesting in the cedar-hemlock community here: Saw-whet Owl Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-breasted Nuthatch Brown Creeper Has nested in Calhoun County Winter Wren Has nested in East Lansing area Veery Black-throated Green Warbler Canada Warbler Purple Finch 4. Sedge Bog. In his discussion of Portage Bog in Kalamazoo County, Brewer (1967) deals with both open bog and tamarack bog breeding species. He found the avifauna essentially undistinguished, with nearly all species being those which could be found in any moist thicket situation. In fact, all species found are more likely to occur in non-bog vegetation. Density was about 170 pairs per 100 acres. His findings are presented here: Species Number of males/100 acres Song Sparrow 57 Yellowthroat 27 Field Sparrow l4 Towhee l4 Brown-headed Cowbird l4 Catbird 9 Goldfinch 6 Traill's Flycatcher 5 Yellow Warbler 3 Black-capped Chickadee 3 Mourning Dove 3 75 Cedar Waxwing Flicker Cardinal Brown Thrasher Hummingbird Nashville Warbler Mallard Marsh Hawk Bluebird Tree Swallow Robin Whip-poor-will Veery +++++++-mmmw + -- present on tract The tree swallow, black-capped Chickadee, and Traill's fly- catcher are typical boreal species but are widely distributed in non-bog vegetation in southern Michigan and further south as well. The most interesting species in his list is the Nashville warbler, considered rare in southern Michigan and Illinois. Brewer concludes that, although bogs in southwest Michigan may be boreal islands with respect to plants, with respect to birds they are not. Brewer found a post-breeding emigration from Portage Bog into other vegetation types--he doesn't know why. Also, winter pap- ulations were very low, probably due to poor food supply (tamarack seeds are shed in autumn) and possibly also to wind exposure in the flat open areas. A partial list of open-bog birds is provided by Brewer, arranged according to habitat as follows: Open wet bog Rails American Bittern Redwing Blackbird Swamp Sparrow 76 Open dry bog Song Sparrow Yellowthroat Thickets Yellow Warbler Traill's Flycatcher Towhee Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Hermit Thrush several Warblers Ostenson and Orwoll (n. d.) record the following for two areas of wet sedge meadow: Great Blue Heron American Bittern Turkey Vulture Marsh Hawk Yellowthroat Crow Cardinal Indigo Bunting Field Sparrow Our own observations produced very little data. From bird song heard, we might assume the yellowthroat to be the most common bird in the sedge bog at Miner Lake. One species of special inter- est heard singing near the edge of the tamarack forest during the breeding season was the golden-winged warbler. A red-tailed hawk was seen flying over, and green herons and great blue herons were typical of areas of emergent aquatic vegetation. A couple of years ago Ken VanderKamp flushed a turkey from a nest here. Interest- ingly, no redwing blackbirds seem to occur, despite the presence of cattail area. Note that this species is also absent from Brewer's list for Portage Bog. 5. Tamarack Bog Forest. Brewer's general notes on Portage Bog apply to the tamarack areas as well as to sedge areas. The 77 avifauna is basically forest edge rather than forest. Our own obser- vations produced the following: Green Heron Sharp-shinned Hawk Woodcock Flying over Hairy Woodpecker Blue Jay Catbird Robin Cedar Waxwing Yellow Warbler Yellowthroat Northern Oriole Towhee On June 8 a small flock of red crossbills was identified by Max Medley. The presence of this strictly boreal species this far south during the breeding season is baffling. 6. Red Maple Swamp. Brewer (1967) studied the breeding avi- fauna at Sugarloaf Bog, a red maple-yellow birch-white pine area in Kalamazoo County. He found the bird density to be about 270 males per 100 acres, 100 more than at Portage Bog. The list is presented below: Species Black-capped Chickadee Ovenbird Eastern Wood Pewee Blue Jay Cardinal Scarlet Tanager Downy Woodpecker Red-eyed Vireo Great Crested Flycatcher Song Sparrow Tufted Titmouse Towhee Wood Thrush Yellow-throated Vireo Number of males/100 acres 40 38 26 22 20 18 16 16 15 13 8 8 6 6 78 Hairy Woodpecker Flicker White-breasted Nuthatch Black-throated Green Warbler Catbird Grackle Veery Ruffed Grouse Yellowthroat Owl (Barred?) Wood Duck Cowbird +++++++Nwwph + -- present on tract Note that the avifauna is decidedly more forest than forest edge. The birds represent deciduous forest species rather than mixed conifer-deciduous or conifer. In fact, not counting the chickadee, only the black-throated green warbler is considered a boreal species. It is a rare nester in southern Michigan, occur- ring in both bog and non-bog habitats where conifers occur. I believe it is absent from Indiana and Illinois. Extinct Birds. Finally, a note on extinct birds, using information from Greenway, 1958. The passenger pigeon certainly utilized the Pine Plains, though whether it nested is uncertain. Forest in which beech was abundant was the favorite habitat, but oak areas were also important; beech and oak mast were perhaps the most important food. The Carolina parakeet may have been present as a visitor in the Kalamazoo River floodplain forest. 79 Reptiles and Amphibians 1. Oak Forest. Ostenson and Orwoll (n. d.) found, in two dry oak areas, the box turtle, blue racer, and American toad. In a pine-beech-oak forest, the box turtle, blue racer, Fowler's toad, and Jefferson salamander (under logs) were found. A moist beech- maple forest produced the blue racer, redback salamander, and wood frog. We observed the blue racer and box turtle in the Miner Lake Unit oak forest. 2. Oak Openings. While the vegetation here strongly sug- gests prairie, the herpetofauna does not. Sand prairies of north- west Indiana apparently represent the eastern limit of the dis- tinctively prairie element (western smooth green snake, western fox snake, bull snake, western ribbon snake, plains garter snake, ornate box turtle, six-lined racerunner, and western slender glass lizard-- Minton, 1972). The blue racer was found in two areas of abandoned farm (grassland) by Ostenson and Orwoll. The box turtle was seen by us in the Savanna Unit. If my memory serves me well, I have heard gray treefrogs calling in this type of community, along M-89, in years past; I have no notes to confirm this. According to Dr. Hensley of Michigan State University (1975, personal communication), the hognose snake is a characteristic species of the Allegan Pine Plains forest and I would expect it to occur in the openings as well. I have seen it in open sand dunes bordering Lake Michigan in Allegan County. 80 3. Cedar-Hemlock Swamp. The only herptiles seen here were the box turtle, American toad, and a frog that eluded us before we could identify it. The four-toed salamander should be looked for-- in Indiana, where it is local and rather rare, it is considered a boreal relict (Minton, 1972). 4. Sedge Bog. Four turtles observed here were the box, spotted, snapping, and painted. The spotted is considered endan- gered in Indiana (Minton) and in Illinois it may now be extinct (Illinois Nature Preserves Two-Year Report, 1973). Snakes obser- ved were the massasauga rattlesnake, northern water snake, and ribbon snake. The common frog here is the green; the spring peeper, western chorus frog, gray treefrog, and bullfrog were heard. The mudpuppy was seen in Miner Lake by Ken VanderKamp. I could find no literature on bog herpetofauna; personal observation at two bogs in Osceola County produced gray treefrog, wood frog, and ribbon snake, and a bog in Kent County yielded cricket frog and ribbon snake. 5. Tamarack Bog Forest. No herptiles were observed here. A gray treefrog was found in the tamarack area of a bog in Kent County. 6. Red Maple Swamp. Spring peepers were abundant on Octo- ber 13. I would expect the mesic conditions at the upland edge to be productive of salamanders, but none were seen (partly, perhaps, due to my refusal to tear apart the rotten logs where they spend most of their time). In northern Indiana, Minton found the four- toed salamander in "moist and thoroughly rotted logs" in 81 "undisturbed swamp forest where there were numerous shallow pools heavily shaded and surrounded by ferns and mosses." This descrip- tion fits both the red maple and cedar-hemlock swamp communities here. Following is a list of Allegan County reptiles and amphib- ians, based on information provided by Conant (1958) and Hensley (1975, personal communication). Those definitely known from the Pine Plains, according to Ostenson and Orwoll and my own notes, are marked with an asterisk. Habitat information (from Minton) is provided in those cases where it seems important. *Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra s1 serpengina) *Spotted Turtle (Clemmys guttata) "quiet, clean, shallow water with much aquatic vegetation sur- rounded by a zone of relatively undisturbed meadow or under- growth” Wood Turtle (Clemmxs insculpta) apparently rare this far south; seen by Hensley in Allegan County in 1968 *Stinkpot (Sterno Lhaergs gggnazus) northern Indiana: "small marl lakes" especially (not peat bogs *Map Turtle (Graptemys geographica) "rivers and large creeks that have sluggish to moderate cur- rent, a soft bottom, and some aquatic vegetation" *Midland Painted Turtle (Chrysemys pigtg marginata) *Eastern Box Turtle (Terrapene g, carolipa northern Indiana: "sandy areas such as the beaches of extinct glacial lakes" Tinkle and Hensley (n. d.) consider this a threatened species in Michigan. *Blanding' s Turtle (Emydoidea blandingi T) "shallow, quiet, warm water surrounded by grassland" especially *Eastern Spiny Softshell Turtle (Inionyx_§,. "rivers, creeks, large ditches and lakes, especially those with sand or silt bottom"--aquatic vegetation not necessary Five-lined Skink (Eumeces fasciatus) rare or absent in northern Indiana; local in the Allegan State Game Area (Hensley) Northern Red-bellied Snake (Storeria g, occipitomaculata) "dry, forested upland" Hensley doubts its presence in the county 82 Northern Brown Snake (Storeria d. dekayi) Midland Brown Snake (Storeria decayT erqhtorum) *Northern Water Snake (Natrix s. sjpedon) Queen Snake (Natrix septemvittata) uncommon in northern Indiana Eastern Garter Snake (lhamnophis s, sirtalis) *Eastern Ribbon Snake (Ihamnophis s, sauritus) "abundant sunlight and low, dense vegetation in the vicinity of quiet, shallow water" *Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterodon platyrhinos) "rather dry, open situations“ Northern Ring-necked Snake (Qiadophis punctatus gdwardsi) "damp, heavily shaded forest" northern Indiana: "largely restricted to sandy areas" *Blue Racer (Coluber constrictor foxi) "dry, open or forest edge habitats where there is consider- able undergrowth" northern Indiana: old dunes, sparse woods, sand prairies Eastern Smooth Green Snake (Opheodryas v. vernalis) Black Rat Snake (Elaphe p, obsoleta) habitat includes tamarack bogs; Tinkle and Hensley consider this a threatened species in Michigan *Eastern Milk Snake (Lampropeltis doliata triangulum) habitat includes sandy oak woods ("a fairly high degree of moisture seems to be essential") *Eastern Massasauga (Sistrurus g. catenatus) *Mudpuppy (Necturus m1 maculgsgs) "rare or absent in small ponds" Western Lesser Siren (Siren intermedia nettingi) known in Michigan only from Allegan and Van Buren Counties (Hensley) Central Newt (Diemictylus viridescens louisianensis) "woodland with reasonably permanent ponds or marshes” Blue-spotted Salamander (Ambystoma laterale) "moist woodland with sandy soil" *Jefferson Salamander (Ambystoma jeffersonianum) "well-drained, undisturbed woodland" Spotted Salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) "mixed hardwood forest . . . that has been spared from grazing and severe fires and is not subject to spring floods" Eastern Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma t, tigrinum) "near ponds or in bogs an marshes" *Redbacked Salamander (Plethodon g. cinereus) beech-maple "woodland where soil is moist and the ground cover undisturbed” Four-toed Salamander (Hemidactvlium scutatum) see text *American Toad (Bufo americanus) "decidedly less partial to sandy situations than is Fowler's toad" 83 *Fowler's Toad (Bufo woodhousei fowleri) "sand or loose soil and open or sparsely wooded country" *Northern Spring Peeper (Hyla g. crucifer). *Eastern Gray Treefrog (Hylaly. versicolor) *Blanchard's Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans blanchardi) *Western Chorus Frog (Pseudacris 3, triseriata) ‘ *Pickerel Frog (Rana palustris) northern Indiana: "near small, clear streams, wet meadows, and sphagnum bogs" * *Northern Leopard Frog (Rana p, pipiens) "wet meadows, marshes, bogs, and shallow ponds in open sit- uations" *Green Frog (Rana clamitans melanota) "Cool, relatively clear, permanent bodies of water are highly favorable . . . very warm, muddy, transient waters are avoided" *Wood Frog (Rana sylvatica) northern‘Indiana: "moist woods and near lakes and swamps. It disappears from farmland and in most suburban areas." *Bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) "permanent water is essential" Insects Insects are presented here in terms of three patterns: 1) butterflies; 2) night-sounding insects; and 3) defoliators. Butterflies. Only butterflies of the open areas, i.e. the oak openings and sedge bog, were collected, due to their conspicuous presence there and to the ease of collecting. An annotated list of species identified, according to the community in which they were found follows: 1. Oak Openings Little Wood Satyr (Eu t chia g, cymela) Abundant on June 15 (also in oak woods); lesser numbers on July 6 and 21. Larvae feed on grasses. Wood Nymph (Cercyonis pegala nephele) August 31, not common. Feed on grasses. Monarch (Danausplexippus) Feed on various milkweeds. Aphrodite (Speyeria aphrodite) Feed on violets. 84 American Painted Lady (Vanessa virqiniensis) Feed on many composites, esp. (here) sweet everlasting and pussytoes. Coral Hairstreak (Strymon L; titgs) Feed on black cherry here. American Copper (Lycaena phlaeas americana) Feed on sheep sorrel here; species also found in Europe. Eastern Tailed Blue (Everes g, comyntas) Feed on legumes. Karner Blue (Lycaeides melissa samuelis) Feed on wild lupine; abundant on May 31; also (second brood) on July 21, clustered on butterflyweed. Spring Azure (Lycaenopsis argiolus) Many foods. Common on May 10, mostly in woods. Tiger Swallowtail (Eapilio glaucus) Feeds on many trees; here, mostly black cherry. Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus) Feed on sassafras here (spicebush in the swamps). Olympia (Euchloe olympia) Several on May 10 and 31. Feed on tower mustard here. Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme) Feed on legumes. Indian Skipper (Hesperia sassacus) June 15; feeds on grasses. Crossline Skipper (Polites manataaqua) Feed on grasses. 