050 Vegetation Analysis of the Benedict Prairie

Vegetation Analysis of the Benedict Prairie (T1 N R21 E Section 11) West of 1-94 at apx 14th Avenue and Hwy 50) by Linda Curtis, 1974, 50 pages. A dissertation on the vegetation of the Benedict Prairie so named for the Elmer Benedict Family who owned the property in the 1940's after the evacuation of the railroad. In 1963 the property was owned by the Wisconsin Chamber of the Nature Conservancy and at the writing was a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Field Station. From the WKCHS Western Kenosha County Historical Society Collection.

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050 Vegetation Analysis of the Benedict Prairie.pdf

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Linda Valentine Snippets

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Wisconsin

History

Midwest

Kenosha County, Wisconsin

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50 - Vegetation Analysis of
the Benedict Prairie
(T1 N R21 E Section 11)
West of 1-94 at apx 14th Avenue and
Hwy 50)

by
Linda Curtis
1974

50 pages
Contents:
A dissertation on the vegetation of the Benedict Prairie so named for
the Elmer Benedict Family who owned the property in the 1940's after
the evacuation of the railroad. In 1963 the property was owned by the
Wisconsin Chamber of the Nature Conservancy and at the writing
was a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Field Station.
From the WKCHS Western Kenosha County Historical Society
Collection
Compiled 6/2008 by L S Valentine Copyright©Valentine2008

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Introduction
Twenty years ago Dr. Whitfurd diseovered

this one-half

mile long railroad right of way and considered it among

the

best prairie remnants f.ir his study of prairies in Racine and
Kenosha CC>unties ( Wni tford 1958).

Early vegetation maps

showed the prairie remnant to be on virgin prairie soils
(Schafer 1927)..

The Kenosha and Beliot RR Company bought

this portion of land from Elbert Tymerson.

In

1~62

the piclt

and shovel crew dug out the moraines and built up the low
areas to prepare a level railroad bed..

The winding ereek

was straightened and channeled along the elevated bed in the
present middle portion of the prairie.

Fences were put up to

prevent cattle fro.rn straying onto the tracKs,

but it also

prevented their grazing and destroying the prairie flora.
The route was shortened and the Company renamed the Kenosha,
Rookflird and Hock Island Line.

Due to financial diffioulties

the railroad was sold to the Chicago and Northwestern.RR Company
in 1863.

The railroad started in Kenosha, ran through!.,the

county to the state line near the village of Genoa in vialworth County, a distance of 30 miles in the state of Wisconsin,
and connected to Rockford. (Western Historical Company 1879),
'rhe railroad functioned until 1939.
In the early 1940's the rails were lifted, ties removed
and gravel dug out and sold from the railroad bed.
jacent farm ow:arer,

The ad-

Waldo, purchased this portion from the

Railroad Company which was later sold as part of an Estate
parcel to Elmer Benedict..

The strip was used only occasionally

®

//./) /
c
I
/ /"~__.. i

~
for a tractor aJCess road down the railroad bed to their adjacent cropped fields. The Benedicta also had planted small
pines in the prairie in 1960.

These were killed when the

prairie was burned after its purchase.
The prairie was purchased in 1963 by the Wisconsin
of the Nature Conservancy, with funds donated by the
Green Tree Garden Club of Milwaukee County.

is now a

Jniversity of I'Visconsin-Milwaukee Field Station but does
not have a planned program of study as do other field stations.
The far west end at a right angle to 144th Avenue is
a moraine cut through for

the ra.ilra.a.d bed.

Num,erous
___,

shrubs and trees occur on this higher SJ.)und which slopes
down into the middle low portion which parallels a creek
off the Root H.iver to the north and pot hole depressions
with cattails and sedges on the south.

The area slopes up

in on the eastern end onto a moraine also noticably
abundant with trees and shrubs.

This is a,n a:c:cellent area

f:6r study of the prairle-f:Drest ecotone where climate appears
to favor f'or.:::st by average annual rainfall of 30 inches yet
prairie is maintained on lower areas in this rolling topography,on clay soils.
However, railroad construction had broken the sod and
altered the drainage of the prairie enabling woody species
to invade.

The first efforts by Dr. Whi tf':6rd and the ne'i'Jly

f!Ormed Alao Leopold Conservation Club were to map, tally, and
then

atte~pt

and burning.

to rid the prairie of these invaders by cutting
::tes proutint~ from stumps and rootstocl{s proved

these means inerfective against species capable of this vegetative anility.

Since the process of succession toward

fo~est

(;D
C/lJ
had beg;Jn it wo;.:ld be .;. .lYatteP of' time before the t.aller
.~"'~

trees and

would shade out the p:r'airie

ah:r·~bii

by fi:J:---e

co~:ld

or•

_.,.-·'"'

red;~ce t.:1~m. to openings in the eanopiea..
aaco:a,;);rUlh~d

speci~a

Occaaeional drou;.3hts

red 1ee the woody shru.bs to

bru~h

prairiiii: bL<t with the present tendenoy to eool>:n· and m.oiste'l"
olLnate than in the past, .$\}Ccession ·w-111 proceed towa:rd
fvre.st u.nleHJs a well planned, .r>egdlar ;rrograrn of b:A:rn, out and
spr'ay with herbicides is adopted •

.?rt::n:H~ntly.

in

acllCH"i'~.:.l

thOt;.~r,h,

the i3$nediat

iris still blo01ts

laye1:""S as the taller species overtop

the .·rovlitlg

s·:::~s<.~n..

of the ;>ast

.~~nd

This prairie is

\>lith a

atr~~teh

others in

oxr f'9W :re:ninde:t•s

.:JrH:;

of the imagination one can

visualize the adjacent fields aa similar w;av@a of' color ..
To re.ach tile Benedict i7rair'1e tuM west off the I ...94

~Vlilwat.lkee

to uhic.ae;o onto hi,;hwa.y .50 and less than a mile tu.r'n so.xth on
144t.h Avenue.

,)n a .i{enosha Cot.;nty map 1 t

is T L N, 3. 21 6.,

Section 11 ..
Dr.

~~hittord

often cm:aments to his Ecology st:.,dents tru;t

the only thing for iiL.;re in this world is eh'itnge..

So as thi9

pr'<..i-i:rie chanf>eS I have the opport:lnity to record

a pa:r"t of it.

