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Dennis Fiser | Naturalist Guide
Grasses
Reed Canary Grass
Reed Canary Grass (Phalaris arundinacea) is particularly bothersome for native prairies; within a few years, it can come to dominate the landscape. It is difficult to control selectively, and is found all over the world (not Antarctica or Greenland). There is a native variety, but almost all of the ones you'd see are Eurasian transplants. It is almost impossible to distinguish the two.
This large, coarse grass has erect, hairless stems, usually from 2 to 6 feet (0.6- 1.8 meters) tall.Single flowers occur in dense clusters in May to mid-June or August. Inflorescences are green or slightly purple at first, then become tan. Seeds are shiny brown.
This species occurs in wetlands, including marshes, wet prairies, wet meadows, fens, stream banks, and swales. It has been planted widely for forage and for erosion control (Source: Illinois Nature Preserves Commission).
Common Name: Reed Canary Grass
Scientific Name: Phalaris arundinacea
Family: Poaceae
Native: Yes/No
Photos taken April 7, 2007. Midewin Prairie.
Switchgrass
Switchgrass is a warm season grass and is one of the dominant species of the central North American tallgrass prairie. Switchgrass can be found in remnant prairies, along roadsides, pastures and as an ornamental plant in gardens. Other common names for this grass include tall panic grass, Wobsqua grass, lowland switchgrass, blackbent, tall prairiegrass, wild redtop and thatchgrass.
It is one of many species to use C4 metabolism, which is a more efficient mode of photosynthesis/respiration that maximizes food production while minimizing water loss.
It is currently being examined as a potential biofuel source, since it is native, grows rapidly, and produces over twice as much biomass per area as corn (Source: Wikipedia).
Switchgrass is a climax species of the tallgrass prairie. It is slow to establish on abandoned agricultural lands because of its limited seed dispersal distances and requirements for high soil fertility (Source: University of Saskatchewan).
Common Name: Switchgrass
Scientific Name: Panicum virgatum
Family: Poaceae
Native: Yes
Photos taken April 2, 2007. Burnham Park Prairie.
Little Bluestem
Little Bluestem is also called alkali grass or desert saltgrass, is a North American prairie grass. Little bluestem is a perennial bunchgrass, and is prominent in tallgrass prairie.
Common Name: Little bluestem
Scientific Name: Schizachyrium scoparium [=Andropogon scoparius]
Family: Poaceae
Native: Yes
Photos taken April 6, 2007. Native Plants Garden near Rockefeller Chapel.
Big Bluestem
Geoff stands dwarfed by the big bluestem. A close-up of the bluestem node. See how red it is? That's why they call it bluestem.
Big Bluestem may have been the most widespread and abundant grass throughout the true prairie. Big Bluestem grows in such tall and dense stands that it often prevents other grasses from growing around it by shading them out. In the past this resulted in large areas of almost pure big bluestem in the prairies. These stands tend to gradually increase in size over time, unless a disturbance (such as fire) allows other plant species to re-establish themselves. Prior to the introduction of grazing animals and tillage to the prairie regions of North America, it was the dominant plant species of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem (Source: Illinois State Museum).
Common Name: Big bluestem
Scientific Name: Andropogon gerardii
Family: Poaceae
Native: Yes
Photos taken April 28, 2007. Mnoke Prairie, Indiana Dunes National Park.
Wildflowers and Flowering Plants
Spring Beauty
This is Spring Beauty. There are several species in the western half of the United States, but only two are found in the eastern United States (C. caroliniana & C. virginica), and only one in Illinois (C. virginica). C. virginica has slightly broader leaves than C. caroliniana The third picture is an example of the two species side-by-side.
This native perennial plant is about 3-6" tall, consisting of a flowering stem with a pair of opposite cauline leaves and some basal leaves. The stem is light green or slightly reddish green, glabrous, and rather succulent.
Habitats include moist to dry deciduous woodlands, savannas, parks, and cemeteries. It is also found in mesic prairie soil. It is highly resistant to grazing and tree clearing, which is one reason it remains common today. Absence of Spring Beauty indicates that the land was severely disturbed in the past.
Spring Beauty grows from edible, underground tubers that were relished by Native Americans because of their chestnut-like flavor. The genus was named in honor of John Clayton, an early American botanist who supplied the material for an eighteenth-century book on the flora of Virginia.
Common Name: Spring Beauty
Scientific Name: Claytonia caroliniana/virginica
Family: Portulacaceae
Native: Yes
Photos taken April 28, 2007. Mnoke Prairie, Indiana Dunes National Park.