2. Sedge Bog Silver-bordered Fritillary (Boloria selene subsp.) Several on July 6. Feed esp. on violets. Baltimore (Euphydryas Dhaeton) Normally feeds on turtlehead, which may grow in red maple swamp (where we failed to find it); may feed on ash and/or viburnum here. Bog Copper (Lycaena epixanthe michiqanensis) Abundant on July 6, a few on July 15. Feed on cranberry, so found only in Sphagnum bogs. Survives winter as egg, which can stand being submerged. Orange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme) Two of the above deserve special comment. The Karner blue is regarded by Shapiro as "the most local butterfly of the northeastern states" (Irwin and Downey, 1973). It is known from at least seven counties in Michigan, all but one 85 in the west-central part of the state where wild lupine is abundant on sand areas (Moore, 1960). There is only one record from Illinois, where it is probably extinct due to habitat destruction. A very small colony (a few hundred square yards in size) survives near Hessville, Indiana (Irwin and Downey). The bog copper is not definitely known to occur in Illinois or Indiana (Irwin and Downey). In Michigan, where its distribution seems to be local, it has been recorded as far south as Jackson and Washtenaw Counties (Moore). A butterfly that should be looked for in the oak openings is the Ottoe skipper (Hesperia ottoe), a prairie species not sup- posed to be found east of those states which border the Great Plains (Klots, 1951). However, it has been recorded from Newaygo, Allegan, Barry, Kent, and Montcalm Counties in Michigan, where it apparently flies from about mid-June through July (Moore). It is rare and local in Illinois (Irwin and Downey). Klots states that it "is to be found in (now rare) undisturbed prairie areas . . ." In Michigan and Illinois it occurs in sand areas characterized by scattered clumps of grass; it seems to favor cactus blossoms (Nielsen, 1975, personal communication). A fourth species which should be mentioned is Reakirt's blue (Hemiargus isolus), collected on July 18, 1938 at Round Lake, four miles from Miner Lake (Moore). Normally found west of the Mis- sissippi River (Klots), this is the only record (as of 1960) of a fresh specimen (too fresh to be wind-blown) from the state. If a 86 colony really existed at Round Lake, I'm surprised that other speci- mens haven't been reported between 1938 and 1960. However, if the species does occur here, it should be looked for in the Miner Lake area as well. The following spring butterflies should, according to Nielsen, be found in the Allegan Pine Plains. All are encountered seldom enough to be considered collector's items. Mid to Late May Brown Elfin (Incisalia auqustinus) Hoary Elfin (1. Mg) Possibly. Henry's Elfin (1, henrjgj) Possibly. Frosted Elfin (1..1§u§) Pine Elfin (1. niphon) Olympia (Euchloe olympia) Sleepy Duskywing (Ervnnis brizo) Juvenal's Duskywing (E. juvenalis) Persius Duskywing (E. persius) Cobweb Skipper (Hesperia metea) On birdfoot violet. June Indian Skipper (Hesperia sassacus) Roadside Skipper (Amblyscirtes vialis) Dusted Skipper (Atrytonopsis hianna) Possibly-—not yet recorded from Allegan County. Night-sounding Insects. On the night of August 2, three insects were caught after stalking them by their sounds. These were: 1) bush katydid (Scudderia), a one-and-a-half inch green creature which made a sound consisting of several soft ticks fol- lowed by a soft pulsating buzz; this was very commonly heard in the oak forest adjacent to the Miner Lake basin; 2) coneheaded grass- hopper (Neoconocephalus), a one-and-three-quarters to two-inch 87 green or brown insect which made a loud continuous rasping zit-zit- zit; this was the most noticeable sound of open, sand barren areas, where it emanated from scattered small oaks; 3) shield-backed grass- hopper (Atlanticus), a seven-eighthsinch brown, thick, stubby crea- ture that produced a high-pitched buzzy trill, heard rather uncommonly in the oak forest. These are all members of the long-horned grass- hopper family, Tettigoniidae. Three other sounds heard that night include that of the common field cricket (Gryllus). I would expect that later in the season the true katydid (Pterophylla) fills the woods with its distinctive clatter. Defoliators. The data supplied here is from Faulkner, 1970. In studying frass (insect fecal matter) production in an Allegan County oak forest, he found that the larvae of five species were responsible for most of the foliage consumption. All are moths (though he mistakenly calls one a beetle). They are: Ribbed Cocoon-maker (Bucculatrix ainsliella) The one-quarter inch larvae are leaf-miners which normally feed on black oak and hiber- nate in slender white cocoons attached to twigs and bark. Spring Cankerworm (Paleacritg.vernaga) An inchworm with a preference for elm and basswood. Eastern Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma americanum) Feeds on black cherry, where the larvae build their communal silken tents. Apple Leafroller (Archips argyrospilgs) Linden (Maple) Leafroller (Sparaganothis [angpis] pettitiana) The Deerfly: It would be an inexcusable omission to close the section on insects without mention of the deerfly (Chrysops). 88 It is abundant and an all too conspicuous feature of the oak forest and savanna during most of July and August. Larvae live in Miner Lake, from which they emerge as adults to attack the heads and necks of deer and other creatures, not the least of which are human. Actually, only the females suck blood; the males feed on flowers. The genus is typical of broken woodland in the north temperate zone, tropical Africa, the Far East, and the north tip of Australia. The deerfly constitutes a significant drawback to any interpretive plans for this area. I suggest that an effective repellent (one contain- ing diethyltoluamide) be found and a supply of it be carried by the interpreter, who will make it available to visitors he is guiding. Archeology_ Since it is the natural features that so distinguish the Pine Plains, archeological and historical investigations were under- emphasized. Still, any interpretation of an area which purports to be complete cannot omit these minor features which are interesting in their own right and are bound to appeal strongly to some visitors. Some knowledge of the Pine Plains Indians is, therefore, desirable. Background information providing the context for the remarks which follow can be obtained from Kinietz (1940) and Fitting (1970). Peru (1965) reported on three fluted points discovered in Allegan County, two near the shore of Glacial Lake Pullman and one in Lee Township, well within the area covered by the lake. This latter was found at an elevation of 660 feet; Peru believes the lake was still extant but at a level near that of Lake Chicago 89 (640 feet) into which it drained. He thinks all three points are at least 14,000 years old, although Fitting regards that as the very maximum and believes them to be younger. Indians must have occupied Allegan County continuously from the time the ice left. The Pine Plains, however, was no doubt always sparsely populated and never by any permanent vil- lages. Because of the abundance of white oak, the carrying capa- city of the forest was no doubt greater than that of the northern pine forests, yet Hinsdale's comment on these north woods probably applies somewhat to the Allegan Pine Plains too: The Indian procured very little, if any kind of food from conifers. . . . Animals whose flesh made human food could not subsist upon resinoid kinds of trees; whereas fruits, nuts, berries, sugars, building barks, and browse for some of the animals came from the other types of vegetable growth. The gloomy recesses of the pine woods, monotonous and scant in nutritional plants, were not often frequented by animal and bird life in appreciable numbers. That part of the state is so non- productive that, since it has been denuded of pine, it has not offered congenial conditions for people who subsist upon what they can force the soil to produce. (quoted in Fitting, 1966) In 1968 a team sponsored by Western Michigan University and the Kalamazoo Valley Chapter of the Michigan Archeological Society excavated a site on the south bank of the Kalamazoo River in Sec- tion 30 of Heath Township. Fragments of simple pottery, usually marked by pressing cord into wet clay, clay pipe fragments, and various stone tools were recovered from what appeared to be two hearths and two storage pits. Charcoal found with them was dated at A.D. 1230:100 and 11801100. Only a small number of people--men 90 and women probably in equal numbers--used the site, and perhaps for only one season. Activities carried on were "cooking food, food storage, hide preparation, tool making, and probably fishing." The conclusion of the team was that this was a winter camp of a band of Chippewa (Rogers, 1972). The site is well-situated: on the one side is upland pine-oak woods which supported populations of deer and turkey with its mast, and on the other side is the river, where fish and clams could be caught. Another site was uncovered three miles north of Fennville, where the lake plain and the moraine meet. It is estimated that the find here is early Late Woodland (probably 700-900 A.D.) with some carry-over from Middle Woodland (Rogers). The only evidence I found that anyone had recently lived in the Miner Lake area was a clearing along 126th Avenue on the north edge of the Savanna Unit (see Figure 12), where some tell- tale depressions together with some scrubby lilac and rose bushes testified to the former presence of a homestead. No doubt it dates from the late 1800's or early 1900's. This certainly deserves inter- pretation and additional research is warranted. INTERPRETATION OF THE SITE Introduction Now comes the task of selecting what, of all this material, will be presented to the public, and how it will be done. The guiding principle here is that the interpretation should emphasize the uniqueness of the site, and the way it contrasts with the usual landscape types in southern Michigan. The program would be essentially site-centered, geared to interpreting a very special place, as opposed to interpretation which uses any natural or semi- natural area to explain general scientific or environmental concepts which could just as well be explicated elsewhere. It would thus resemble national park interpretation more than the nature center type used by most school districts, cities, counties, and private foundations. The national park model begins with the land and demands that people come to it, while the nature center model begins with where people are, and builds a facility on land which, however infe- rior in natural qualities, is close and available--perhaps for free. The national park model, while stressing the recreational approach (as opposed to the educational), need not neglect the "teaching" of important concepts of environmental conservation education. At Miner Lake, interpretation would certainly embrace such generalities, but within, as much as possible, the context of the special features offered by this particular site. 91 92 The interpretive objective can thus be stated as follows: to acquaint the visitor with the features which make this place unique and for which it was preserved (i.e., the diverse relict vegetation), so that his understanding and appreciation will be deepened. People should come away knowing they've been shown an extraordinary public treasure, and they ought to know wfly it's a treasure. Land Zoning To achieve this objective without impairing the valuable features in the process, certain precautions must be taken. To begin, the precise locations of these features must be delineated. Less valuable areas within the preserve should also be noted, as well as those which are too disturbed to have any value at all in terms of features to be protected. These lands need to be iden- tified because this is where parking and other facilities will be placed. A land classification system not unlike that developed by the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission (ORRRC) of the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation should be used to label the parts of the preserve. The following system is presented for use in the Miner Lake area (see Figure 8): Zone 1. Most valuable areas; no facilities but trails per- mitted; off-trail use forbidden or tightly controlled. Zone 2. Less valuable; contains some elements worth pre- serving, also valuable as buffer zone to protect Zone 1 land. 93 @- Figure 8.--Land Zoning for Miner Lake Area. 94 Facilities besides trails permitted, but should be minimal; some off- trail use acceptable. Zone 3. Least valuable; no elements worth preserving, but useful as buffer zone to protect Zone 1 and 2 lands. Major facili- ties to be located here; off-trail use acceptable in most cases. Having defined the parts of the preserve in this way, we are ready to move on to the development plan. The first step is to determine what methods of visitor control are applicable. Methods of Visitor Control Very little has been written on steps taken to minimize damage to the resource in areas heavily used for interpretation, and virtually nothing on which means are most effective. Not only has no quantification been done, but even the preliminary descrip- tive work remains unaccomplished. The following ten methods have been gleaned, for the most part, not from any literature but from personal observation within natural areas, from perusal of several master and management plans, and from correspondence with those responsible for managing natural areas. The list makes no preten- sion to being complete. While not all of these are applicable to all natural areas, no area should be opened to public use without the adoption of at least some of them. The more that can be utilized, the more pro- tection, generally, is afforded an area (although some are no doubt more effective than others; one good method may be worth two or three inferior ones). Since eight of the ten can be 95 employed in the Miner Lake area, chances are good that visitor con- trol will be adequate to insure preservation of the resource. 1. Supervision by officialppersonnel. Any interpreters present will, of course, function as supervisors too, if only inci- dentally; all they have to do is be there for visitors to feel some- what supervised. Or a more formal supervision can be instituted by assigning a ranger to the preserve. At the Markham sanctuary, an excellent virgin prairie in the Chicago area, supervision consti- tutes the only visitor control (except for use of a wide trail). This consists of one caretaker working five days a week, including the weekend, from May through October. Besides patrolling the area and cutting brush, his duties include some casual interpretation. Nonconforming use by neighborhood residents when the caretaker is off-duty has prompted plans for a fence. 2. Use of the "people filter." Lindsey et a1. (1969) recom- mend that no other uses be permitted in the vicinity of a natural area, and that parking be provided some distance from the trailhead, so that people have to walk to get there. With all vehicular traffic prohibited on the trails and with no picnic tables provided, the segment of the pop- ulation which does not vandalize or appreciably damage the outdoors should be willing to walk some distance. Walking is generally unpopular with those who are likely to harm natural areas. If parking places are to be spe- cially provided near state-owned natural areas, a long foot trail to the main feature had best be provided as a people—filter. The smaller and more vulnerable areas should)not be developed by having parking areas provided. p. 12 . , 96 3. Use of such trail modifications as: a. the elevated boardwalk. According to Tans (1975, personal communication) this method has been used "with a great deal of success" in Wisconsin natural areas, and more are planned. It is used, for example, at The Ridges Sanctuary on the Door Pen- insula, famous for its many rare plants (among the 25 orchids are the calypso and ram's-head lady's slipper). Its visitation rate of upwards of 30,000 a year would not be possible without the board- walk trail. Any trail serves to direct traffic through an area, but a boardwalk trail even more so; the mere fact that it is raised above the surrounding terrain no doubt provides a subtle but decided incentive to stay on it, especially when the area is wet and noted for the presence of poison sumac and rattlesnakes. Handrails pro- bably help. Boardwalk trails can beaesthetically designed so as to com- plement and not detract from the natural beauty of the site. It has been pointed out to me that, despite signs explain- ing the evils of flower-picking, no flower of any appeal within arm's reach of a trail is safe--a fact to consider when laying out a trail through an area of rare plants. It would be interesting to do a study on which flowers are most likely to be picked, in terms of color, size, density of blossoms, reputation, etc. The results might help us know what we can and can't get away with in trail layout. 