·rhe _;>JXr'posea of this s t ;;dy a:t"'e to find ( 1)

thr~

progress oi' t

tr•ee and snrllb invasion since 1965, (2) composition c.hanges

p:rai:r•ia hfn·bs si.nae 1954, and {3) secondary

iiH.;.ec~ssLm

in

changes

as pra.irle species recover onthe aut. slopes and the r'ciilrohd
bed.

'!'t1is study will hope1\.;lly be a part of a a<.Hltinuing

St11dy.

(i;)

3
Geologie History
The bedrock of the Benedict Prairie is Silurian dolomite
laid down hundreds of millions of years ago when the great
Cretaceous Sea covered the interior of North America from the
Gulf of Mexico to the A;iic Ocean.
During the past one million years four glaciers crushed
and gouged th\iitir way into the Great Lakes area..

Before the

Pleistocene the sites of the Great Lakes were only river val ...
leys$

The thick ice lobes scoured and enlarged the valleya

into basins that later filled with the glacial meltwater forming the Great Lakes as we know them today {Powers 1966)"' .·
The last substage Qf the Wisconsin Gla.eier, the WoGd•
fordian, also shaped the land areas adjacent to Lake Michigan
in
and

~Racine

~Lake

and Kenosh.!il. Counties in Wisconsin (Lasca 1970)
and Cook Counties of Illinois (McComaa 1972 ).

This glacier pulsed and retreated aeveral times.

The first

of the last two pulses left a sand, gravel, a.nd silty sand
till named the Haeger Till..

'.rhe last advance left a distinctly

different grey clay till named the Wadsworth Till (MeComas 1972).
When the last glacier melted about l2,aoo years aga,
vegetation that had retreated S(;)Uthward again advanced narthward..

Smaller lakes formed in depressions of glacial till

began an accumulation of pollen and plant remains from vegetation nearby.

These deposits, laid down like chapters in a

book 1 give evidence of
with changing climate.

changi~vegetation

that correlates

It is generally believed that the

4

drier.

len ... m.a• i

climate slowly warmed and became
-sow~

~f£~_;, \~6\\e,'f\ ~s~ ,v ~
of.

r:l$

followed by .mixed conifer fQres ts and then hardwood

forests in lake and bog strata are documented by worldwide
bel~~·~'

workers.

"~'';/"

Temperatures reached maximum about 6000 B.P. when

water levels in most lakes lowered or dried up (McComas 1972).
This first xerothermia period favored grasslands.

Foresta

retreated while grasslands extended far into middle Canada
and even to the Atlantic coast.

Then followed a period of

coo.ler temperatures and increased precipitation.

Water levels

again rose and forests advanced.
The second xerothermic period, about 500 to 1000 year•
~o,

again favored grasslands which dominated the interior.

"A genera.lly warm dry climate during the l\liddle Ages is reason...
ably documented by tree rings, historical

r~cords,

Nile

Vall~y

floods, remains of the Greenland settlements, etc .... The end of
this dry cycle at about 1100 A.D. marked the beginning of the
current forest climax climate for Iowa and the western part of
the prairie peninsula (McComb 1944).
The prairies of southern Wisconsin mark the northern
boundaries of the prairie peninsula mapped and discussed by
Transeau (1935).

Only remnants remain now as most of the

prairie lands are under cultivation or pastured.

The vegeta-

tion of the prairie peninsula in general tand the Racine-Kenosha
area has many s pee ies in com:non with prairies as far west as
Nebrasl{liit.

"The predomin<ll.ting tall grasses, as well a.s other

basic si:nilart.:+.-te..s~, make it reasonable to others to consider

5

the prairie peninsula as a faciation of' Tall Grass Prairie.

to which it bears a post climax relationship.

The soils

within the peninsula are prairie soils. although the climate

1s now that of forest climax.

The c\rlmmun1ty :nay.

therefor~5t,

be rega~d as preclimax. to the forest, maintained. by eda.phic

conditions (Oosting 1956).
The climate in the prairie peninsula has bee;

~Jooler

and moister since 1100 A.De v.rith oc\.uasi('Yn""J ,. E';;ught intervals.

Because the climate now favorli'& either grassland or foreet,
"in this ecotone region certain soile and topography favor

one formation over the other'' (Curtis J'155) The prairie border
in Racine and Kenosha Counties is a moaa.ic of distinct forests
and prairies rather than a. smooth transition which the gently
rolling topography would appear to favoro

The glaoi2.lly ahaped topography of Racine and Kenosha
Counties forms three distinct belts parallel to Lake Miohigan.,
The first is a terrace of a mil-e to

sev~.n•al

Michigan..

low ridge of gravelly.

Its western 'border is a

miles west of Lake

sandy material which marks the old beach line when the Lake

was much higher

(U.3~D.A.

1923)e

The middle belt 9 where the Bem.ldict Prairie lies, ie

a series of low moraines forming gently rolling plains (U.3oD.Ao
1923)..

This till was laid down as the main body of the glacier

melted as compared tQ

recessioru~.l

or end mQra1nes formed at

the front of the glacier (Leet 1965)e

The third belt is a recessional moraine of sand and
gravel known a.s part of the Va.lpa.riaao .M0ra.ine.

l"1os t of th9

6

lakes in this area were formed by ice blocks buried in the
sand. and gravel deposits as the··glacier melted {U.S.D.A, 1923L
{McComas 1972).

This westernmost belt is rolling to irregular

and most of the soils were developed under forest cover.
Prairie soils have developed in uncon;so;ida.ted material,
usually sand, silt and clay particles from the initial materials.
Prairie soils do not
~ \s

d~velop

on granite er other bedrock.

::,;.\'(:x1JV_<~-·~'"""'-'ov-.~·~

Of

c.·

the pra1r1e~9'of the world, ~'?,~~s- is the most extensive initial
material, glacial till second and wind and water laid soils
third {Hole and Nd.e;l.sen 1968).
The prairie soils in this area are related to their glacial
parent soil and are grouped and named according to soil texture
or sizes of particles, even though they developed under different vegetation types.

Prairie vegetation develops a dark band

of topsoil with much orsanio matter ;ermed from
roots.

*l~wly dec~y1~

Aarbon 14 dates of the top six inches of some prairie

soils are from 300-500 years old {Broecker in Hole and Nielsen
1958) •
More organic matter is incorporated directly into the
mineral soil under prairie tl:'>.an under oak foras t.