Cleft Phlox
This native perennial plant is about 1' tall. Multiple stems often develop from the crown of the taproot, and each stem occasionally branches. The stems are somewhat woody at the base and have a tendency to sprawl. The blooming period occurs from mid-spring to early summer and lasts about 1½ months. Each flower is replaced by an oblong seed capsule that contains several small seeds. The root system consists of a taproot. This plant spreads by reseeding itself and may form colonies at favorable sites. Butterflies, skippers, and moths suck nectar from the flowers. The caterpillars of the moth Heliothis phloxiphagus (Spotted Straw) feed on the flowers, while the caterpillars of the moth Lacinipolia olivacea (Olive Arches) feed on the foliage. Another insect, Lopidea davis (Phlox Scarlet Plant Bug) sucks on the sap. Most mammalian herbivores readily eat the foliage of Phlox spp (Source: Illinois Wildflowers).
Common Name: Cleft Phlox
Scientific Name: Phlox bifida
Family: Polemoniaceae
Native: Yes
Photos taken April 24, 2007. Nichols Park.
Kinnikinnick
Also known as "Bear-berry," the Kinnikinnick produces spring flowers in shades of white to pink, and red berries appear in the fall and winter. Bears enjoy the red berries, hence the alternate common name.
Nearly all members of the Arctostaphylos genus are found on the western seaboard, particularly in California. This is the only species is found in Indiana.
Plants do very well in a sandy-loam type, well-drained soil.
Common Name: Kinnikinnick
Scientific Name: Arctostphylos uva-ursi
Family: Ericaceae
Native
Photo taken May 5, 2007. Indiana Dunes National Park.
Rue Anemone
The flowers have numerous parts and are up to 1" wide. They are white, occasionally pinkish, and double flowers are not uncommon. It is one of the first woodland flowers to bloom, and appears in later winter through early spring. It requires consistently moist soil, hence the woodland environment, where plants are less prone to dehydration. It was originally incorrectly classified as Anemonella thalictroides.
Common Name: Rue Anemone
Scientific Name: Thalictrum thalictroides
Family: Ranunculaceae (buttercup)
Native: Yes
Photos taken April 14, 2007. Morton Arboretum
Pussytoes
Pussytoes or Cat's Foot. The interior of the early flower is filled with a complex mesh of fibrous material. The first two pictures show earlier life stages; the latter show more fully developed plants.
Different Antennaria species reach between 10 cm and 50 cm in height. The leaves are basal and often stem leaves. The name Antennaria refers to the projecting stamens seen on the flowers of some species, resembling insect antennae, while this species - A. plantaginifolia - has leaves which resemble those of plaintains. Antennaria species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Coleophora pappiferella, which feeds exclusively on A. dioica, and Schinia verna, which feeds exclusively on Antennaria spp (Source: Wikipedia). The flower is found in acid soils of dry rocky ground, ravines, thickets, roadsides, ridges, prairies, and glades (Source: Missouri Plants).
Photos taken April 7, 2007. Midewin Prarie.
Common Name: Pussytoes
Scientific Name: Antennaria sp. (most likely A. plantaginifolia)
Family: Asteraceae
Native: Yes
Photos taken April 28, 2007. Mnoke Prairie, Indiana Dunes National Park.
Great Lakes Sandcherry
This woody dune plant requires the presence of humus to grow, and usually follows marram grass in the pattern of dune succession. The close-up of the flowers illustrates intraspecies polymorphism.
It occurs throughout open dune areas and serves as an important sand stabilizer. The cherries are edible and turn a dark black-purple when mature.
Common Name: Sand Cherry
Scientific Name: Prunus pumila var. pumila
Family: Rosaceae
Native: Yes
Photo taken May 5, 2007. Indiana Dunes National Park.
Common Teasel
The Common Teasel is a naturalized (non-native), invasive, biennial forb which is found in most states (not ND, MN, LA, GA, SC, FL, ME, HI, AK), but came from Europe in the 1700's. Teasel is currently used in horticultural plantings and dried flower arrangements. There are two primary species of Teasel, the common teasel and the cut-leaf teasel. The former "fills up" with egg-like purple flowers when it blooms, while the cut-leaf produces white infloresence. The common teasel blooms from June through October. Flowering plants have large, oblong, opposite, sessile leaves that form cups (which may hold water).
It is an aggressive invasive, and has rapidly expanded in the last 30 years. Movement has been documented along highway systems, where dispersal is aided by mowing equipment. Teasel is an aggressive exotic that forms extensive monocultures. Each plant can produce several thousand seeds, of which 30-80% can germinate (Source: Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources).
Common Name: Teasel
Scientific name: Dipsacus fillonum
Family: Dipsacaceae
Non-native: Europe
Photo taken April 7, 2007. Midewin Prairie.