97 b. use of1paving, without which soil compaction and erosion can become serious problems. Paving is especially valu- able for use on slopes and such unstable soils as sands. Again, paving is available which is aesthetically acceptable. c. use of wide trails. This is a must if groups led by a guide will be using the trail. There must be enough trail- room for people to bunch up around the guide when he stops to explain something, without overflowing into the surrounding vege- tation and trampling the plants. I would say there is no place for the single-file path in a natural area where interpretation is going on. 4. Use of alternate trails. The trail system can be designed in such a way that parts of it can be closed to give the land a "rest"--a chance to recover from erosion and soil compac- tion--every other year or so. A trail, for example, could have two loops instead of one, although only one would be in use in any given year. Some sites lend themselves to this kind of thing much better than others. At Miner Lake the unique areas are too small to permit develOpment of double-loop trails, and the heavy use of boardwalk and paving largely eliminates their desirability. 5. Use of the bypass. The trail can be routed to pass close to the unique area without actually entering it; visitors would have the opportunity to look into it while the area itself remains closed to public use. Observation platforms can be erected along the way. The interpretive prospectus for the Indiana Dunes 98 National Lakeshore recommends such a trail for use on the periph- ery of Pinhook Bog. A fragile area containing a plant community rare in the South Dakota Badlands is interpreted via a trail which encircles it. Such trails are especially useful in areas in which a shy, rare bird or other animal breeds and the objective is to expose people to a glimpse of it without disturbing the breeding grounds. 6. Generally avoid pointing out specific rare plants. This goes especially for non-personal methods of interpretation. The visitor should be made aware wppp rare plants grow in the area, and that they can be observed from the trails. That's as far as the responsibility of the interpretation need go in acquainting the visitor with rare plants. Interpreters should be allowed to exer- cise their own judgment on whether or not to point out rarities on guided walks. 7. Education. It has been pointed out by some authors that much ”vandalism" is not vandalism at all because it was perpetrated in ignorance, not out of malice. Interpretation should be conducted in such a way that the visitor can't get far before he knows about the rarities and his responsibility to respect their continued pre- sence. This information can be presented with taste, style, and discretion; it need not be a blunt command accompanied by a warning, which tends to offend and elicit a counter-productive response. Vis- itors may be subjected to a more or less formal orientation at the interpretive center before being allowed to walk the trails by them- selves. However, in cases where the physical set-up precludes 99 control of trail access (such as at Miner Lake), this course of action is unfeasible. 8. Use of quality facilities. Other authors have noted that "patron response to quality equipment, color, and good design appears to be effective" (Wilson, 1958) in reducing vandalism. Signs and other interpretive media should be professionally designed and made and should be well-maintained. 9. Restricted use. It is difficult to predict the carry- ing capacity of a site in terms of number of people it can support without environmental degradation. In most cases, restrictions are imposed only after damage has become visible. Recently, however, guidelines have begun to appear which, for all their weaknesses, help move planning away from an arbitrary basis for decision-making towards one that is more objective and reliable. (The biggest inad- equacy of any attempt to quantify carrying capacity is, of course, that type_of use cannot be considered as a factor. A carrying capa- city of one person per acre may be too high if that person is a vandal). A paper done for the National Park Service (Sudia et al., n. d.) points out that carrying capacity depends not on the total acreage of the park, or on its natural characteristics, but on the amount and kind of developed land within the park (roads, trails, campgrounds), since the great bulk of park use occurs in the develop- ments. The paper suggests that no development should operate at full (100% capacity; in fact, levels of occupancy greater than 65% 100 probably cause a facility to deteriorate faster than it can be main- tained. Full capacity for a ten foot wide trail is considered to be 311 people/acre; (very roughly, two acres equal one mile of trail). How they arrive at this figure is not explained. One place where this kind of use occurs is Muir Woods National Monument, near San Francisco. It embraces 500 acres and has about six miles of trail (about 11 acres of development). Because of its size and the nature of its main feature (the redwood-dominated flora, which, because of its intolerance to soil compaction, can be con- sidered fragile), it invites comparison with the Miner Lake area. Muir Woods is heavily over-used, with up to 5,000 people pre- sent on the 11 acres in one day. While that many people surely con- stitutes a threat to the resource, apparently the recommended maximum of 2,000/day does not. This use level would occur at 65% of total capacity, or 202 people/acre. This sounds much too high for an outstanding natural area (Class IV land, using ORRRC-BOR classification). Even at 202/acre, Muir Woods receives high density (Class I) use; Disney World is less crowded! Sudia et al. suggest 10% of total capacity is probably right for natural areas (presumably Class IV lands) and 20% for recreation areas (presumably Class III lands). Again, we are not told how they arrive at these figures, but they sound fairly reason- able. If we accept these figures,* we can arrive at a rough esti- mate of an acceptable use level at Miner Lake. At Miner Lake the * With effective visitor control, we may feel comfortable with 20% or even slightly more. 101 trails would be no more than five feet wide, so we should halve the 311/acre figure to get total capacity. Rounding off, we have 150 people/acre, or (assuming one mile of five foot trail equals one acre) 150 people/mile at Miner Lake. At 10—20% of total capacity, we'd have 15-30 people/acre. About three miles (acres) of trail, including over three-quarters mile of road used as trail, are anticipated. Multiplying 15-30 by three, we get the maximum num- ber of people-~45—90—-which can be permitted on the preserve at any given time. If an average of 45-90 people used the preserve each day all 365 days of the year, annual visitation would be 16,425-32,850. Bad weather will reduce the figure to less than 45-90/day, while good weather may boost the actual figure to perhaps twice that number @emember, this is the maximum permitted at any given moment, not the daily maximum). How do you keep visitation down to the recommended figure? School classes and other groups should be scheduled accord- ing to a reservation system; certain blocks of time should be devoted especially to serving such groups, while other blocks are reserved for visitation by the general public, which is encouraged to utilize the preserve at such times by the publicized activities scheduled then. These are heavily weekend-oriented. When the parking lot is full, a gate is closed and visitors are turned away. It may be necessary to initiate a reservation system for the general public as well as groups. Visitors traveling some distance especially should be encouraged to notify the staff so that 102 a parking space can be reserved for the time they plan to be visit- ing. Visiting school classes should be accompanied by adults at the ratio of one per 15 children, a procedure insisted upon by the Hennepin County, Minnesota Park Reserve District, well-known for its excellent interpretive services. Teachers and other supervis- ing adults should be well-coached before time on the importance of staying on the trails, etc. Fencing may be deemed necessary, although I would turn to it only as a last resort, to keep out off-the-road vehicles, beer parties, and the like. As a permanent intrusion of human techno- logy on the natural scene, trails are bad enough; fences are going too far. These are only examples of the kind of controls which should be used; others may be necessary. Interpreters must carefully monitor the area at frequent intervals to determine what vandalism or other damage is occurring; the results of these inventories should determine ensuing use policy. 10. Supervised off-trail use by special interest groups. This is really a special type of restricted use and, but for the length of treatment I want to give it, could have been discussed under point #9. I am not aware, incidentally, of any preserve where this is now being practiced in the way described here. The biggest offenders in natural areas are often nature- lovers and photographers who seem to think their passion for the 103 subject gives them the right to leave the trail at will to pursue their hobby in more detail. They are correct in assuming that there is a place for leaving the trail; even a bog can take a certain amount of trampling. The problem comes when too many people leave the trail in the wrong place at the wrong time, with motives that are sometimes not altogether suitable to dedicated natural areas. Therefore, special excursions can be arranged, weekly or bi-weekly perhaps, for those who want to get closer to some of the flowers. These groups should be limited to six or seven persons, and an interpreter should always be present to supervise (i.e., guard against the more zealous carrying away trophies for their collections, etc.). Hopefully, providing such special opportunities for the nature devotee will help to discourage his taking matters into his own hands. Non-personal Interpretation Self-guidinngrails It was decided that each of the three units in the preserve should have its own theme trail, designed to interpret the story or theme its features best illustrate. According to National Forest Service Miscellaneous Publication 968 (1964), "this is the most effective type of self-guiding trail; unity, coherence, and a story theme increase the visitor's understanding and help him remember more of the interpretation." Each trail would have several stops, each marked by a numbered post; a printed guidebook would explain the feature at each stop, building on what was said at previous 104 stops to develOp the story. These would be available from a box with a lift-up lid, located next to the entrance sign (or it can be attached to the sign as shown in Figure 9). This sign will give only the name of the trail and the name of the administering agency (see Figure 9). It will be two by three feet in size, of rough, weathered-gray oak to match the siding of the interpretive center. Letters are routed out and painted yellow or orange in the case of the Savanna Trail and green in the case of the Tamarack and North Woods Trails; color is thus coordinated with that of the trail guidebooks. Smaller directional signs, the same except that only the name of the trail is given, along with an arrow, shall be used as well. The three trails and their themes: 1. Tamarack Trail (Miner Lake Unit). Three-quarter mile; bog plant succession, from lake to bog forest. See Figure 10. 2. North Woods Trail (Kalamazoo River Escarpment Unit). One-half mile (half above escarpment, half below). The what and why of a North Woods remnant isolated in the midst of a more south- ern flora, with related phytogeographical considerations. See Figure 11. 3. Savanna Trail (Savanna Unit). One-half mile. The importance of fire in creating and maintaining the oak opening com- munity. See Figure 12. The existence of a fourth (Floating Island Trail: one- quarter mile) depends on whether or not Miner Lake itself can be 105 , Msnc ,' , ’PLATE T‘h.‘ may .3». STRIPS ouii RM” ovrmn m en un. 0F WE 1" SQ 20313 50“ mro 1’ COWBETE‘ Figure 9.--Interpretive $190109- 106 Figure lO.--Tamarack Trail and Floating Island Trail. Outstanding botanical features: 1 .0'0 0 3 S dXC-lo-J'D'LD 45¢ (10 0'9) Horned-rush Sour gum and pin oak Cattail area Arethusa Grasspink White fringed and yellow fringed orchids Tamarack thicket Nodding trillium Beadlily and clubspur orchid Beds of tree clubmoss Bunchberry and pyrola Stump with honey mushrooms Area being invaded by white pine Pyrola Trailing arbutus Elfcap moss Clearing with lupine, birdfoot violet, and running shadbush Clearing with lupine, spring beauty, and low shadbush g 107 b \ 1" =330' 1? 108 Figure ll.--North Woods Trail. A. B. C. Visitors' Center and parking (first choice) Visitors' Center (second choice) Parking (second choice) Sand roads 109 EL. 570f600 EL. 630420 ' 110 Figure 12.--Savanna Trail. A. Mostly woodland B. Mostly grassland C. Site of former homestead 112 acquired as part of the preserve. Assuming it can, a floating boardwalk would be constructed across open water to a quaking bog mat. It would be too short to develop a theme; in place of a guide- book, a few signs would simply point out features of special interest (the floating mat itself, insectivorous plants, rose pogonias, bog coppers, etc.). Booklets for all three trails would be six by nine inches and use a fairly heavy, quality paper. Color would be yellow and/or orange for the Savanna Trail and green for the other two. Line draw- ings executed by an artist are used to illustrate. Design and layout are not presented in this paper; see Appendix B for the texts for all three trails. As someone who did his undergraduate work in English, I can- not resist a brief discussion on the trailguide as a literary genre. It is just that, a whole new genre different from anything else, requiring a whole new set of (both literary and scientific) criteria by which to judge it, and as much skill to write as a novelist or poet. As far as I can tell from my limited exposure to trailguides, not too many can be subjected to critical appraisal without failing badly. There is no formula to my knowledge for writing successful trailguides, and I'm not sure the work I present in Appendix B has achieved what a trailguide ought to be. What I have strived for is balance, which I think is the crucial factor in achieving success. The text must be not too long and not too short, not too simple and 113 not too technical. It must say something new and memorable both to the expert and to the person who knows absolutely nothing about the subject, and should appeal both to the junior high school kid and the college graduate. Using everyday language to convey non-every- day ideas, the text should be sophisticated without seeming preten- tious. It must be folksy and personal in style without going too far in that direction, i.e., it should strike a balance between the intimacy of friendly banter and the distance of a scientific trea- tise. Elements of any good writing, of course, should come into play, including, especially, use of metaphor, which can make just about anything relevant and interesting. In short, writing trailguides should not be approached lightly. If the interpreter responsible for the text is not a man of letters himself, let him work with a man of letters (and an artist when it comes to design and illustration). A good poet can do much for the state of interpretation! Wildflower Trail The Savanna Trail would also function as a wildflower trail. Six permanent posts are mounted by nine by eleven-and-a-half inch signs consisting of heavy wood backing and a clear plastic plate, between which is an eight-and-a-half by eleven inch paper insert (see Figure 9). The insert pictures one or two kinds of flowers (in color), each of which is interpreted via a short (two or three sentence) text. These are changed as plants come into flower and fade. 114 The main advantage of doing it this way is that a lot of trailside clutter and irrelevance is avoided. Instead of a large number of permanent signs, all of which are interpreting flowers visible only for a small fraction of the year, you have only six signs, each with a timely message. The method contributes rele- vance to the visit and invites return trips, since the visitor has no way of knowing what will be present to look at next month, and his curiosity is aroused. Furthermore, the paper inserts are cheap and easily reproduced; they can be run-off on a copying machine and quickly hand-colored. Of course, there is no interpretation of the plant when not in flower, or when just beginning or fading. The objective is simply to interpret wildflowers at or near full bloom. This is a real limitation, since some plants, though not in bloom, may be very con- spicuous and likely to elicit questions. This problem may be some- what settled by presenting inserts for such species, i.e., columbo, lupine, and coreopsis. During the seasons when nothing is in bloom, the sign posts will of course remain. Rather than go unused, inserts can be pre- sented to interpret other features in the vicinity (trees and shrubs in fall or winter aspect, dead but standing remains of herbs, winter rosettes, etc.), noting coming attractions, asking arresting questions, explaining where summer residents are now, and why, etc. The idea is to p§g_the plates regardless of season, making a point with a short verbal and/or pictorial message. 