"The or-

ganic matter in the soil to a depth of 42 inches amounts to
about 80 tomi per acre under forest and 150 tons under -p>rairieJt
(H~le

and Nielsen 1968)

Foresta contribute greater organic

matter to the soil surface in the form of litter than
to the soil.

directly

The litter breaks down faster into chemical

7

nutrients at the surfaoe where the oxyge.n supply is greater•

than deeper in the soil..

The ohemioal nutrients under forests

are leeched down into the soil at different levels to form

horizons.

Prairies also contribute s urfaoe li tter9 known as

the 01 horizon, as muoh as 5
SEt&SOD..

rhi&

O&n

tons~

per acre in a growing

be Slroken down to leaS

but the thatch that

rem.~Ains

the surface in many waysc

than

i!.lters the blotie
Prairie

fir~s

half that

olim!~ite

in

'(l<J)t~~

~

at

frequel:'ltly remo·ved

the thatch, exposed the ;;mineral soils and aided many prairie

species in addition to quiok release of nutrients as ashQ
This ia beneficial sinoe ;;n...~f~te soils have large quantit,l,es

of plant nurtlents looked up in the tlrga.nio matter (Hole tnd
bitlelsen 1)63) •
·rhe soils o:f
the

u.s~.o.A.

Ra~1ne

in 1923.

and Kenosha Counties were miiii.pped by

Soi!H~

of

the ao11

:na.:ll~s

haVIS! si.noe

been changed and arranged into soil sarles showing coarsest
to finest texture, best drained to poorly drained, eta.

In

gen.er11l t.he weaternmost belt is named '!'he Grayish Brown Rolling
Silt Region of

Southe~stern

tJlsoonaine

The middle and lake

·oelts are named 'file Clay .Pra1ri€Hi o:f' the GrG.yiah Brown £tolling
Silt Loama ~gion (Blount-Elllot-Ashkum Soil Association) of

Southeastern it¥1soons1n (Hole and

L~a
...-:5ift'!C.":

1955 ).
0

~··

'-o;'>'

The soils map of section 11/shows the railroad bed as
it existed in 1923.

~rge are~a,s

are covered by the rlltiami

soils but do not ooour onptne eastern half of' the railroad
which is now the Benedict Prairie..

The l4Uami soils d~E~'leloped

8

under forest cover of S€llveral varietien of oak, hick:ory, basswood, maple, some walnut. and cherry (U.S.Ii.A. 1923).

rrh~y

coincide with higher ground and better drainage.,
~11 thin

the Benedict Prairie on the west end is Ca.'i.rr>ington

clay lolll.m now renamed in the series Wa.uPQn, Elliot, Parr soils
The top 12-14 inches ot:· brown-black clay

(Hole and Lee l;J55).

containlill large quant.itiee of decayed organic matter d(!Waloped
under prairie..

~rhe

subsoil gr.5;.des from brown silty clay loa.m

into a yellort mottled pilias tic clay.

,At about two feet the

material is a heavy plastic yellow-gray olay i.-tit.h

splotch~Js

of calcium carbonate {u.s .• D.A. 1923) (Stand ,§1 26 W'hitford data) ..

The Clyde clay loam.li, now named KokcHllO and associated 111 th
Parr eoile, a..re poorly drained due to theil" low

po;t~l tions ~

Th.a

surface soil is dark black heavy olay loam to about 14 inches

where it grades into a gray silty clay loam.

At 30 inches it

clay mottled with yellow {U.3.D.A.. 1923).

is a plastio

This clay loam lie:J; in. the middle of the Ssnediot .Prairie.. It
ie the

lowe:~t

.f'i,,\~""\Ct. :~~ '('; .,,

in posi tiom of the soils and is near a creek off

the £loot River (Stand ,#41 of Whitford data) ..
'{;

The Fox

lo;i.Xll

occurs on the south ald.e of' the railroad

bed on th·t? far el.i.St ancl of the p:ra,irieo
w1 th oalt trees..

The

dr~1nage

is

u.:3 ually

It 1s higher grom1d
good on thee e brcnvn

aoill whioh are usually underlain by gr;;l.vel and ooa:rse sand.
at

2~~.
~

\iS~.lihlng

feet.

£ox loama are of alluvial

<::>ut, from.

und~r

ori~in
~

from water

a. glacier or later as a stream terrace

( U.3 .. DsA. 1923) (dtand #58 \lihitford data).,

9

Clay soils tend to have their minute particles aggregate into clumps.

They swell when wet, closing off internal

pores which allow internal drainage and aeration.

ID the

spring much of the Benedict Prairie has standing water due
to the poor surface drainage.

Internal drainage is also

poor and clay soils will hold soil water longer than OQarse
soils.

rhe soil texture here probably retards tree seedling
root growth by holding excesa1ve moisture in the spring and
then drying excessively 1n sammer and fall.

Of the midwest

Weaver (1932) had stateddThe various types of prairie that
do occur are clearly related to water contert of soil, but
only obscurely, if at all, tio soil types.

11

However. in ·t.his

instance soil type directly affects sea.aona.l levels of soil
moisture, eliminating a clear aoll moisture gradient of prairie
types otherwise found on bet,ter drained

SQils (Curtis 1955) •

.ilpeciei Of wer and ateSiO prairies mingle Ol-1 'trhe$S Ol&y Soils.
~Pring

blooming dry prairie species tb&t are found in other

prairies are not found on these Wtit olay soila.

rlowever, in

late summer and fall species blooming are more typical of
&eaio to dry prairies (Whitford 1958).
Chemical analysis of prairie soils of' liisoonsin show
muoh variation.

In

gen~ral

the .Racine-l:tenosha Cou,r;.:t,iJ)Ij) ao1la

have a. wide ra.nge of pH out no correlations
prairie types have been made.

betwe~~;m

pH and

The B inch depth soil samples

wer& also higher in potassium and lower in phosphorous than
$

other Wlsaona in fra.irie soils ( Vftll tf'ord 1;158)

10

It was once believed that prairie soils were too low
in nutrients to support a forest.

It has been proven this

is not a factor inhibiting tree invasion by seeding.