Bloody Butcher
This is flowering Bloody Butcher. It is found in the Mississippi River basin. It is found primarily in mesic deciduous woodlands, including oak-hickory woodlands and maple-dominated woodlands. Sometimes it survives degradation of woodland habitats, and can be found along fence rows with woody vegetation, overgrown areas near railroads, and miscellaneous waste areas with partial or light shade. This native perennial plant is 6-12" tall and unbranched. The central stem is hairless, stout, light reddish green, and about 5-10" long. The flower has 3 reddish brown petals, 3 green sepals, and 6 black stamens. The blooming period is mid- to late spring and lasts about 3 weeks. There is also some evidence that the seeds can pass through their digestive tracts and remain viable, so deer may help to distribute the seeds across long distances. Where deer are too abundant, however, they may destroy local populations of Trilliums. It is possible that the speckled pattern of the foliage of the Prairie Trillium is an adaptation to deer predation as this type of pattern may help to camoflage the plant with the surrounding forest floor (Source: Illinois Wildflowers).
Common Name: Bloody Butcher
Scientific Name: Trillium recurvatum
Family: Liliaceae
Native: Yes
Photo taken April 28, 2007. Indiana Dunes National Park.
Prairie Crocus / Pasque Flower
The prairie crocus is one of the earliest prairie plants to bloom, effectively monopolizing all available pollinator capacity. The furry network of hairs all over the stem, leaves, and flower protect the flower from wind, cold, and insects. This native perennial plant is about ½' tall when it blooms, but later becomes up to 1½' tall. The Prairie Crocus is an uncommon plant that occurs only in extreme northern Illinois. It has been exterminated from many areas because of modern development. This species is native to both North America and Eurasia.The foliage contains a blistering agent and is poisonous, which deters consumption by mammalian herbivores (Source: Illinois Wildflowers).
Common Name: Prairie Crocus / Pasque Flower
Scientific Name: Anenome patens L.
Family: Ranunculaceae (Buttercup)
Native: Yes
Photos 1 & 2 taken April 14, 2007. Morton Arboretum Visitors Center. Photo 3 taken April 2, 2007, near Rockefeller Chapel.
Cutleaf Toothwort
This perennial flower is called Cutleaf Toothwort, which is native to eastern and central North America, not to be confused with the Lathraea genus of toothwort which is native to Eurasia.
Common Name: Cutleaf Toothwort
Scientific Name: Cardamine concatenata
Family: Brassicaceae
Native: Yes
Photos taken April 14, 2007. Morton Arboretum.
Hoary Puccoon
Common Name: Hoary puccoon
Scientific Name: Lithospermumcanescens(Michx.) Lehm.
Family: Boraginaceae
Native: Yes
Photo taken May 5, 2007. Indiana Dunes National Park.
Pitcher's Thistle
The Pitcher's Thistle is a native thistle to the dunes of the Great Lakes region. It grows on the beaches and grassland dunes along the shorelines of Lakes Michigan, Superior, and Huron. It is now found in Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin and in Ontario, Canada. It was extirpated from Illinois, but reintroduced to Lake County. The plant may grow to be 3' to 5' tall, but takes 5 to 8 years to do so. It is most often found in near-shore dune areas, but can grow in any dune area devoid of forest. Cream or pink flowers grow at the end of branches and from the leaf axils. Leaves are finely and deeply lobed and may be one foot long. The stems and leaves of both the flowering and non-flowering forms are covered with white hairs that give the plant a woolly white or silvery appearance. These hairs are an adaptation to its beach environment and help the plant retain water and reflect the sun’s strong rays. Spines are found along the edges of leaves near the base and at the tips of some of the lobes. Both non-flowering and flowering plants have a long taproot, up to 6 feet long (Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).
Common Name: Pitcher's thistle pine
Scientific Name: Cirsium pitcheri
Family: Asteraceae
Native: Yes
Photo taken May 5, 2007. Indiana Dunes National Park.
Fauna
Black Swallowtail Butterfly
In caterpillar form, the black swallowtail feeds on plants in the parsley family (Apiaceae) including Queen Anne's Lace, carrot, celery and dill. Sometimes plants in the citrus family (Rutaceae) are preferred. As an adult, it feeds on nectar from flowers including red clover, milkweed, and thistles.
The black swallowtail has black wings with two rows of white dots and blue patches at the middle tips.
Common Name: Black swallowtail
Scientific Name: Papilio polyxenes
Family: Papilionidae
Native: Yes
Photo taken April 28, 2007. Mnoke Prairie, Indiana Dunes National Park.
Red Admiral Butterfly
The second is a red admiral.
The caterpillars feed on nettles while adult Red admirals butterflies prefer sap flows on trees, fermenting fruit, and bird droppings. They visit flowers only when their other foods are not available. Then they will drink nectar at common milkweed, red clover, aster, and alfalfa, among others. The underside of its wings resemble brown leafy ground cover, enabling it to camoflage itself when threatened.
The butterfly has dark brown wings with white tips and an circular orange band. Despite its broad range, there is little morphological difference in different geographical areas. There are, however, summer and winter morphologies. The summer morphology is brighter and the orange band is continuous, rahter than spotty. This picture is more emblematic of the summer morphology.