115 Flowers to be interpreted follow, according to the month when they bloom: May June July August September mm-wa—I N-—‘ mmwa—a C‘U‘IbWNd 03014500 CSU'I-bbdN-H Birdfoot Violet Spring Beauty and Pennsylvania Sedge Early Buttercup and Pussytoes Hairy Puccoon and Prairie Ragwort Wild Lupine and Rock Sandwort* Rosettes of American Columbo Orange and Field Hawkweeds Ohio Spiderwort Junegrass and Black Oatgrass Hairy Puccoon and Wild Lupine Lanceleaf Coreopsis Hairy Beardtongue and Pasture Rose Flowering Spurge Butterflyweed (pictured with butterflies that use it) Wild Bergamot and New Jersey Tea Goat's-rue American Columbo Racemed Milkwort Woodland Sunflower Long-bearded Hawkweed and Flowering Spurge Cylindric Blazingstar and Whorled Milkweed Showy Goldenrod (var. angustata) Sweet Everlasting Western Sunflower Azure Aster and Gray Goldenrod Rough Blazingstar Little Bluestem Big Bluestem and Indian Grass Showy Goldenrod (typical var.) Sweet Everlasting * A quote now and then from a famous author would not be inap— propriate. For example, the following is applicable here: "Some- times in June, when I see unearned dividends of dew hung on every lupine,_I have doubts about the real poverty of the sands. On sol- vent farmlands lupines do not even grow, much less collect a daily rainbow of jewels." Aldo Leopold 116 Trail Construction Trail design and construction in a unique natural area requires great care. The locations of all unusual plants must be painstakingly noted and marked so that the construction crew can avoid damaging them. Probably the person responsible for the inventory—~in this case, myself--should not only design but mark the course of the trail, perhaps with lime, the way athletic fields are laid-out. The crew which follows must be careful not to trample unique vegetation, and all earth removed must be carted away immediately rather than be allowed to pile up beside the trail. Anything out- side the lines is not to be touched. Trails should be dug in sum- mer when most of the valuable plant material is visible. The trail should be five feet wide, and dug to a depth of about five inches. The upland segment of the Tamarack Trail should be filled with woodchips, the wetland segment will consist of board- walk. The entire Savanna Trail should be paved, preferably with soil cement made with the native Plainfield Sand. This should be four-five inches thick, with a slight crown for run-off of rain water. The first part of the North Woods Trail, in the sand bar- rens, could also be paved. Wooden steps should take the visitor down the escarpment, at the base of which a boardwalk trail takes over. The boardwalk segments should also be five feet wide. They should consist of decking overlying sections of telephone pole 117 arranged crosswise and/or lengthwise. Height should be about 18 inches above ground. During the dry summer and autumn, these logs will rest on (or more likely, 1p) the ground, except for the Float- ing Island Trail, which will be permanently floating. Wooden parts below decking not already treated with a preservative should be penta-treated. Decking should consist of two inch by six inch by five foot boards nailed side by side, left unpainted but treated by the Wohlman salt pressure process. There will be no handrails. The Interpretive Center Location. A number of sites were considered for the loca- tion of the interpretive center, none of which met all the conditions specified as desirable. As the place where the trails would begin, it should be located some distance from the main natural features, in compliance with the pe0ple-filter idea. This ruled out a site overlooking the lake, which would have provided an excellent sweep- ing view of the Miner Lake basin. The fact that this site is now on private land and may not be available, as well as its being on Zone 2 land, adds to its undesirability. A second alternative would situate the center in the tri- angle formed by 126th Avenue, 54th Street, and Old Allegan Road. This is Zone 3 land, unexceptional from a botanical standpoint except for the presence of some prickly pear cactus; disturbance due to construction would have less effect here than in any of the other sites considered. The interpretive center would be highly 118 visible in such a setting, although intensive plantings could be used to help screen the building and parking lot. A third alternative would avoid the necessity of plantings by placing the center in the woods just north of the triangle. The vegetation, in addition to providing an attractive setting, would effectively screen it from view and give it a low profile, which I think is desirable: an interpretive building should be subordinated to the landscape. The chief disagreeable feature is that a fine woodland would have to be disturbed, although no impairment of rarities is involved. With trees crowding the building on all sides, the lack of any view might also be considered an undesirable feature. Parking would be provided in an 80 by 300 foot clearing between the forest on the west and a small woodlot on the east. Cars would be enclosed by the "walls" formed by the foliage, effectively lowering their visibility. Finally, a fourth possibility has the center located in the Zone 3 area to the east of the woodlot. Again, the building and parking lot would be in the open, although they wouldn't be as con- spicuous as in the triangle because of the greater amount of brush here. The building could be set back against the woodlot so that it would face both trees and clearing. Since the site is already dis- turbed, the environmental impact of construction would be leSs here than in the forest. Another advantage is that the adjacent sand road could be readily converted into the first half of the North Woods Trail, making it unnecessary to build it from scratch. Here 119 is a beautiful opportunity to use an existing man-made feature, adapting it to our purpose. Although I find the forest idea quite attractive, I think this fourth alternative has the most going for it. Parking. Limiting parking space to 30 cars contributes to use control. At 3.5 people per car, which in the national parks is average (Sudia et al.), parking would be provided for 105 people, which represents about the maximum for carrying capacity in the Miner Lake area. Despite the distance of the Savanna Trail from the Visitors' Center, no parking would be provided for Savanna Trail users. A sign near the entrance of the trail would direct visitors to park at the interpretive center three-quarters mile down the road. A second alternative-—some would say somewhat more humane!--was con- sidered but rejected; it would provide space for six cars on the north side of 126th Avenue, across from the trail entrance. The primary goal of the sanctuary, after all, is to preserve the natural qualities of the site, not to serve people. Providing for the con- venience of the public comes at the expense of the people-filter. Someone willing to walk three-quarters mile to get to a nature trail must want to visit that trail pretty badly, and isn't likely to abuse it. The infirm, of course, can be dropped off at the trail entrance. (The paving and flat terrain, by the way, make this trail ideal for wheelchair use). 120 The Building. The interpretive building should be modern in design without being ostentatious; it must fit into and comple- ment its environment. I envisage a single-story building with five or six walls and a good deal of glass. Should its location be determined according to the third alternative, each large window, while letting in as much of the scant forest light as possible, would also provide a pleasing green framed picture of forest, even more delightful in May when the dogwood blooms. Only an open porch or veranda would separate the rest of the building from the trees; in fact, the porch could be built around three or four of the trees, in order to enhance the effect of the building blending into the forest. In the case of both third and fourth alternatives, no landscaping would be required. The building should be made of native oak wood, the boards left rough and unfinished and allowed to weather into a low-key gray. The Interior. The same rough oak theme is carried out on the walls of the interior. The single large public room would be partially partitioned. Part of it would be devoted to permanent exhibits, part to informal, temporary displays especially directed to children. This dual approach is used very effectively, for example, at Badlands National Monument. Though child-oriented, the "feely-room," as it's nick-named, is very popular among people of all ages and incurs no vandalism, while the formal, permanent dis- play area (in contradiction of visitor control method #8!) receives more than its share. 121 Permanent exhibits would include: --a panel picturing geological stages (shallow sea of Early Mississippian time, Carboniferous swamp with large amphibians, savanna with dinosaurs, glaciers of Ice Age, glacial lake, boreal forest with mastodon) --a panel showing history (Indian campsite, logging, farm— ing, with a few implements to illustrate the technology used during each era) --a large, colorful map showing post-glacial plant migration streams (see Figure 13 for map based on data provided by Crow, 1969b) --a panel with photographs and equipment demonstrating how bogs are drilled and pollen is analyzed to determine former climate- vegetation of area --wall map and panels showing southwest Michigan vegetation types, and biotic communities present in the immediate area, each with a few of its most characteristic plants and animals (some pictured, others as specimens mounted or cast in latex) --a panel interpreting Michigan's other pine plains, the jack pine plains of the north, with special reference to the Kirt- land's warbler -~a panel on endangered plants, explaining why they're endangered and what can be done about it Quality technique, of course, in the preparation of these exhibits is essential. All the principles of good design in terms of form, color, and texture must come into play, as well as metic- ulous craftsmanship in their execution. Figure 13. 122 Post-glacial Plant Migration Streams. A. From the Rocky Mountains: Bog Willow, Red Osier Dogwood Wild Lupine, Prickly Pear, Blazingstar, Puccoon, Butterflyweed Goldthread, Buckbean, Roundleaf Sundew Pink Lady's-slipper, Starflower, Cranberry Trillium, Lizard's-tail, Skunkcabbage White Fringed Orchid, Rose Pogonia, Pitcherplant, Purple Bladderwort, Spoonleaf Sundew From Europe: Sheep Sorrel, Orange Hawkweed 124 The informal display area consists of tables and walls upon which are scattered objects that can be touched and smelled and tasted. Information is on hand-lettered cards; no attempt is made to be neat or "professional." Displays are haphazard and cluttered, creating an exciting environment to be explored. A sign can tell visitors to "Touch if you wish," or it can list the rules for this area: "1. You must touch to enjoy displays. 2. To be announced." Interpretation here is less site-oriented, offering objects common to most any natural area: galls, a snakeskin, a wasp nest, dried grasses, mammal skins, deer antlers, kingbird nest, samples of Cold- water Shale (some with fossils in them), mosses and lichens, hawk pellets, rose hips, tea made from sassafras or cherry bark, dried herbs, incubating grouse eggs, a terrarium with a snake in it or an aquarium with fish or a mudpuppy from Miner Lake, etc. Audio-visual Possibilities. No audio-visual methods are anticipated, except for a slide program, "Moods of the Pine Plains," which can be shown in a basement viewing room or be loaned out to schools and groups for viewing in preparation for their visit. Using the lap-dissolve technique and music instead of narration, it would provide a season by season introduction to the area's charms. A program that is visually and musically exciting and lacking in narration should make it unnecessary to produce two versions, one for lower elementary children and another for upper elementary through adult. A very effective film could also be made available showing the stages through which the area has gone from the Ice Age to the 125 present. Again, music would carry the theme, with narration avoided or kept to a bare minimum. It would begin with scenes of wind-swept ice reminiscent of Antarctica then show glaciers calving into the sea (Glacial Lake Pullman), glacial torrents, pioneer vegetation of the north, scenes of spruce-fir and muskeg, northern wildflowers and wildlife; move on to pine forest complete with shots of pine plains fire, then prairie; and close with contemporary scenes filmed in the immediate area. Personal Interpretation Guided Walks The staff should consist of one interpreter and one assistant interpreter. They would accommodate visiting school classes via a guided walk along one of the trails and, optionally, a slide program. Guided walks would be offered to the general public espe- cially during the weekends. These should supplement and complement the self-guided theme and wildflower trails; there should be little duplication or competition. While certain walks could be set up with no other theme or purpose than to experience what happens to be there along a particular trail at a particular time, others can be specialized. The variety encourages repeated visits while making the interpreter's job more interesting and helping him to be more enthusiastic. They might include walks designed to interpret: --grasses: "From Bluestem to Wheat--How Grass Made the Mid- west." A walk east along 126th Avenue, taking in turkey pasture 126 (wheat) and prairie grasses in the savanna, and emphasizing the importance of grass both to certain natural communities and to civilization. --butterf1ies: "Insect Jewels." Savanna Trail. --microhabitats: "A World of Little Things." An exami- nation of rotten logs and stumps, pitcher plant vases, galls, tree holes, etc. Tamarack Trail. --useful plants: "The Fat of the Land." Savanna Trail, to find and talk about acorns, sheep sorrel, wild lettuce, goat's- beard, prickly pear, mullein, black cherry, blueberry, and tea plants (New Jersey tea, bergamot, wintergreen, rose hips, sassa- fras). Or Tamarack Trail, for cattail, swamp milkweed, blueberry, cranberry, sphagnum, brachen, cinnamon and royal ferns, shadbush, dewberry. --pond life: "Midget Monsters of Miner Lake." Jars of pond water can be collected and the contents examined with micro- scopes back at the center. —-mushrooms: "Destroying Angels, Stinkhorns, and Chan- terelles." Tamarack or North Woods Trail. --night experiences: "Those Mysterious Night Noises." Visitors can be issued flashlights to look for frogs in spring and insects in late summer and early autumn. Stars can also be inter- preted. Look for foxfire along Tamarack Trail. Blacklights can be used to attract moths, and owl recordings to attract owls. 127 Off-site Activities Two kinds of off-site activities can be planned: 1. Visits by the interpreter to schools and clubs to show the slides or film, talk about a milksnake or baby fox he has brought along, and mostly to leave the message that natural areas are impor- tant, for some very good reasons. 