White's

pot experiments with Wisconsin prairie soils that had bE!)en
fertilized still showed only
in forest soils (\1hite 1944)..
ful in seeding trees into

~alf

the growth of tree seedlings

F'orest nurseries were unsucoess ...

pra~;t.e

soils were added (Costing 1956)..

soils unless some forest
It is now acknowledged that

mycorrhizal fungi are necessary on tree roots for growth.
Encroachment of trees onto a m.ycorrhiza-free prairie takes
place by slww lateral

grG~wth

of roots unless a bird or

XJ~.odent

disperses a seed or acorn with some attached mycorrhize hyphae.
Soil factors other than low nutrients are responsible
for treeless prairies in Wisconsin.

In the Racine-Kenosha

area clay soils were probably one of the main faotora ihhibiting tree a eedlings.

·lt.·'-lfK,,

}~J"Prairies

around the a tate are on different

soils yet resist tree invasion and support many similar species.
The various prairies are named more for location on a soil
type than for a dist.inct flora associated with that type.:
Silt-loam prairies in .3outhern \Us. with moisture gradient of
prairie types of wet_5to·d.ry (Curtis 1955) (Curtis

anc~

'-Green 1949),

Dry lime prairies in the driftless area (Curtis and Green 1949),
Sand Prairies in the driftless area, glacial lake beds and
river terraces in the glaciated area (Curtis and Green 1949),

J~. Glacial outwash prairies of Rook County (Green 1950),
l

'·

5)<ll<i1y prairies in Racine-Kenosha Counties (\fuitford 1958), and
~/

North central sand prairie extension of aouthern Wisconsin
prairies {Whitford 1972).

ll

The Chiwaukee prairie Gn beaoh sand. and subjeot t9
th~:t

lake effect is another example of the dive!"1iity of

prairies within this

north~rn

insula..

r~ltE'iU'ltion

The mc:l;ture

boundary of the prairie pen-

and heat retentil)n of li!Hllila •

nutrients, and pH of soils all vary a.nd Qan affect species
of dif:ferent tolerences o

In addition, fluotua.tif:.uaa im. yearly

rainfall oa.a put s1gn1fioa.rrt streaa Gn :many prairie specie's

lllGis tur~~P toler6lnoe range ..
Within the

p&iUlt

20 years the rainfall at the eit1 of

KenGsha., 15 mileii from the 13€;nediot Prairie, ranged frClm 18 .. 47
i\e;\)
ino~es in 1;1158 to 46., 87 inclles in 1~72~ The average rain:fa.ll
for the past 20 years is 30 inches.

lUso a igniflc:t:nt is the

&mount of ra1:n that falls during the six growing months of
~

April through. 3eptember~~\~n 1972 the rainfall for tl-:te!iHi' six

months were 36.28 inches as

to the dry summ.t:r

CH.}ll,Pared

Gf

1973

which totaled. only 19 .. 54 iDohea :for the six months.
Such. fluetuatl.Gns aff.ect these clay

soil~J

1m

!;11.4~

ways.

( 1) In \<Vet cycles the high water retention of clay &oil eould
k.Gep the grour.&.d wet contino'l.l.ily into fs.ll.,
~nd

(2) Wet clay swells

olosea up pore sps.oea which .P:'lii~ ga&eous exohangEt with

tl:le air and {3) ~~,'i;~teexeeal'61Ve !Iaolat.ure te> dra1nQWay. During

dry cycles (4) dried clay shrinka,oausing large fizzures wh1oh
acotilpt runoff wat.ttlr th&\ ( 5) dried olay soils cannot. &cllH&Pt.
readily~

again due to lack 'llf p¢n•es

~~JpacHu ..

In conolus ion_ tl'leseclay
ssilaa:ff:h
-

graphy that have wet springs and dry

~'·f.~~).J,~i't:.o:,~olli.m.g
'
.
'

aum~ers

-

t.ope·

with •yolic

flue t ua. t 1 o ns ~lt~!h~~:~ ,t,~~~'t!~it~i::;~"~.~~Jay ot.her factors :t::tot discussed

12

are temperature fluctuation&,

IU!OW

cover and Oeptb cf ground

freeze, d.ilw fall, and affect/iii of wind and. d.essioat.ion.
f~~rs

1 u.rvi ve

collectively allow only
wi thing

oert~in
.

thi!H'HIJ extreilMlill rrpera 1st

All

species which can
I

f-iJI\

a elosu~td

eGm.a.run.1 ty

which in itself tend1 to exelud.e otht!r .species.

The faet remains" h.e:n"i'ever. thli.t the security of a ole.HUH1
pra1Pie community has been al til'H"ed to allow weedy and woody
species to enter..

The tad:ers Fillowin;; the

~.n:va.lion

of the

Benedict Prairie will b® diso;..uuu:d in the following seot1oas.:
(1) Woody invasion and controlled burning,

ehangea aft.er 20

yf!iJars

and the railroad bedc

(~)

Herbaoeoua

and {3) SuoJossion £long t.he out. slope-a

ro

Table 1. Annua1.~otal Rainfall for Xen•sna 1 Wia~onsin
Year
~otal
Year
Total
1953

54
55
56

57
58

59
60
61
62
63

1964
65
66
67

22.45"

38.75
24.83
21.53
36.83
18.47
41.18
37.16
29.59
21.90

_24~48

68

69
70

71

.............. -

72
73

28.78 11
43.76
28.97
:,1.60

32.jl
32.82
:;8 •.77
26.47

46.48

30.59

Table 2. Monthlz Rainfall for Kenosha 1 Wisconsin for 197@-Zj_
Month
Year 1272
Year 127~
January

F'e bruary
Marsh
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
Nevemb&r

_________;p~g_'-~~!@_r_____ _____

0. 64"
0. 56
2.08
5.67

l. 57"
1.08

2.21
:;.21

2.31

3.15
3.68
:;.26
2.96

2.85
2.27

2.28
2.09
1.82

5.97
6.61
8.57
8.15
a~Ll9

,3.28

Table 2t Individua.la er (jlump! of. Woodz ~lpeeiaa in l-261 and, Z2
Se1eat1f1e u.me
Number
Se1elltt1:fl1o name
llllll:ber
Oeaa,a name
126} 1972 . Oemm~n n~e
126~ 127J
Aeer negunde
Quereua ell1pao1dal1a ·
Box elder
24
23
Hilla eak
1
1
C0rnua fem1na
Quereua maor•oarpa
Prairie dogwood
7
7
Bur oak
39 39
Cerylus americana
Rhamnus earthartioa
Ha&elnut
38+
38+
Buckthorn
9 16
Crataegua ap.
Sa.afbuous ea.nadens is
Hawth@rn
5
6
Elderberry
l
6
Pru~us serotina
3a11x sp
and virginia.na
54
45++
Willows
7++ 8++
Cherriea
Lonieera tater1ca
Prunus americana
++
++
Honeysuckle
0
1
Wild plwa
Populus trearule1dea
Pyrus ioensis
3
2
Aspen
0
3
Crab apple
+=scattered elu~ps which grade intG eaoh other ------++=many scattered seedlings or shoots

l~
The Weedy Invasion of the Benedict Pra1t1e: Methods
I remapped the Benedict Prairie in 1973 following the
original method of

aapp1~1n

100' segments which was uaed

for the pre-burn tally shortly after acquisition in 1963.