(Source: Iowa State University).
Common Name: Red admiral
Scientific Name: Vanessa atalanta
Family: Nymphalidae
Native: Yes
Photo taken May 5, 2007. Hyde Park, Chicago.
Red Velvet Mite
This is the 1mm long red velvet mite (Trombidium sp.), which resides in the soil. It is found across the globe.
Common Name: Red velvet mite
Scientific Name: Trombidium sp.
Family: Trombidiidae
Native: Yes
Photo taken April 14, 2007. Morton Arboretum.
Bumblebee
Bumblebees are flying insects of the genus Bombus in the family Apidae. Bumblebees are social insects that are characterized by black and yellow body hairs, often in bands, a commonality among the majority of the species of Bombus; however, some species are known to have orange or even red on their bodies, or may be entirely black. Bumblebees are increasingly cultured for agricultural use as pollinators because they can pollinate plant species that other pollinators cannot by using a technique known as buzz pollination (Source: Wikipedia).
Common Name: Bumblebee
Scientific Name: Bombus sp.
Family: Apidae
Native: Yes
Photo taken May 5, 2007. Regenstein Library.
Unidentified
Native Bee
Leaf Insect
Leaf Insect
Trees
White Pine
This tree is listed as "Rare" in Indiana. It is found in many habitats, including sandy soils. The needles are clustered in groups of five.
Common Name: White pine
Scientific Name: Pinus strobus
Family: Pinaceae
Native: Yes
Photo taken May 5, 2007. Indiana Dunes National Park.
Jack Pine
The Jack Pine often forms monoculture stands on sandy or rocky soils. It can be distinguished from the white pine by having needle clusters in two (as opposed to five), and from the red pine by having shorter needles and smaller cones.
The Jack Pine only opens its cones after a fire (or during hot, dry spells), which historically occurred every two to seven years, but now is regulated using controlled burns. It is the best fire-adapted boreal conifer; despite having only medium-thick bark and moderate fire tolerance, populations are able to survive thanks to delayed seed release from cones, early reproductive age, fast growth (full sun), and preference for soils rich in minerals.
Jack Pines require a large amount of light, but are hardy plants and can tolerate extreme temperature and moisture conditions.
A mature stand may have as many as 2 million seeds per acre stored in unopened cones.
The endangered Kirtland's Warbler (Dendroica kirtlandii) depends on pure stands of young Jack Pine in a very limited area in the north of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan for breeding.
Common Name: Jack pine
Scientific Name: Pinus bankslana
Family: Pinaceae
Native: Yes
Photo taken May 5, 2007. Indiana Dunes National Park.
Black Cherry
This dark-barked tree is a black cherry. It has a very distinct dark, "potato-chip" bark. The Black Cherry tree is the tallest of the cherry trees and has drooping clusters of white flowers that appear in the spring. Black cherry trees prefer neutral to acidic soils, and can tolerate sandy and rocky soils.
Common Name: Black cherry
Scientific Name: Prunus serotina
Family: Rosaceae
Native: Yes
Photo taken April 14, 2007. Morton Arboretum.
Common Hackberry
This characteristic warty bark belongs to the hackberry tree (Hackberrys represent about 65 species, so I'm going with "Common hackberry," though I can't say for sure). The leaves almost invariably have bumps all over them; they are called "galls," and are produced primarily by four members of the Pachypsylla genus, which do not particularly harm the tree. Hackberry trees are very fire-susceptible, and are typically not found in savannas.
Common Name: Common Hackberry
Scientific Name: Celtis occidentalis
Family: Cannabaceae
Native: Yes
Photo taken April 14, 2007. Morton Arboretum.
Cottonwood
The cottonwood is unique in that it is one of the only trees present in early succession, here seen in a dune ecosystem. The cottonwood is a fast-growing (hence soft wood) tree which has several adaptations to the harsh climate of the dunes. One of the biggest dangers is the threat of burial in the sand. The tree deals with this by changing buried branches into roots. They do require a fair amount of water, however, and being near the lake not only gives these trees access to an adequate supply of water, but keeps the climate temperate and the air moist.
Common Name: Eastern Cottonwood
Scientific Name: Populus deltoides
Family: Salicaceae
Native: Yes
Photo taken May 5, 2007. Indiana Dunes National Park.
Carolina Hornbeam
This is a Carolina Hornbeam, the only American species of the Hornbeam genus; most are in China, and only two species are found in Europe. The hornbeam is a small hardwood, also known as blue-beech (a close look would reveal ring-like patterns on the bark, like most beeches), musclewood, or ironwood.
Common Name: Carolina Hornbeam
Scientific Name: Carpinus caroliniana
Family: Betulaceae
Native: Yes
Photo taken April 14, 2007. Morton Arboretum
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