2. Guided tours within the Allegan State Game Area but not in the Miner Lake area. These would include an auto caravan to the Farm Unit south of Fennville, in October and NoVember, to see the 13,000+ Canada geese which stop here on their way south, and a canoe trip down the Kalamazoo River from M-89 to New Richmond. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Instead of presenting an abstract series of principles to follow in interpretive planning for the quality natural area, an actual plan was presented to illustrate the type of thing required. What we end up with is a model in the sense of something "serving as an example to be imitated or compared" (American Heritage Dic- tionary). The practicality of this procedure is another of its advantages. Admittedly sketchy in some places, it nevertheless provides an adequate basis upon which the Department of Natural Resources can make a real-life decision. The groundwork has been laid; now it's up to them. Several ideas for future research were generated in the course of writing this paper, of which the following five seem to me worth stating: l. A study of the "quality" of the cheap, informal non- professional-looking interpretive exhibit: how effective is it? How popular? Why is it popular? Perhaps a comparison of the effect of such an exhibit with that of an expensive, formal, professional- looking display would prove enlightening. 2. A study into the likelihood of wildflower picking within the dedicated natural area: what kinds of flowers by what kinds of persons? 128 129 3. A study of the trailguide as a literary genre: what are the criteria by which trailguides should be judged? What makes them work? How do you write the ones that do? 4. A study of the relative effectiveness of two or more visitor control methods: how to measure, how to get data for a quantitative comparison. 5. A survey of the managers of selected quality natural (areas (perhaps 50) offering interpretation. Each would be sent a questionnaire designed to get at which methods of visitor control are employed, which ones are judged most effective, what problems are encountered, etc. Unlike proposal #4, which uses observation to objectively measure effectiveness, this would deal with (expe- rience-informed) attitudes and would thus constitute a subjective approach. The chief points or guidelines in the model presented in the thesis are summarized here: 1. Research. Field research coordinated by one individual, who will conduct the natural resource inventory with help from specialists; site must be visited at least once a month for at least the duration of the growing season. Coupled with intensive library research. 2. Establishment of thepprimary features in the area, those that make it unique and worth preserving. Of course, if the site is already a dedicated natural area, these will have already been deter- mined. These are the features which, naturally, will receive top 130 billing in the interpretive program. They should be described in some detail. 3. Land zoning, i.e., identification of most valuable and least valuable areas within the preserve as a guide in the planning of facility development. 4. Determination of methods of visitor control to help insure the preservation of the unique features. Ten are discussed. The more that can be utilized in a particular area, the safer, theoretically, will be the resource. No quality natural area should be opened to public use without such controls.* 5. Methods of interpretation are established within the broad categories of personal and non-personal. Interpretation is heavily site-centered, geared to explicating the unique features, but is not limited to this function. Rather than attempting to pre- sent everything known about the area, interpretation is selective, stressing the most important features and under-emphasizing or ignoring the insignificant. 6. Throughout, maintenance of quality standards is essential. A quality environment demands quality treatment. It means that the program will be relatively expensive; it also means success. When it comes to the quality natural area, we should probably accept the National Park Service dictum that "poorly done interpretation is worse than none at all." * And some areas now in use should be closed for lack of such controls! 131 By following steps such as these, a quality natural area can be preserved while relatively large numbers of people are given an outstanding recreational-educational experience. Careful plan- ning makes it possible to develop almost any site, no matter how fragile, for interpretive use. LIST OF REFERENCES 132 LIST OF REFERENCES Allen, Durward L. 1940. 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APPENDICES 138 APPENDIX A SPECIES PRESENCE LISTS FOR VASCULAR PLANTS FOR THE SIX MAJOR COMMUNITIES (Nomenclature is according to Fernald, 1950) 139 Common Name Ebony Spleenwort Found locally on the escarpment Maidenhair Fern Found locally on the escarpment Brachen White Pine Hairgrass On jeep trail go- ing down to Miner Lake Black Oatgrass Forked Panicgrass Broadleaved Panicgrass Pennsylvania Sedge False Soloman's-seal Solomon's-seal Canada Mayflower Pink Lady's slipper . Spotted Coralroot On the escarpment Trembling Aspen Bigtooth Aspen Beech White Oak Black Oak Pin Oak On shore Bastard Toadflax Roundlobe Hepaticia Locally on the escarpment Thimbleweed Columbine Sassafras Witch Hazel APPENDIX A--SECTION 1 Oak Forest Scientific Name Asplenium piatyneuron Abundance Status Adiantum pedatum Pteridium aquilinum Pinus strobus Deschampsia flexuosa Stipa avenacea Panicum dichotomum Panicum 1atifo11um Carex pensylvaniea Smilacina racemosa P61ygonatum biflorum Maianthemum canadense Cypripedium acaule Corallorhiga_maculata Eppulus tremuloides Populus grandidentata Fagus grandifolia Ouercus alba luercus velutina luercus palustris Comandra umbellata Hepatica americana Anemone virginiana Aquilegja canadensis Sassafras albidum Hamamelis virginiana 140 uncommon uncommon abundant loc. common loc. common com./abun. uncommon uncommon abundant uncommon uncommon local uncommon uncommon common rare abundant abundant local common uncommon rare/unc. rare abundant common Downy Shadbush Smooth Shadbush Black Cherry Chokecherry Naked-flowered Tick- trefoil Hoary Tick-trefoil Panicled Tick-trefoil Wandlike Bushclover Hairy Bush-clover Herb-robert One small station near bottom of jeep trail lead- ing to Miner Lake (with Sweet Cic- ely) Red Maple New Jersey Tea Frost Grape Birdfoot Violet Especially on jeep trail leading to Miner Lake Northern Downy Violet Sourgum On shore Sweet Cicely One small station near bottom of jeep trail lead- ing to Miner Lake (with Herb-Robert) Flowering Dogwood Pipsissewa Roundleaf Pyrola Indian Pipe Pinesap Trailing Arbutus Especially in wood along edge of Miner Lake Wintergreen Black Huckleberry Early Low Blueberry Late Low Blueberry Black Highbush Blueberry In wood along edge of Miner Lake 141 (Amelanchier arborea Amelanchier laevis Prunus serotina _Prunus virginiana Desmodium nudiflorum Desmodium canescens Desmodium paniculatum Lespedeza intermedia Lespedeza hirta Geranium robertianum Acer rubrum Ceanothus americanus Vitis riparia Viola pedata Viola fimbriatula Nyssa sylvatica Osmorhiza claytoni Cornus florida Chimaphila umbellata Pyrola rotundifolia Monotrppa uniflora .Monotropa hypopithys Epiqaea repens Gaultheria procumbens Gaylusaccia baccata Vaccinium vacillans Vaccinium angustifolium Vaccinium atrococcum common common abundant unc., loc. rare unc., 10c. 10c. common local common loc. common local local local local local abundant rare-unc. uncommon uncommon rare uncommon abundant abundant abundant common local Highbush Blueberry In woods along edge of Miner Lake Whorled Loosestrife Poke Milkweed , Downy False Foxglove Cow-wheat Especially along jeep trail going to Miner Lake Wood Betony Squawroot Mapleleaf Viburnum Harebell Bluestem Goldenrod Largeleaf Aster Smooth Aster Woodland Sunflower White Rattlesnake-root 142 Vaccinium corymbosum Lysimachia quadrifolia Asclepias exaltata Gerardia virginica Melampyrum lineare Pedicularis canadensis Conopholis americana Viburnum acerifolium Campanula rotundifolia Solidago caesia Aster macrophylla Aster laevis Helianthus divaricatus Prenanthes alba local loc. common rare local loc. common uncommon local common uncommon uncommon common common rare APPENDIX A--SECTION 2 Oak Openings ' - mainly in woods * - prairie species (Betz & Scharrer) A - alien Common Name Scientific Name Abundance Status Sand Spikemoss Selaginella pppestris 7 'Brachen Pteridium aquilinum com./abun. White Pine Pinus strobus uncommon Red Cedar Juniperus virginiana rare *Kalm's Chess Bromus kalmii unc., local A Canada Bluegrass Pea compressa uncommon ? A Kentucky Bluegrass Ppa pratense abundant A Quackgrass Agropyron repens uncommon *Junegrass Koeleria chStata abundant Poverty Oatgrass (Danthonia spicata abundant Ticklegrass Agrostis hyemalis unc., local Black Oatgrass Stipa avenacea abundant Purple Needlegrass Aristida purpurascens uncommon Starved Panicgrass Panicum depauperatum abundant Long-stalked Panicgrass Panicum perlongum uncommon ? 'Forked Panicgrass Panicum dichotomum uncommon Commons' Panicgrass Panicum commonsianpm_ common *Few-flowered Panicgrass Panicum oligosanthes uncommon 'Broadleaved Panicgrass Panicum latifolium uncommon *Little Bluestem Andropogon scoparius abundant *Big Bluestem Andropogon gerardii common *Indian Grass Sorghastrum nutans common Slender Cyperus Cyperus filiculmis uncommon Pennsylvania Sedge Carex pensylvanica abundant *Ohio Spiderwort TradescantTa ohiensis common A Asparagus Aeparagus officinale rare 'False Solomon's-seal Smilacina racemosa uncommon Solomon's-seal Polygonatum biflorum uncommon 'Catbrier Smilax rotundifolia rare 'Spotted Coralroot Corallorhiza maculata rare *Prairie Willow Salix humilis rare 'Trembling Aspen Populus tremuloides rare White Oak Quercus alba common Black Oak Quercus velutina common *Bastard Toadflax Comandra umbellata common/abun. 143 A Sheep Sorrel Slender Knotweed Spring Beauty *Rock Sandwort A Evening Lychnis Early Buttercup *Long-headed Thimbleweed 'Thimbleweed Tower Mustard Sassafras Low Juneberry Running Juneberry Downy Shadbush Smooth Shadbush Wild Strawberry A Rough-fruited Cinquefoil Common Cinquefoil Northern Dewberry *Pasture Rose Eastern Dwarf Cherry Pin Cherry Black Cherry Chokecherry Wild Lupine *Goat's-rue 'Hoary Tick-trefoil 'Panicled Tick-trefoil 'Wandlike Bush-clover 'Hairy Bush-clover A Hairy Vetch Racemed Milkwort *Flowering Spurge '*New Jersey Tea Summer Grape Frost Grape A Common St. Johnswort Frostweed *Birdfoot Violet Prickly Pear Common Evening-primrose Sand Evening-primrose 'Flowering Dogwood 'Gray Dogwood 'Wintergreen Bearberry 'Black Huckleberry Early Low Blueberry Late Low Blueberry American Columbo Blooms only in certain years 144 Rumex acetosella Poiygonum tenue Claytonia virginica Arenaria stricta Lychnis alba Ranunculus fascicularis .Anemone cylindrica Anemone virginiana Arabis qlabra_ Sassafras albidum Amelanchier humilis -Amelanchier stolonifera Amelanchier arborea Amelanchier laevis Eraqaria virqiniana Potentilla recta Potentilla simplex Rubus flagellaris Rosa carolina Prunus susquehanae Prunus pensylvanica Prunus serotina Prunus virginiana -upinus perennis Iephrosia vipginiana Desmodium canescens Desmodium paniculatum Lespedeza intermedia -espedeza hirta Vicia villosa Pol ala polygama EuphorbTa corallata Ceanothus americanus Vitis aestTvalis Vitis riparia Hypericum perforatum Helianthemum canadense Viola pedata Opuntia humifusa Oenothera biennis Oenothera rhombipetala Cornus florida Cornus racemosa Gaultheria procumbens SW Gaylussacia baccata Vaccinium vacillans Vaccinium anqustifolium Swertia caroliniensis abundant rare/unc. abundant abundant rare com./abun. common rare/unc. common common unc., local unc., local uncommon uncommon common uncommon common common common uncommon rare ? common uncommon abundant common unc., local rare unc., local com., local rare common common common rare rare uncommon common common rare uncommon rare uncommon com., local common unc., local unc., local unc., local com., local common 145 Spreading Dogbane Apocynum androsaemiifolium uncommon *Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa uncommon 'Purple Milkweed Asclepias purpurascens rare 'Poke Milkweed Asclepias exaltata rare *Blunt-leavedLMilkweed Asclepias amplexicaulis rare/unc. *Whorled Milkweed Asclepias verticillata uncommon *Upright Bindweed Convolvulus epithameus rare/unc., loc. Hairy Puccoon Lithospermum croceum common *Hoary Puccoon Lithospermum canescens rare 'Heal-all Prunella vulgaris lanceolata rare *Wild Bergamot onarda fistulosa uncommon Horsemint Monarda punctata common Glammy Ground-cherry Physalis heterophylla rare ? Blue Toadflax Linaria canadensis uncommon Figwort Scrophularia lanceolata rare Hairy Beardtongue Penstemon hirsutus rare/unc. 'Yellow False Foxglove Gerardia flava com., local 'Fern-leaved False Foxglove Gerardia pedicularia unc., local 'Cow-wheat Melampyrum lineare unc., local '*Wood Betony (Pedicularis canadensis unc., local Hairy Bedstraw Galium ilosum uncommon Mountain Honeysuckle Eonicera aioica rare Venus Looking-glass Specularia perfoliata uncommon 'Harebell Campanula rotundifolia rare *Rough Blazing-star Liatris aspera common *Cylindric Blazing-star Liatris cylindracea common *Showy Goldenrod Splidagp epeciosa uncommon & var. an ustata Angustata blooms about a month ear ier than speciosa. Ear y Goldenrod Solidago juncea uncommon *Gray Goldenrod Solidago nemoralis common 'Late Goldenrod Solidaqo gigantea rare 'Largeleaf Aster Aster macrophyllus uncommon *Azure Aster Ag1er azureus common 'Arrowleaf Aster Aster sagittifolius uncommon '*Smooth Aster Aster laevis com./abun. Narrowleaf Fleabane Erigeron strigosus common Plantain-leaved Pussytoes Antennaria pJantaginifolia unc./com. Sweet Everlasting Gnaphalium obtusifolium common Western Ragweed Ambrosia psilostachya, common *Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta unc./com. *Western Sunflower Helianthus occidentalis com./abun. 