Oa March 23 of 1963 perwua.ent marker stakes ef used co:nduit
pipe were driven at 100 1 intervals along the south fence
line, leaving their tops about 6n high.
was theA mapped

011

am

8!

Each 100' segment

x ll" paper by Whitford. te show

species, size, and approximate position 1m the plot of each
tree or clump of shrubs fer later reference.
The newly formed Al4o Leopold Conservation Club cut

some larger trunks and then burned the prairie on April 27,

1963.

The club made mere cuts and with Dr. Whitford made

a tally of burn kill recorded on Aprill 11, 1964, with a
final cheek on April 22, 1965.

Composite mapa per plot were

drawa by Cook in 1965 recording the initial species, those
which appeared dead 1:n 1964, these actually dead 1» 1965,
the ones out in 1963 and '64, and the

respr~ut1ng

stumps er

rootstocks.
In 1973 I mapped the prairie using one plot per page as
in the erigi:nal 1963 mapa.

It was net feaaa.ble to eoUJlt the

aumereus aprouts put eut by the stUlflps and roetsteolta, ao I
indicated instead a cluster of dots to represent the clumps,
a larger dot to represent a larger trunk or a

combination.

1_5 ";;

Only the smallest and largest diameters were recorded of
each clump.

Since no burn occured in 1974 as planned, the

data will reveal any changes since the last good burn in

1968 by Dr. Whitford's Ecology students, a poor burn in 1965,
and thG burn of 1963 which Cook reported om f@r Ecology class ..
Results ef the Woody Invasion and Controlled Burning
Cook f&und that initial fire kill of woody species 2" or
less in diameter appeared to be high in 1964.

By 1965, how...

ever, it appeared that only 5 of 286 trees of all species of
that class aize had been permansntly killed, all the rest had.
Of the 106 trees of the elass sizes 2 1/8 " dia-

resprouted.

meter or more, only one was killed.

Permanent kill in the

shrubs a.liHl> &HHHIUI}d initially high but by 1965 most had reeovered.

The composite map showed much resprouting on the 1964

post burn and agai.t. in 1965 f'rom the cuttings.
I compared my plot maps with the 1965 composite maps and
found the sprouts on stumps more numerous and of greater diameters (Table

).

Almost all of the trees and shrubs mapped
\o~.t?>}•
as present in 1965 were still present in 1973~~The shrubs had
increased in area, particularly hazelnut which forms dense
thickets over most of the east and weat ends.

Willows inorea•e4

in the wettest areas in the railroad bed, west end, and along
the creek and low depression in the middle area.

Dogwood

remained stable in number of clumps, two net :f'ound and two mew
clumps in

other plots.

sixtee:R clumps.

Buckthorn had increased from nine to

Wild plum was within the same plots as

or~sin-

1@

inally, but apparently was increasing in Rumber.
Trees overall remained stable in position and number
of clumps.

The

exception waa the cherries which oould not

be found in iiome plots and had appeared 1n others.
Only two new woody species were found: one honeysuek:le
bush and three aspen seedlings.
Discussion of the Woody Invasion and Controlled Burning
NuiilutrGus factors prevent or retard invasion of woody
species into prairies

\"\
(chart~).

It is known from observation

and experiment that seeds and acorns may germinate on the
prairie sod but the roots cannot penetrate the sed and so they
die (Eyre 1971).

3uccesu~fu1

tiUHtding in occurs in areas of

opened sod such as around animal burrows or holes dug for seed
storage, and more recently, by man's digging for fencing, roads,
railroads

et~.

Even if germination were successful into the

seedling stage,. the seedling would be subjected to slj.mmer
dr~ught,

dessioating winds, and autumn or spring fires.

Fires

would also remove the mat of dead leavea and stems that would
both shelter the settdling from the wind and hold in moisture.
Survival of the firliit yfiar is oritieal.
of the seedling muct

oo~pete

The rl3ot system

with the interwoven root systems

of the prairie species for space and moisture.

If it survives

the first year it will have the advantage of beeoming the
t~.._...ller..

Its shade, at least on the northern side, benefits

itself by providing a slightly cooler and moister root habitat.

11

The J?rairie-}l'"'cres t Ecotone Balance
Fa•tors allowing invasion
FactorS~ maintaining prairies
!,!!d. lnh;!.bi tinp; invaa ion
---------Sod prevents root penetration
of germin.ati.ng iieedling~
No nearby

~Hled

aouro6!

Animals break up sod .for
burrows or bury seeds
Bird migratiol'ts

'rl"'ee myehorrhiza lacking

Animals diaper!~& seeds ¥:lith
myoorrhiza attached or by
slow lateral root growth

5o11 moisture excessive in sprinp~
retards tree seedling root growth
but. favors grasses and forbs

Oecassional climatic shift
to ....~-rttliiir or spring

S unu:ne r dro ugh. ts
· Dessication by wind i>ind drought

Ocoasional elinaatic shift
to wetter sullnn.er and f'all

Woody

species root
r:nateh build-up

xeri~

on an open topography

habit.
provides seedling shelter.
iltluleh of leaves among shrub
stems cool a.n.d hold. moiliture

Competition with prairie species
roots for aoil moisture at all
upper seil levels

Woody speoi-3s Xf.tromorphio
featL:cres including root
systems abundant in upper
and lower soil levels

F'ires kill seedlingli and remcrve
thatet1 and mu.lah. build-up

Woody specieQ ability to
resprout fro~ rootstocks
or litiU!lPS

Poor drainage due to low
topography

Wiitifr tolerant trc~es (willows)
.4.an drains and digs

In addition Raeine and Kenosha Counties hEl,ve e].ay

I!Qil~~

Clay soils resist root penetration, Animlilll burrow ~;n.d lootJen
Prairie species have large amts
soiL Ants, earthworriS
meel1anie.a1 tis a ua in roots
make ahannels. Fizzures
allow cleavage surfaee.
Clay soils provid~ povr internal
Man's distur'ba.:nees by
drainage, have poor aeration
diLsP:lng, plowing, d.redg.ingt
and gas ex~hange to air. Onee
laying drain tiles.
d1~y, clay soils do not aaaept
rain water readily.

l~

It also redue1ia the vigor or the eompeting speeiea by reduci.Rg
their light..

Tree leaf litter is not significant

prairie

wlnda !IHUi.tter them.

whert~

3tlrub leaves,

~n

the

howev~u:.. ,

beeome trap ;.Jed between their l!lumeroua a teiHi thus eld1ng
ing and
lj}\Ut

I::tHtl~ture

Hazelnut's ability te peaetrate

retentlon.

into the SGd with rhizomes makea it a shrub pioneer.

l!Hua.da out r&ota up and dowR
t~

cool-

fro~t

thlil'

It

rhisoll!ea whieb. allewa it

eompete at different aoll levels .for water (Weaver .193:2).
Sh..ruba iiueb. as hazelnut, prairie dogwood, wild

plW~,

and

sumae were frequent en prairie !il&rglne, but alao e<HHLt>red

within the prairie

wh~rever

there was a alight dep:ressiom or

ftH)iature advantage (Bears 1969).

The contest

f~r

area betweel!l

shrubs and pra.lrie speeiGs fluetu.ated with advances and retreata.

Thia conti.mU.fiHlS increase or d•erease

~ecurs

also

among prairie speciea of different water toleran\iUUI and needs,
eauaing the l!U)ason tt.l aeaa?:na

dyna.mlc.t~

of the prairie a.nd lo.mger

cyclic fluctuatioma (Weaver 1954).

Bur

eu

ill a pioneer xer1e tree tb&t invades without the

benefit of shrubs..
s ula borders

oR

It is

atiHIJ!Qii

hills and irregular tcpog:;."aphy..

&.nd in aort.hera Illino.ia bur
er aavaJ.x:lrua. (Curtis 1959)..
au~eesuJfully

all alow.g the prairie pen1n•

~Jak

In th1,;s area

torm.s groves (Kilburn 1972)

'fhe ab111 ty of ·our oak to invade

where ether :native tree seedlings :fail o&.n be

attributed to itll initial root habit.,
in the acor:n allews the

rt:H~t

The

large food storage

to extend downward g•• before

lf
Th~

unteldiJlB it.a le-aves above ground..

:root

peme"trat~•

qu.lcklf and ~ve1da d.reu~ht in the u;Jper li$11 1a aummer..

tl'l.e en4 &:f t.ne f1r!it grow1Jttg

attal}l a
at:a

~ot

ro~~l~ta..

f'1t~H!H.trea

our

o~l:t seed.l1n~

and. form a network of' .ab;u;rb1rJ.S,

Th~:~e be~e:t'1t :fro~ th~ aw•~~~u:'

ra111a wbieh de aot

,Pereol.ate r~e.dll1 il'lto the dry clay aoil..

Thw wide ilP:t:'ii!!SJlbag

m~tu.re r~ot ~ys t.<J.Il! ~D'd abu~idant :roG\lcl!':t.a 1l'ller~~~ult 1 ts

volume thufi

illtH'~ul.ng;

the

ea.a at

I.ts r~Jut.4i follQW the oleav...

dttpth: of 3-5 fiilet..

ot soil

pl~n~a

aeali.Hlirl &

Br

av~ila'bll!ty

of'

wat~r..

root IIUJil

The

l"'GH!lt

s:ra,t.ei'iB ext.~oo be.r~M. th• CIUtc~y p..tr1met.eril forming a elO;IHJd

fl.l)r*at. 'l:lVen th;;:>ugh t.hs
ll.Gt

do not touch.

It is water.

•unlight her~. t.hcat lllll1t1i spacing (W$&Ye:r- 193:2).
dueo&~UJ!on,

era.ll,y

cu

caAQpi~a

whet.h~r 1ll1t1at~

:tollG~ tQ

~-H1ekory

the

g~u.p eon•iat.a fit

by bur oait or ahruba, ge:a-

Cli&i&X f:.l'r t.h1s area...

eu ),. ,g..

g,uiH"'!F.! e.cr'?..t!,G.rea {bur

l'he

f:lba,

{white QU), ,ii.. rt.n>ra. (red 3t!!.k). Q,.. velutir!a (blaek wa.k) 11 with
aaa.;.eiiit~ tJa..t>.[f .<~~!ita (Sha2~1:Y~rlt
('blllli.C~

oherr•y),

~:~d fzr~ 109'ltaJ1a

'l1b&se Oai:-tiiek'lry
the

iwiaple-~~ch. F~;n·•e;it.~

reapll):ruUt to tb.e

011m~x

(crab apple)

Th~

lli.IG.l'Rg

otherl.

f!Jree ts. a.re w1 thin tell ll1l<ts lJf

along Lil.ke

lak~ etf~~t.

atu.rllfi ·tfi&B inland..

.Michi

.l'lielun;·.r) • Prunt:.s !f!~}~rt:~~.

.Mi~hi~~ft.

a ve,!!fit£ti()Jt

of cooler and !ltO!"'tt s tablft teap,er-

Chivat.Ute., .f:'rairi'i: alcm; the .Lake

'i.\lactonliin and Ill1no1a

&t~te bord!'1d.",

141 alao b•ing

1nvii.d~ b.t bur oak. ha2.e.lnut &~.m !IO.li t. of t.h~ ~uui.ot a o~oiel u
th!i Benedict fralrio.
(o&t.t~nuu;odj in

with know:n

The

oeour~nMJe

cd

the ~h1W4i.U!'t~e ?r&.lri~ WGu.ld ·ne in lu~eping

aueoesaio.~t£1 pii.7Ule&ril

o!"'

dut'Ut

to Beeeh-!>faple f'oreat.

~~

Along L&tte !Uchigan oak
~)(a.ple-BGech.