'Woodland Sunflower Helianthus divaricatg; common Lanceleaf Coreopsis Coreoosis lanceolata abundant & var. yillosa A Yarrow Achillea millefolium uncommon Wormwood Artemesia caudata common '*Pale Indian Plantain Cacalia atriplicifolia loc. common Prairie Ragwort Senecio plattensis loc. common Dwarf Dandelion Krigia virginica uncommon A Goat's-beard Wild Lettuce 'White Rattlesnake-root A Orange Hawkweed A Field Hawkweed Hairy Hawkweed *Long-bearded Hawkweed 146 Tragopogon major uncommon Lactuca canadensis common Prenanthes alba uncommon Hieracium aurantiacum common HieraCTum pratense common HieraCTum gronovii common Hieracium longipilum common Other (Native) Oak Opening Species Seen Elsewhere in the Pine Plains Four-o'clock ‘Lyreleaf Rockcress Green Rockcress Hawthorn *Showy Tick-trefoil *Grooved Yellow Flax Dwarf Sumac Lanceleaf Loosestrife Indian Hemp Common Milkweed *Green Milkweed Large-bracted Vervain Horse Nettle Virginia Ground-cherry *False Boneset Horseweed 'Rattlesnake-weed Mirabilis nyctaqinea Arabis lyrata ' jflgapi; missouriensis Crataegus sp. Desmodium canadense Ljpum sulcatum Rhus copallina Lysimachia lanceoIapa Apocynum sibiricum Asclepias eyriaca Asclepias viridiflora Verbena bracteata Splanum carolinense Physalis virqiniana Kuhnia eupatorioides Eriqeron canadensis 'Hieracium venosum CommOn Name Field Horsetail Swamp Horsetail *Shining Clubmoss Rattlesnake-fern Royal Fern Cinnamon Fern Marsh Fern *Oak Fern Crested Fern Lady Fern *Canada Yew *Hemlock *Tamarack *White Pine *White Cedar Fringed Brome Autumn Bent Wood Reedgrass Long-awned Woodgrass Rice Cutgrass Jack-in-the-pulpit Arrow Arum Skunk Cabbage Duckweed Large-flowered Bellwort Michigan Lily *Canada Mayflower Large-flowered Trillium Bristly Catbrier 'Wild Yam Yellow Lady's slipper *Showy Lady's slipper *Pink Lady's slipper APPENDIX A--SECTION 3 Cedar—Hemlock Swamp * - northern species ' - southern species Scientific Name Equisetum arvense Equisetum fluviatile Lycopodium lucidulum Botrychium virginianum Osmunda regalis Osmunda cinnamomea Dryopteris thelypteris Dryopteris disjuncta Dryopteris cristata ‘Ethyrium felix-femina Taxus canadensis Tsuga ganadensi§ Larix laricina Pinus strobus Thuja occidentalis Bromus ciliatus Agrostis perennans Cinna arundinacea Brachyelytrum erectum septentrionale Leersia oryzoides Arisaema atrorubens Peltandra virginica Symplocarpg; foetidus Lemna sp. Uvularia grandiflora Lilium michiqanense Maianthemum canadense lrjlligm grandiflgrum Smilax tamnoides hispida Digsgprea yjllgsa Cypripedium calceolus parviflorum Cyprioedium reqinae Cypripedium acaule 147 Abundance Status uncommon uncommon unc., local uncommon abundant abundant common rare ? common ? uncommon ? uncommon com., local common common common common uncommon common uncommon uncommon uncommon rare abundant local rare uncommon abundant uncommon rare uncommon uncommon uncommon uncommon Clubspur Orchid *Northern Green Orchid *Purple-fringed Orchid *White Adder's mouth ?Lily-leaved Twayblade *Bog Twayblade 'Lizard's-tail 148 Habenaria clavellata .1abenaria hyperborea HabenarTa psychodes Malaxis.prachypoda i aris 1i1ifolia_ Liparis loeselii Saururus cernuus rare/unc. uncommon rare uncommon rare rare unc., local Abundant elsewhere at the base of the escarpment in this community. *Hoary Willow *Yellow Birch *Bog Birch *Speckled Alder False Nettle Arrow-leaved Tearthumb Long-leaved Chickweed Hooked Buttercup Purple Meadow-rue Marsh Marigold *Goldthread *Red Baneberry May Apple Canada Moonseed Spicebush Spring Cress Pennsylvania Bittercress *Pitcher plant Swamp Saxifrage Bishop's-cap *Naked Miterwort *Golden Saxifrage *Smooth Gooseberry *Chokeberry Smooth Shadbush ?Swamp Shadbush *Purple Avens *Dwarf Raspberry Agrimony Ground-nut Hog-peanut Poison Sumac Poison Ivy *Winterberry Red Maple Spotted Jewelweed Virginia Creeper Marsh Violet *Northern Willow-herb Large Enchanter's-night- shade Salix candida Betula lutea Betula pumila Alnus rugosa Boehmeria cylindrica Bel/gonum sagittatum Ste'laria,lonqifolia_ Ranunculus recurvatus Thalittrum dasrcarpum Qaltha palustri; Coptispgroenlandica Actaea rubra Podophyllum peltatum Menispermum canadense Luge?! 29min Qapdami ne bul bosa Cardamine pensylvanica Sarracenia purpurea Saxifraga pensylvanica Mitella diphylla Eitelia nuda Chrysosplenipm americanum m swam Pyrus sp. Amelanchier laevis Amelanchier Tntermedia fieum riyale Rubus pubescens _Agrimonia gpyposepala A9108 amerigana Amphicarpa bracteata Bflp§ vernix Rhus radicans Ilex verticillata AcernubLum Impatiens capensis Earthenocissus guinguefolia Viola cucullata Epilobium glandulosum Circaea guadrisulcata rare ? uncommon uncommon common uncommon uncommon uncommon abundant rare rare rare abundant uncomnon unconInon uncommon unconInon common common uncommon common rare common common uncommon common uncommon common abundant comnon uncomon comon 149 *Small Enchanter's- Circaea alpina common nightshade Spikenard Aralia racemosa rare *Wild Sarsaparilla Aralia nudicaplis common Water-parsnip Sium suave uncommon *Hemlock-parsley Conioselinum chinense common Cowbane Oxypolis rigidior rare Gray Dogwood Cornus racemosa *Pink Pyrola Pyrola asarifolia uncommon Indian Pipe Monotropa uniflora rare Black Highbush Blueberry Vaccinium atrococcum uncommon *Tufted Loosestrife _ simachia thyrsiflora uncommon Fringed Loosestrife ysimachia ciliata uncommon *Starflower Trientajis borealis White Ash Fraxinus americana uncommon Green Ash Eraxinus pensylvanica subinteqerrima Black Ash Fraxinus nigra common Bartonia Bartonia virginica uncommon *Buckbean Menyanthes trifoliata uncommon Mad-dog Skullcap Scutellaria lateriflora common Self-heal Prunella vulgaris lanceolata common Turtlehead Chelone glabra uncommon Swamp Lousewort Pedicularis lanceolata uncommon Sweet-scented Bedstraw Galium triflorum Partridgeberry Mitchella repens Great Lobelia Lobelia siphiltica uncommon Sweet Joe-pye-weed Eupatorium purpureum rare Rough-leaved Goldenrod Solidago patula common Rough-stemmed Goldenrod Solidago rugosa common Purple-stem Aster Aster puniceus common Calico Aster Aster lateriflorus common *Flat-topped White Aster Aster umbellatus rare Green-headed Coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata unc., local Tall Sunflower Helianthus gjqantea uncommon Tickseed-sunflower Bidens aristosa common Golden Ragwort Senecio aureus rare Swamp Thistle Cirsium muticum uncommon Blue Lettuce Laetuca biennis rare White Rattlesnake-root Prenanthes alba rare Tall Rattlesnake-root Prenanthes altissima uncommon APPENDIX A--SECTION 4 Sedge Bog * - floating mat + - shore Scientific Name Common Name Abundance Status Royal Fern Qsmunda regalis abundant Cinnamon Fern Osmunda cinnamomea rare Sensitive Fern Onoclea sensibilis rare/unc. . Marsh Fern Dryopteris theLypteris abundant Tamarack Larix laricina uncommon Cattail 1 ha latifolia loc. abun. Seaside Arrowgrass riqlochin maritima rare Bluejoint Grass Calamaqrostis canadensis abundant Satingrass _Muhlenbergja qlomerata common +Sloughgrass Spartjna pectinata abundant Reed Canary Grass Phalaris arundinaceum rare Threeway Sedge Dglichium arundinaeepm_ loc. abun. Spikerush Eleocharis elliptica common ? +Threesquare Bulrush Scirpus americanus unc., 10C- Great Bulrush Scirpus acutus abundant Sheathed Cottongrass Eriophorum spissum' rare Slender Cottongrass Eriophorumggracile rare Tall Cottongrass Eriophorum anqustifolium rare Tawny Cottongrass Eriophorum virqinicum common +Horned-rush Rhynchospora macrostachya unc., loc. +Clustered Beakrush Rhynchospora capitellata loc. com. White Beakrush Rhynchospora alba abundant Twigrush Cladium mariscoides abundant Water Sedge Carex aquatilis abundant Brown Sedge Carex buxbaumii loc. com. Slender Sedge Carex lasiogarpa common Sedge Carex sp. Sedge Carex sp. *Broad—leaved Arrowhead Sagittaria latifolia common +"'Carolina Yellow-eyed Grass eris caroliniana common *Pickerelweed Pontederia cordata unc., loc. Blue Flag Irjs yersjgglgr uncommon Ragged Fringed Orchid Habenaria lacera rare Rose Pogonia Pogonia ophioglossoides common Grasspink Calo ogon pulchellus uncommon Arethusa Arethgga bglbosa uncommon 150 Nodding Ladies'-tresses +Autumn Willow Bog Willow +Slender Willow Bog Birch Speckled Alder False Nettle Water Smartweed Swamp Smartweed *Bullhead-Lily Fragrant Waterlily Water-shield Purple Meadow-rue Pitcher plant *Spoonleaf Sundew Roundleaf Sundew Narrowleaf Meadowsweet Steeplebush Marsh Cinquefoil Bristly Dewberry +Swamp Rose Vetchling Poison Sumac Red Maple Kalm St. Johnswort +*Dwarf St. Johnswort Marsh St. Johnswort Bog Violet Swamp Loosestrife *Narrow—leaved Willowherb +Mermaid-weed Red Osier Dogwood Gray Dogwood Bog Rosemary Leatherleaf Large Cranberry Yellow Loosestrife Tufted Loosestrife Bartonia . Buckbean *Swamp Milkweed Common Skullcap Northern Bugleweed *Small-flowered Gerardia Purple Bladderwort Greater Bladderwort *Humped Bladderwort Flat-leaved Bladderwort Labrador Bedstraw *Stiff Marsh Bedstraw 151 mm :Lnua Salix serissima Salix pedicellaris Salix gracilis Betula pumila Alnus rugosa Boehmeria cylindrica Eolvqonum amphibium Eolygonum coccineum Npphar variegatum Nymphaea odorata ‘Brassenia schreberi Thalictrum dasycarpum Sarracenia purpurea WW Drosera rotundifolia_ Spiraea alba Spiraea tomentosa Potentilla palustris Rubus hispidus Rosa palustris Lathyrus palustris 'Rhus vernix Acer rubrum Hypericum kalmianum Hypericum mutilum Hypericum virginianum Vigla nephrgphylla Decodon yerticillata Epilobium leptophyllum Droserpinaca palustris Cornus stolonifepa Cornus racemosa Andromeda qlaucophv11; Chamaedaphne calyculata Vaccinium macrocarpon Lysimachia terrestris Lysimachia thyrsiflgra lLnglllLCfl. Menyanthes trifoliata AsClep‘ias incarnata Scutellaria epilopjjfglja Lycopus uniflora Gerardia paupercula Utricularia purpurea Utricularia yulqaris uxricularia gibba Utrjgularia intermedia Galium labradoricum Galium tinctorium unc., loc. loc. com. uncommon uncommon common uncommon common common uncommon common abundant common loc. unc. common abundant abundant common common common common common uncommon common uncommon loc. unc. loc. unc. common common rare/unc. rare abundant uncommon loc. unc. abundant abundant abundant uncommon uncommon uncommon common rare/unc. common uncommon common abundant common common common common rare +Buttonbush Marsh Bellflower Spotted Joe-pye-weed *Boneset Bog Goldenrod Roughleaf Goldenrod Roughstem Goldenrod Grassleaf Goldenrod Calico Aster Rush Aster Flat-topped White Aster +Tickseed-sunflower Wild Lettuce 152 Cephalanthus occidentalis Campanula aparinoides Eupatorium maculatum Eupatorium perfoliatgm Solidago mm Solidago rugosa. Aster lateriflopp§_ ‘Agler jgncifgrmis Aster umbellatus Bidens aristosa Eactuca canadensis uncommon loc. unc. uncommon loc. unc. common common common uncommon rare common uncommon abundant rare Common Name Virginia Chainfern Tamarack White Pine Woolgrass Tawny Cottongrass Three-fruited Sedge Canada Mayflower Pink Lady's slipper Yellow Fringed Orchid White Fringed Orchid Grasspink Trembling Aspen Speckled Alder Black Oak Goldthread Pitcher plant Red Chokeberry Black Chokeberry Downy Shadbush Wild Strawberry Bristly Dewberry Swamp Rose Pin Cherry Poison Sumac Winterberry Mountain Holly Red Maple Indian Pipe Bog Rosemary Leatherleaf Wintergreen Highbush Blueberry Black Highbush Blueberry Starflower Buckbean APPENDIX A--SECTION 5 Tamarack Bog Scientific Name Woodwardia virginica Larix laricina Pinus strobus Sgirpgs gyperjnus Eriophorum virqinicum Carex.trlsuerma Maianthemum ganadense Cypripedium acaule Habenaria ciliaris Habenaria blephariqlottis Calopoqon pulchellus Regulusutremuloide; Adnus.rugnsa Quercus velutina Cpptis groenlandica Sarracenia purpurea Excus.arbutingig Pyrus melanocarpa Amelanchier arborea Fraqaria virqiniana Rubus hispidus Rosa palustris Prunus pensylvanica Rhus vernix Ilex verticillata Nemopanthus mucronata Acer rubrum_ Monotroga uniflgra Andromeda qlaucophy11a_ Cbamaedaphne.calxsulata fiaultherja.procumbens, Vaccinium corymbosum Vaccinium atrococcum I . | 1. | 1. Menyanthes trifoliata 153 Abundance Status loc. abundant abundant common unc., local common abundant rare common common common uncommon rare common rare/unc. seed. uncommon common common common unc., local rare abundant common (edges) rare common common unc., local common uncommon uncommon uncommon common abundant common unc., local uncommon Common Name *Shining Clubmoss *Wolf's-claw Clubmoss *Tree Clubmoss Rattlesnake-fern Royal Fern Cinnamon Fern Sensitive Fern Marsh Fern Spinulose Woodfern Crested Woodfern Lady Fern Virginia Chainfern *Tamarack *White Pine Fowl Manna-grass Autumn Bent Wood Reedgrass Long-awned Woodgrass. *Tall Millet Grass Rice Cutgrass Jack-in-the-pulpit Skunk Cabbage Michigan Lily *Beadlily False Solomon's-seal *Canada Mayflower Indian Cucumber-root Nodding Trillium Large-flowered Trillium Pink Lady's slipper Clubspur Orchid Ragged Fringed Orchid *Purple Fringed Orchid Spotted Coralroot APPENDIX A--SECTION 6 Red Maple Swamp Scientific Name Lycopodium lucidulum Lyeopodium clavatum LE_D_Q__0 dium obscurum BotrYChium_virqinianum Osmunda reqalis Osmunda cinnamomea Onoclea sensibilis Dryopteris thelypteris DryOpteris spinulosa and var. intermedia Dryopteris cristata .Athyrium filix-femina Woodwardia virginica Larix lariCina Pinus strobus Glyceria striata Agrostis pecunan Cinna arundinacea Brachyelytrum erectum septentrionale Milium effusum Leersia oryzoides Arisaema atrorubens Symplocarpus foetidus Lilium michiqanense Clintonia borealis Smilacina racemosa Maianthemum canadense Medeola yjrginiana Trillium cernuum Trillium qrandiflorum Cypripedium acaule Habenaria glayellata Habenaria lacera Habenaria psychodes Corallorhiza maculata_ 154 * - n. species Abundance Status uncommon rare loc. abund. uncommon common abundant common common common ? uncommon common ? uncommon uncommon (seed.) uncommon common common common uncommon common uncommon uncommon uncommon unc., local uncommon common ? common rare/unc., local rare rare/unc. loc. unc. rare rare rare Ironwood *Yellow Birch *Speckled Alder Beech American Elm False Nettle Virginia Knotweed Halberd-leaved Tearthumb Kidneyleaf Buttercup Hooked Buttercup Clematis Marsh Marigold *Goldthread Spicebush Spring Cress Pennsylvania Bittercress *Golden Saxifrage Gooseberry *Chokeberry Bristly Dewberry Swamp Rose Black Cherry Poison Ivy Red Maple Spotted Jewelweed Virginia Creeper Frost Grape Common Blue Violet Sweet While Violet Smooth Yellow Violet Dog Violet Sourgum *Wild Sarsaparilla *Bunchberry Red Osier Dogwood Gray Dogwood *Shinleaf *Roundleaf Pyrola Indian Pipe Late Low Blueberry Highbush Blueberry *Starflower White Ash Black Ash Bartonia Wood Betony Squawroot Sweet-scented Bedstraw Partridgeberry 155 Carpinus caroliniana Betula letea ‘Alpus rugosa Faqus qrandifolia Ulmus americana Boehmeria cylindrica 191m minim Eglygonum arifoligm Ranunculus abortiyus Ranunculus recurvatus Clematis virginiana mm Cgptis groenlandica Ljndera penzgig Cardamine bulbosa Cardamine pensylvanica Chrysosplenium amerTcanum Ribes sp. Pyrus sp. Rubus hispidus Rosa palustris Prunus serotina Rhus radicans Acer rubrum Impatiens capensis Parthenocissus guinguefolia Vitis riparja H° ] .1. Vinathandn. Vjola pensylyanica ngla ggnspersa Nyssa sylvatica Aralia nudicaulis Cornus canadensis Cprnus stolonifera Cornus racemosa Pyrola rotundifolia Monotropa uniflora Vaccinium stif ' Vaccinium corymbosum Irientalis borealis Fraxinus americana Fraxinus niqra Bartonia virginica Pedicularis canadensis Conopholis americana GaliumLLTflmm Wm common rare/unc. common rare ? common uncommon uncommon uncommon uncommon common uncommon abundant ? com./abun. uncommon uncommon uncommon uncommon ? com./abun. uncommon abundant uncommon common abundant common common rare uncommon uncommon ? com./abun. uncommon uncommon uncommon uncommon common uncommon uncommon uncommon rare uncommon uncommon Mountain Honeysuckle *Witch Hobble *Northern Wild Raisin Mapleleaf Viburnum Common Elderberry Great Lobelia Bluestem Goldenrod Roughleaf Goldenrod Routhstem Goldenrod Calico Aster Golden Ragwort Swamp Thistle White Rattlesnake-root 156 .Lppicera dioica Viburnum alnifolium ijurnum cassinoides Viburnum acerifolium Sambucus canadensis ’Lobelia siphilitica Solidago caesia Solidago patula Sglidago ruggsa Aster lateriflorus Senecio aureus Cirsium muticum Prenanthes alba uncommon rare loc. unc. uncommon uncommon uncommon rare common common common rare uncommon uncommon APPENDIX B TEXTS FOR SELF-GUIDING TRAILS 157 APPENDIX B--SECTION 1 Tamarack Trail Length: 3/4 mile. Walking time: 1 hour. How do you get from the middle of a lake to a forest without moving so much as an inch? Follow the trail, read this booklet, and find out. If you already know, take the trail anyway and learn something else. 1. Please stay on the trail, and don't pick the flowers! Why? You are about to enter a very fragile environment, one that requires more-than-usual respect. Many rare and delicate plants grow along the