:fore~at.

is

i.nt~rmediate

ThG three major veget.ati.on

tyr:H;~s,

~k-l:Uok.ory,

and prairie overla.p within this

zone.

v~~tg~ta.til)ll

Major

bord~rs,

uauall.f

~"ifing

to climax
Maple-&Jeeh,

~11m& tie

tenaion

t1pea are i&ldom abrupt on their
a tranllition. zonlilt..

The transition zone in th.e forest-prairie border

or

the

prairie pen ina ula ln t-iinneli* is a brush prairie which had
spread up

tr·om .b.oll&wa

t()poi~raphy.

in ·t,h,e rollisil.g

Thiitl''~t

brush prairie passes into bur ou covered low hills and then
to

& diver~ut,

Ul4!u&

but not

lil.~er1cana,

oli~tax,

T111a

f'Qre~Jt

aaar1c~na.,

~

soa~d.ens,

Xs.ntholtzl~

amerieanum,

g_.

The atu"ubr:J

circin~tJi.l.,

&$rotina, f ..

Am~lanoh.ier

1-""~inua

balliUFun1fer~.

S,la.bra, Cornua atGlon1fel··a, .Q..

Prunus. v1re-,1nia.:p.?,:,

~uercus m~eroc.Hil.r,£?a,

..1\a~:r~a~eharum,
j

lanoeOlQ.ta., Populus tremule1dG5, £...
&re

of

04iJlaiiJtrus

am~rlcarn.ua,

uolcuA.ta, and Orat.aes!:l•

{Ew:b·,ni9 ~~l.:r1a-foreit borders of Rook County, ~i.seonain on
the Illinois border, at tiLe time of settlement were along
river flood plains..

Ope:n Q.ak aavanns. eovered one half' Gf the

country while most Gf the

rem~1n1ns

land wai;! tr-ue prairie.

The savf!inn.a specit:ra on open land W;&re 2,~eruus l1aor~of..r•ea S.€·5lilin,
~~· ~lb~, .9,.

lol:!!.!...

V<ilutina, along with Car:ta

ov~A!,

a:nd

f.9Rulu~

On ncH•tn f'a.eing alopea were guEn'CUJJ }2!realia,

!Nft\1'Ul~

1--ubra, t"~land.J n!~rf"'* Fraxi~ua e!fi!l&JflVal.n1.,!, ?runu.li Jerotina 11
'!'ilia

~:fl!le:r141Hi>.ntil..

Qatry:a virt::in1ft~a, Celtis oceidental1a and

~

oooassiona.lly

!.!..!!: i'Utoob.aru.m..

of river[X)ttcuns

WllH'&

lli!:,

The weii savannas and forests

Ulmus amerioant,

sa<!Hlharinum~

Fraxinus penns.ylvaR.ioa, .Salix spp. and
Quercus bioolor.

?--1

ooo~ulsiona.lly

The former savannas are aow oak forest
I

with Oornus raeemo:ut and Corylus americana in large qua.ntit.(es
(Peet 1971).
The prairie-forest borders all along the eootone

a;~e

oomposed of similar, but dif'ferent eombination.s, or woody
species grading almost i.mperoeptably i'rom area to area,
largely as a result of differE:tnt

tolcH~renoes

One of the best early aeeounts of

and s.eed

southem~Usconain

se~uroea.

fore!ilt

typea continually emphasized the gradual blending and. ohanging of forest associates (Chamberlain

1877).

The boundaries of forest and prairie were abrupt in
places, a eo:mplex inter-digitation of prairie islands and
lobes within forests, or a mosaio of both vegetation types.
In Racine and Kenosha Counties a

SI~ooth

transition of prairie

to !'ores t might be expected of the smooth to pograph.y.

Ins taad

a mosaic of types exists with forests on slightly higher

g.round and prairies on tile lower areas.

The young topo-

graphy has not had time to develop stream valleys deep
enough to ramify low areas into tributaries.

The resulting

poor drainage of a young topography, poor internal drainage
of

clay soils, aoil moisture retention and difficult root

penetration

of elay soils appear to be the controlling factors

limiting speoies to thgse that have xeromorphic featur$& plus

a wide range of moisture tolerance.

2A..

The :firStt tree invader 1ntQ the :&tnediot prairie was
bur oak as determined from the 1963 maps with recorded

trunk diameters.

Thli largest trunks were on the higher

east end; 6in dbh the larsest in plot 22, several others 6tt
and lesa in plots 2Q .<il..nd 21..

La.rge bur oak trunks were also

reoorded on the far west Emd measured

with several 5" or less.
wer~N

Si "

dbh as the largest

The sizes of the bur oak trunks

gradually less down the slope into the middle ground

and the last was recorded in plot 9 with none thereafter
until the far east end mentioned above.
An estimate of the age of

5·k

dbh bur oak i.s about 30

years based on stump euts 7 miles awe.y near Paddock Lake.
Som.e time in the 1930's the bur oaks invatded by seed or

grew up from serub bur oak rc>tltatooka after the railroad

The wifiiit of the late Elmlilr Benedict who bought

diseontinued..

the prairie railroad right of way remembers mmall trees oa
the shoulders when she came to the area 1n 1930.

She did

not remem.ber any railroad crew autting or burning the should•
er&..

She diS. remecllber freqwint fires in dry seasons set by

the hot einders fren1 the pas a ing train.
A seed source for the Benedict Prairie could be a virgin
woodlot within a quarter mila away owned by tl1e widow, Mrs.
Roxy Benedict.

Thit woodlot contains black, tN'hite, and bur

oak, lllhagbark hickory, wild cherry, cr:.1b apple and a new
hard maple.

Soft :maples and box elders have appeared only

recently.
-i3ox elaers -.n"e

<it' I

eae:a.t 1Wv"lader in the Benediet ~~-

23

Box elders are a recent invader in the Benedict Prairie.

They occur all along the RoGt River and pGt.rts of the creek
nov<'.

The largest trunlt in 1963 was c.:>f 8 inch diameter and

was neQ,.ttlle cree.k in plot 9.

Thili fast growing tree aould

be estifl:uated at about 10 years.