trail. Vpp_can see to it that they continue to grow there, simply by not walking off the trail and trampling them. And, of course, by not picking the flowers. Picking flowers not only deprives people who come after you of the chance to enjoy them, but may actually hurt or even kill the plants. This is especially true of the orchids that grow along the trail. Some kinds have the leaves arranged in such a way that when you pick the flower, you pick the leaves too. Without them the plant can't make the food it needs, and it starves to death. Other plants are so loosely rooted in the soft moss that picking the flower usually results in pulling up the whole plant! You can see how easy it would be for someone to wipe out an entire colony. Besides protecting the bog and its flowers, staying on the trail protects the people who use it--from rattlesnakes and poison sumac! Important! Parents, please watch your children! Emergent Aquatic Community You can't see it but straight ahead of you, as you stand facing the numbered post, is a small body of open water 158 159 that is all that's left of Miner Lake. Miner Lake is nearly dead, killed not by man's pollution but by Nature itself, by the natural process of filling-in until a lake has become land. The very first stages of this filling-in process occur underwater, as pondweeds and other totally aquatic plants build up the bottom with their dead remains. Over there where the waterlilies are growing is the first above-water stage. Ecologists call this the emergent aquatic community: the plants that make it up, although water-loving, have emerged at least part way into air. Their dead leaves and stems build up the bottom of the lake until at last it's no longer wet enough for them and they must give way to plants that prefer less water and more air. The plants in a particular community change their environment, making it less fit for themselves and more fit for others. Before we move on to examine this next community, take some time to get better acquainted with the emergent aquatics. Animals, of course, are members of the com- munity too. Which ones do you think can be classified as emergent aquatics? [pictures of spatterdock, bulrush, mermaidweed, three-way sedge, and bladderwort] Sedge Bog Waterlilies and bulrushes once grew where you're stand- ing now. Certain kinds of sedges gradually crept out among them from the shore, held up by their floating root systems. The tightly intertwined roots formed a seedbed on which sphagnum moss could grow. Together the sedges and moss created a gradually-thickening mat that floated on the water. Pieces of it fell off and drifted to the bottom, continuing to build it up, until at last top and bottom met and the floating mat turned into solid land. [pictgres of slender sedge, cottongrass, and twig- rush (Examples of the floating mat stage are still found at Miner Lake and can be seen along the "Floating Island Trail"). Composed entirely of plant remains, this land is hardly solid in the sense that on-shore land is. Called peat, these 0 “‘1? v Wf- :5- ._~'.~ 4;. 160 remains are only partly rotted. Acids made by the moss, plus low air content in the water, discourage the bac- teria that break down dead things into the chemicals that make them up--which is all that rotting (or decom- posing) really is. [pictures of bluejoint, poison sumac, marsh fern] Because decomposition is retarded, chemicals in the remains of previous moss and sedge generations are not available to the living generation. Plants that grow in peat must get along somehow without the chemical nutrients most other plants need--or get them from some other source. Some bog plants get their nitrogen from insects they catch and digest, others have roots inhabited by fungi that change free nitrogen into a form usable by the plant. [pictures of pitcher plant and sundew] Acid not only creates a nutrient-poor environment; along with cold temperatures at root level, it keeps plants from absorbing water as well as they might. Strangely enough, bog plants suffer drought conditions even with their roots in water! Actually the plants are hardly suffering. Every one you see is well adapted to life with a minimum of water. Look around you and observe some of these adaptations: small leaf size, leaf margins curled inward beneath, leaves tough and leathery. These are characteristics of desert plants. A bog is really a sort of wet desert! [pictures of leatherleaf, bog rosemary, cranberry] See if you can find all the plants shown in the accompany- ing pictures. Tamarack Bog Forest The filling-in of the lake is completed when the sedge mat eventually covers the open water and packs the watery space between it and the bottom with peat. But the changes don't stop here. Sedges and moss prepare the way for bog shrubs, and shrubs prepare the way for trees. After a while forest grows where bass and bluegills swam. The first tree to come in is the tamarack, which you see here. Sedges and moss still grow among the trees, though the species are usually different from those that made the sedge mat. The sun-loving shrubs of the sedge mat tend to 161 disappear in the shade of the tamaracks, their place being taken by highbush blueberry. You can see how well the blue- berry does. Its dense thickets create a shade in which little else but moss can grow. [pictures of tamarack, highbush blueberry] Notice there are no young tamaracks coming along to replace their elders. Tamaracks need lots of sun to grow and can- not survive in the shade of older, larger trees. The shade, incidentally, occurs only for a part of the year. Like broad-leaved trees, tamaracks shed all their needles in autumn, a trait unusual among members of the pine family. Tamarack creates conditions suitable for white pine and red maple, which can take more shade and need drier soil. The scattered white pines you see have a much longer future ahead of them than the tamaracks do. Further north, black spruce joins the tamarack and takes over where tamarack leaves off, creating a different kind of bog forest. [pictures of winterberry, mountain-holly, and choke- berry] Why don't we have the black spruce here at Miner Lake? Spruce is only one of several bog plants that are very rare this far south. Although we don't have the spruce here, we do have a good variety of these other rarities. Following the Ice Age, when the climate was much cooler, these plants were more widespread in southern Michigan. As the climate warmed, they retreated northward except here and there where conditions to their liking prevailed. Ecologists call these left-over communities relicts. An Interlude: Sedge Meadow. Before we enter the next stage, let's take a look at a com- munity that looks much like the sedge bog, to which it's closely related. This is the sedge meadow. It's drier, less acid, and many of the plants are different, although sedges are still the most important species. It was pro- bably formed during a period of low water when the surface layers of peat dried out enough to be burned by a fire sweeping down from the upland. The fire changed conditions so that they were somewhat more favorable to wet meadow plants than to bog plants. 162 Red Maple Swamp After the tamaracks disappear, this is the kind of forest we get. Less acid and more exposure to oxygen have allowed bacteria to rot the peat and turn it to muck. The environ- ment is not nearly so hostile as the tamarack bog, and the number of plants that can grow here is much greater. [pictures of red maple, white pine, Spicebush, cin- namon fern] This is the final ppg_stage in the series of changes we call succession. More and more dry-land plants will now be coming in as generation after generation of pine needles and maple leaves and fern fronds build up the farest floor, raising it above the water level. [pictures of elm, gray dogwood, jack-in-the-pulpit, dewberry, Indian cucumber-root] Notice that some parts of the forest floor are wetter than others. Can you imagine how these small, water-filled depressions were formed? And the dry mounds next to them? The mounds are all that's left of the huge root systems of fallen trees that once stood where the depressions are now. Their trunks for the most part have rotted into the ground. Transition Zone. Most of the rest of this trail will follow the edge of the bog, keeping to a narrow transition zone. Here the mucky swamp soil meets the dry sand soil of the upland, and plants of the oak forest grow side by side with plants of the swamp. Notice that it's dry enough here for oaks and black cherry to have joined the red maples. This was actually the bank of Miner Lake at one time, a place where bulrushes and cattails grew. [pictures of goldthread, tree clubmoss, bunchberry] Certain plants are found neither in the oak forest nor in the swamp, but only in this narrow in-between area. As you walk along, look for some of the northern wildflowers that seem to prefer growing here. Most are rare this far south, and are very near the southern limit of their ranges. The soil of the mounds which are the rotted roots of fallen pine trees must be especially favorable to these northerners, since that's where most of them are growing. 163 [pictures of pyrola, trailing arbutus, starflower] Here we are back where we started, back at the emergent aquatic stage where all we've seen had its beginning. By this time you must know the answer to the question at the beginning of this booklet. All you have to do to get from lake to forest is wait a few thousand years. It helps to have a lot of patience! Before we leave the subject of succession altogether, take a look at the oak forest to your right. Just as the plant and animal communities we've seen so far are adapted to a wet environment, the oak woods is adapted to a dry one. The plants for the most part are very different from the ones we've been looking at, yet if you look hard enough, you may be able to find some that grow in both areas. [pictures of pink lady's slipper and Indian pipe] The oak forest is the final stage in a series of dry-land changes, just as the red maple swamp is the end product of bog change. Actually, even with these final products, very slow, minor changes are still going on. As we saw in the transition zone, the oaks and cherries are moving out among the pines and maples--or is it the other way around? In places, the oaks seem to be invading the swamp, while in other places, the maples and pines (both quite able to thrive in dry conditions) are invading the oaks. Eventu- ally, large parts of the forest around here may consist of a mix of all these species. [pictures of blueberry, brachen, wintergreen] The original upland forest was mostly white oak and white pine, and this may well be what it will become in the future. Come back in 50 or a hundred years and find out. Meanwhile, come back often just to enjoy the passing of the seasons here where constant change keeps on offering new experiences to grow on. Thanks for letting us guide you. APPENDIX B--SECTION 2 North Woods Trail Length: 1/2 mile. Walking time: 3/4 hour. This is the forest primeval. The murmuring pines and the hemlocks, Bearded with moss, and in garments green, indistinct in the twilight, Stand like Druids of eld . . . --Longfellow This guide is meant to enhance your enjoyment of a very special place. It's got a lot of writing, but we think the effort you spend in reading it will be well worth your while. It tells you what's around you and why it's there and why it's so special. And if it can be the means to your finding out more--because there's really so much more--it will have served its purpose well. The thrill of discovery awaits you. Walk on, read on, observe, and enjoy! Take a good look around you. Not much like the cool ever- green North Woods, is it. We'd say it's more like desert. Yet just a few feet ahead--200, to be exact--you'11 find yourself in a northern swamp-forest that's about as dif- ferent from what you see here as northern Michigan is dif- ferent from Oklahoma. As you descend the stairs ahead of you and enter the North Woods, try to think of a good reason why what you see there is so different from what you're seeing here. The slope, by the way, used to be the bank of the Kalama- zoo River, which now lies a mile to the north. Forest like this can only grow where it's cool enough. It's actually cooler here than it is in the desert-like area you were just looking at. Why might that be? 164 165 One reason is that this area gets much less sun. The slope is facing north and east, which, if you're big on keeping houseplants, you probably know are the two directions which get the least amount of sun. As you move away from the bot- tom of the slope, the northern forest peters out in response to increasing light and warmth. The swamp is about 40 feet lower than the top of the slope. That gives us a clue to another reason for the greater cool- ness here, if we remember that cold air builds up in low- lying areas and, without any wind, tends to stay put. Such pools of cold air are called frost pockets. Another reason it's cooler here is because of the water which seeps out of the slope and keeps the ground so wet. Coming from deep in the ground, the water is cold to begin with, and it tends to stay cold because of the shade provided by the slope and the evergreen trees. These trees are the fourth reason for the northern vegeta- tion here: their dense shade not only helps keep the water cool, it protects small, cold-loving plants from the over- head sun. What are these trees, and if they're normally found in north- ern Michigan, how did they get way down here? Four kinds of evergreen trees are found in this swamp--the accompanying pictures will help you identify them. All of them are quite uncommon this far south. The further north you go, the more the forest changes from deciduous trees (the kind that lose their leaves in the fall) to conifer- ous (the kind that stay green the year round). Most of the common trees in the Canadian forests are evergreens. Why? [pictures of hemlock, white cedar] The answer is simply because they're better adapted to a rigorous climate than deciduous trees are. The needles being smaller than regular leaves, and covered with a pro- tective layer of hard, waxy cells, they can take more cold and wind. The trees are cone-shaped to shed snow better, and they rely on wind for pollination, an advantage in cold climates where pollinating insects are scarce. Plus, the large amount of resin in the wood keeps the sap from freez- ing and splitting the tree. [pictures of white pine, tamarack] 166 So well adapted are the conifers to all sorts of climates that they have survived almost unchanged for 300 million years. Before the rise of deciduous trees, conifers ruled the earth. Successful as they were, deciduous trees were more successful yet, and took over the most favorable cli- mates for themselves, letting the conifers dominate the places where the living was hard. The Ice Age was just what the conifers needed to push back the deciduous trees and recover their old territory. How- ever, with the passing of the glaciers and the warming of the climate, the deciduous trees marched up out of the Southern Appalachians where they had taken refuge, and took over southern Michigan once more. The conifers retreated to the north, except in places like this, where local conditions allowed them to stay. What you are look- ing at is something of how a11_of southern Michigan looked 13,000 years ago, shortly after the ice had gone. 4. Actually, this forest isn't as northenTas it first appears. After all, we're not really in the far north, and many of the plants here you wouldn't find there. For example, the shrub you're looking at--the most common shrub in the swamp and very typical of moist woodlands all over southern Michi- gan. It's Spicebush, which gets its name from the spicy aroma of its crushed leaves. [pictures of Spicebush, skunk cabbage] One of the common herbs* here is the skunk cabbage, another plant named for the smell of its leaves. It's not as south- ern as Spicebush, but neither is it a true northerner. It's found in a broad belt from southern Canada to Virginia, Indiana, and Iowa. In Michigan it's widespread only in the southern counties. Some of the truly northern herbs are pictured below. See if you can find them. [pictures of goldthread, shining clubmoss, purple avens, wild sarsaparilla, starflower, hemlock parsley] 5. If you're willing to take the time and look hard, you might find two little herbs that aren't much to look at but are interesting enough to have their story told. They're miter- wort and enchanter's nightshade-—two kinds of each actually, one northern and one southern. Common miterwort and large enchanter's nightshade are typical of deciduous forests, * "Herb" means one thing to the botanist and another to the gardener. To the botanist, apy plant without woody stem is an herb. 167 while naked miterwort and small enchanter's nightshade are characteristic of the cool, mossy coniferous woods of the north. Yet here they are together, side by Slde. [pictures of common and naked miterwort,large and small enchanter's nightshade] Both miterwort and enchanter's nightshade, by the way, are found in eastern Asia as well as North America. So are Spicebush and skunk cabbage, and many other plants you see here, for that matter. Most of the plants found both in eastern America and eastern Asia are found nowhere else. How come so many plants are found on opposite sides of the globe but not in-between? Millions of years ago a land bridge connected North America and Asia. Plants were able to migrate from one continent to another, so that the same kind of forest was found through- out the Northern Hemisphere. Then came the ice, bearing down out of the north like some monster bulldozer, pushing the warm climate south, and the plants that were adapted to it. When they ran up against the Alps, and the deserts of western America and western Asia, they could go no further, and liter- ally froze to death. But in eastern America and eastern Asia, where the mountains run north and south, the plants were able to find refuge in sheltered mountain valleys. After the Ice Age they emerged along with the rest of the deciduous forest (remember?!) to recover as much of their old territory as they could. And that's why we can feel so at home in a Chinese forest-- its jack-in-the-pulpits and may apples and trilliums are familiar to all of us who like to tramp our Michigan woods. Something else you should notice as you walk along are the little, humble plants that don't bear flowers and so are usually overlooked. These are the mosses and fungi, both of which are especially well represented here. Mosses and their relatives, the liverworts, are among the very oldest land plants, and have survived little-changed for 400 million years. Their transition from water to dry land seems never to have been completed, for they still depend on an abundant supply of moisture--hence their luxuriance in swamps like this. North American mosses reach their greatest size and most spectacular growth forms in the coniferous forests of the Pacific Northwest, which also happen to get more rain than any other part of the 168 continent. Water is soaked up not through roots, as with other plants (mosses don't have anY). but through the leaves which are usually only one cell thick. Without adaptations to dryness, mosses are not especially cut out for survival in deserts or prairies. Not surprisingly, you don't find them there. [pictures of Mnium, Thuidium, Climacium] Fungi are thin threads that lace dead wood and soil (up to 2 miles of them per ounce of soil). At the right time of year they push up reproductive structures called mushrooms. Unlike mosses, which make their own food, fungi live on dead leaves and wood. In the process, this dead stuff is broken down into elements like phosphorus and potassium, so necessary to plant growth. Along with bacteria, fungi are the chief decomposers--if it weren't for them, forests couldn't last more than a generation. When trees would die, they'd fall over and just lie there on top of each other, and never disappear. [pictures of painted boletinus, vermilion hygro- phorus, yellowish Chanterelle] Fungi are even more important to a coniferous forest like this, since bacteria can't decompose evergreen needles but fungi can. Soil under coniferous trees is very poor in those tiny plants and animals that swarm through the soil of deciduous forest. Their absence, however, is well made up for by the numbers and variety of fungi. It's this variety that gives the North Woods its characteristic seasonal parade of colorful mushrooms. A few of them are pictured on these pages--see if you can find them. [pictures of tufted yellow hypholoma, waxy lac- caria] See any orchids? Some people may be surprised to learn that orchids grow in the North Woods. They may be interested to know that orchids grow just about everywhere. Orchids are almost our largest plant family, with possibly as many as 35,000 species. Most are found in the tropics, where most of them live in trees as "air plants." While many have spectacular blossoms, others do not. The range of showiness is well illustrated right here, where we have the showy lady's slipper, with a flower to rival any of the great tropical beauties, and the white adder's- mouth, with a blossom so small you need a magnifying glass to really see what it looks like. 169 [pictures of showy lady's slipper, white adder's- mouth] Orchids are among the many kinds of plants (including these conifers) that have fungi living in or around their roots. We don't know exactly what they do, but somehow they seem to be necessary to the survival of the host plant (which, in turn, benefits the fungi). Each kind of orchid-~and there are at least 9 in this swamp--has its own special kind of fungus, which works only for it. One more way in which this kind of forest is dependent on the lowly fungi! Delicate is a word you often hear when orchids are being described. The word is appropriate. Many orchids are so highly specialized that if just the right set of very specific conditions isn't provided, they can't survive. Not only must just the right fungus be present, but just the right insect to pollinate the flowers, and just the right shade, and soil temperature and humidity and competi- tion. The damp, mossy North Woods seems to offer a set of conditions that suits many species just fine--better, in fact, than conditions in southern deciduous forests, where orchids aren't nearly as common. Like the fungi, orchids do a lot to give the North Woods its distinctive character-- and some of its more interesting color. [pictures of yellow lady's slipper, clubspur orchid, northern green orchid] What about animals? 00 we have any northerners here to go along with the plants? The black-capped chickadee is so familiar to so many people that we scarcely think of it as a bird of the North Woods. Yet the great bulk of its range i§_in the evergreen country. South of Michigan, its place is taken by the Carolina chick- adee. The black-cap is the bird you'll be most likely to see in this swamp, any month of the year. One you would be much luckier to see is the Canada warbler, which breeds here and then leaves for South America to spend the winter. Like so many of our warblers, its year is divided between cool evergreen woods and hot, steaming jun- gles. Unlike the chickadee, nesting Canada warblers are pretty much restricted to the true North Woods; exteptions like this swamp are rare. The bird is a living gem: only 5 inches long, with a necklace of jet black streaks on a bright yellow breast. [picture of Canada warbler] 170 If you're really lucky, you might find one of the other northern birds that sometimes nest this far south. Birds like the black-throated green warbler, red—breasted nut- hatch, brown creeper, veery, and purple finch. Get a field guide to the birds and look for them the next time you're here--which we hope will be soon. APPENDIX B--SECTION 3 Savanna Trail Savanna Trail gives you the chance to experience one of Michi- gan's rarest and most interesting natural communities. The trail is about half a mile long and takes from half an hour to half a day to walk, depending on how much time and curi- osity you have. This guide is meant to help you enjoy your visit more, in the belief that deeper understanding leads to deeper pleasure. Take it with you for future'reference or return it to the box when you're through. ' Savanna. Take a while to look around you. What kind of vegetation do you see? Forest? Prairie? It's neither, and yet it's both. Such mixtures are called parkland, or savanna, and they're especially common in dry tropical regions. You may recall seeing pictures of East African elephant and antelope and giraffe, or Australian kangaroos, moving about in an environment that looks much like this. Personally, me_think country like this is prettier than either pure forest or pure grassland. How was this type of vegetation formed? Move on to the next stop to find out. Fire. The most important cause of savanna is fire. A dev- astating crown fire opened up the forest that once grew here and subsequent ground fires kept it open. Without a fire every few years, the grassland grows up to brush, and eventually forest. The change is rapid as such things go: it is completed in 25-30 years. In this part of the country forest is the stronger and will always win out over the grass if given the chance. That's because the rainfall here is heavy enough to favor trees. Further west, in the prairie states, rainfall is much less, and grass has the advantage. Fire counteracts the effect of heavy rainfall and gives grasslands a chance. But what gives fire a chance? What keeps it coming along often enough to keep the grassland going? 171 172 Sand--Fire's Partner. When lightening strikes around here, chances are better that it will set off a fire than if it struck in most other places in Michigan. Why? Beneath where you stand is 30-60 feet of sand. When it rains, the water sinks down through it, leaving the surface tinder dry. There's not enough humus in the thin soil to absorb and hold moisture, because previous fires have burned up any dead plant remains and kept humus from forming. With so little ground moisture, ground fires stand a very good chance. But how can the plants here go on living when they're being burned every few years? Plants that just make it. . . . Most plants wouldn't be able to survive being burned every few years. But the ones you see here are well adapted both to dry soil and frequent fire. Least tolerant are the trees. A ground fire will kill the seedlings, but older trees are usually protected by their thick bark. No tree here is safe when the fire leaves the ground and climbs into the branches. Such crown fires are rare in savannas. Can you think of a reason why? How can you tell it's been quite a while since a crown fire swept through here? Non-woody plants that die back to the roots every fall and send up new greenery in the spring are called perennials. Since they can survive as roots, fire can't hurt them. It might set certain kinds of perennials back a year or two if the fire occurs at the peak of the growing season, but recovery is almost always certain with true grassland plants. Of course, if the fire comes before or after the growing season, no harm is done at all since all of the above-ground parts of the plant are dead anyway. Certain trees share this ability of the perennials to sprout from the roots. Small oaks and cherries are often burned right down to the ground. Instead of being killed like most other trees, they just send up a clump of sprouts, each one of which turns into a trunk. Such multi-trunked trees are called grubs. See if you can find one. Common trees and shrubs are pictured on the next page. [pictures of early low blueberry, pasture rose, New Jersey tea, black oak, white oak, black cherry] 173 . and plants that wouldn't make it at all--except for fire! Even out west, where the grasses and prairie flowers don't have to worry about being crowded out by trees, fire does them a lot of good. It keeps dead leaves and stems from building up and smothering seedlings and early spring growth. Its black ash absorbs the heat of the spring sun, so that the ground can warm faster and plants can get an earlier start. And it injects the soil with a healthy dose of ash fertilizer to make the plants grow bigger and better and more beautiful. A few of the plants that thrive after a fire are pictured on the next page. Nearly all are sun-loving prairie species much more common in states west of us. Except for fire, we probably wouldn't have them here in Michigan. [pictures of little bluestem, black oatgrass, june- grass, Ohio spiderwort, rough blazingstar, gray goldenrod, western sunflower, azure aster, wild lupine] Fire heips keep the savanna from turning into a lawn! Grasses out west may not be threatened by trees, but they pap_be crowded out by other kinds of grass, foreign ones that don't belong there. The same problem exists here. If you have a house with a lawn, you probably have Ken- tucky bluegrass growing in it. That's where bluegrass belongs, not here in the savanna. Originally from Europe (not Kentucky!), it followed wherever the white man led, including here. Kentucky bluegrass develops early in the spring and thus has an advantage over the still-dormant native grasses. Slowly but surely, the natives are being crowded out. An early spring fire, when bluegrass is greening up, sets it back and gives the native grasses a better chance. So fire can be a means of keeping the grassland natural, the way it was before the white man came with his weeds. A Climax of Pioneers! In this part of the world, forest is the climax community--the final, self-sustaining stage in plant community development (succession), towards which all other stages build. Ordinarily, grassland is an early stage, and lasts only a short time. Parts of this grassland, in fact, belong to the very earliest stage. Where there is scarcely any soil at a11--like right here—-the "pioneer" mosses and lichens can be found, doing 174 their work of soil-building, preparing the way for later plants. Their work is largely in vain, since fire des- troys the soil as fast as it is formed. We call these sterile areas "sand barrens," and the fact that cactus grows in some of them indicates how close they are to true desert. [pictures of haircap moss, British soldiers lichen, panic grass, purple needlegrass, goat's-rue] The fire cycle allows the grassland and even the sand bar- rens to endure, and become a kind of climax just like the forest. Forest and sand barrens--the last and the first stage in plant succession--exist together in an uneasy, constantly shifting balance. Whether the land is domi- nated by forest plants or prairie plants at any given time depends on how often fires occur and how severe they are. Fire—-Nature's Friend, and Ours. With all our buildings and roads and farms, we can no longer allow lightning to set fires that run uncontrolled over the countryside. Yet if we want to keep this rare and interesting vege- tation type, with its beautiful prairie flowers, we can't afford to keep fire out either. Ecologists have found that many plant communities need fire every once in awhile in order to survive. To protect them from fire is unnatural, and would mean their destruction. The dis- coveries of these ecologists have led to the new field of fire management, which uses carefully controlled pre- scribed burning to achieve the effects of nature. We've learned that the right kind of fire in the right place at the right time is not Nature's enemy, but her friend and helper. And if it's Nature's friend, it's our friend too. Any questions? Feel free to ask the ranger at the Visitors' Center. 111111111111111111111111111111 1111 93000101521