The black aherry is a slower

The 12 largest black cherry, of 4 ... 61 ineh

growing tree.

diarnete:rs, were fairly uniformly distributed over the 22
plots but mostly were loeated along the boundary fence lines.
Th.e auaeessful invasion of treeD into the Benedict Prairie
and tb.e prairie penin!ii ula in general is in part a res pomu~ to
the general cllaua.tie shift to eooler and. moister eonditions

since the time of prairie maximum about llOOA .. .D. (MeComb 1944) ..
Even with the climate favoring forest, invasion is still diffi-

cult in a deni!le .multispecies community where every niche is
filled above and below ground ..
The pres4in',l.ce of a nearby seed source is a possible threat

for invasion if burrowing animals or those that bury seeds
are

present~,~

Hodentt~,

which live U.."'lder the thatoh layer,. arEt

in greater abundance ol'l unburned than burned prairies.

also off'er an invasion threat by the large number•s of
that pass through their digestive t:racte unharmed..

Birds
~eeds

The cherry,

buckthorn, and dogwood along the old fenee lines are possibly
the result of large numbers of seeds dropped while perohing
on fence wires..

A group of different woody speeles occur next

to a large bur oak along the cut '.elope in plot three and. another group occurs along
thorn in plot fcmr.

the fence line with a large old haw-

They could represent a perching site in

?1/

each area which would account for the diversity.

Presen*e

of seed8 alone will not necessarily result in invasion ..
A dist'.lrbanee by 11.an or animal is usually necessary for the

first invader, although epen soil fissures

~~uldl)rovide

sui table germination. pro teet ion.

!llUt

:Beth the

slopes and

fence line are <a-reas disturbed by man when he opened the
sod, tipping the balance fa7oring woody invasiono

A single

invader ean cru1.nge the hahi tat and allow new invaders.
On the other hand, lone bur oaks were reported in
vast prairies by early travelers (Angle 1968).

There were

also reports that these lone bur oaks did not seit'.:sood.•· ·Ewing
(19:24 L also mentions that b1.J.r oalt

ing 111 too wet an area.

d.:.H~~

not set seed if grow-

It is po:s$ible, then, that a aingle

irrv<ader under adverse eGndi tiomi

(iUtn:nGt

reproduce i taelf ..

Overbalanaing factors promo,ti:ng invasion of the Benedict

Prairie were

s~t

in progress by man's dis turb~1:nees when the

railroad bed was dug
level others..

3U'i1

in sol!& places and fill added to

The ehanneling of the creek prf>balby deepened

it and improved drainage..

The digging of post holes for

fencing, the cultivation of the adjaeent fields, the draingge
ditahes along the roadli, all were factors hastening the already shifting balance in this ecotone area toward forest.
Th& op•ning of the sod. was a r.na..j()r factor a~a was the

ii<.ltering of naturfll drainage by
tiles,.

A

ehanne1in~

or laying of drain

Prairies of Wisconsin and Illinois roughly eoin.cide

2~

with the last

gl~il.f.'tiation.,

This geologically young area

would, in time, develop deeper stream and ereek valleys
which would inoreas& internal and surface drainage.
.

Man ' s

disturbances have hastened the maturing of prairie to forest
suooeasion in much the same way man's wast.es have matured
our waters toward eutrophie old age which otherwise would
require centuries.
Just as illlan promoted factors which encouraged woody
invasion, he also eliminated an inhibiting fa.e\t(;;)r which,
among others, helped 11aintain prairies..

In the early wtitten

records of pioruse.r lllinoili it was often reported the Indians
annually burned the prairie every late fall as part of a well
planned buffalo hunt (Angle 1968).

It may be that Indians

helped maintain the prairies through their activities whereas
the settlers promoted fjrests through theirs.

Fire was a

minor tool maintaining the prairies in comparison to the
white man's sod destrG;ring tools of metal coupled with animiil.l
power and later with fuel-powered machines •
.Should all of' aua.n 's activities cease and s&condar;r

aueoession proceed, the eeotone would probably

adv~mee

fox·ests because of' improved drainage and brGken soils.

to
Natur...

ally occurring fires, unless frequent, would serve to retard

ratller than prevent

inv:~sion

of woody species..

',llhe exception

may be cited by Curti.s (1959) who theorized tl'uit prairies
followed catastrophic destruction of elim.ax forest without oaks.

2~

If fire d&atroyed a forest with oaks. then the resprouting
st<Ampa or thiak barked survivors remained as savanna or
brush prairies.

The two good burna of 1963 and '68 did not kill the
established trees and. shrubs of the Benedict .Prairie beeause
they h.a.d thiok protective bark or the ability to resprout.
:first year seedlings ar0 most likely to be killed in a fire

which again points out the need for frequent fires.
a tree or shrub is established it :l'ms the

advant~e

Once
of be in_;

taller and by shading weakens the prairie species, eventually
taking over both above and below grot.md space.

The roots are

very difficult to kcl:l.l in these woody lipecies although the

u. S .. D.A.
SurlntHiH'

:c~oorded

fires.

roots toe.ks of oaks killed during biennial

Ch~iken

(1952) in the U.S .. D.A. report adds,

"In a South Carolina study, four annual summer burns alimin&~.ted

50% more small hardwood stems and

66~ more shrubs than

did four annual winter burns."
A summer burn in a year such as 1973 which was very dry
could kill inore of

tm

smaller trees and shrubs.

build-up would provide fuel fjr a hotter fire.
possible that several

]'€H~J.rs

It is also

of dry summers and fires could

kill a greater .Percentage of woody species.

Burning should

not be discontinued at the Benedict Prairie.
tance

The thatch

It is of im,or-

since the invasion ooourred abol. rt the time of railroad

abandoJUI.\emt, when einder ... c.·aused ftres stopped.

It is also

possible the fires had retarded woQdy species that had 1mraded

21

since the railroad bed was dug. As will be discussed in the
next section, fire can reduce the bluegrass which also weakens
the prairie spe4ies.
Fire and a regular program of cutting and spraying with

2-4D hal proven successful in Elsaa, Illinois (Kilburn 1968).
Digging out root sruba uaed to be the
bur oak.
stocks..

only mean of ridding

Cutting iil.nd spraying should kill most of the root
Reaprouted stumps must be .recut and sprayed again.

This !l'UiHitns a. regular annual maintence progr&m for the prairie ..
In conclusion, the prairie
are f.ew new invas ions by trees.
two s peeies whieh
elu:m.ps..

b.a.ve

remain~a

stable in that there

BuekthorR. and cherry are the

increased in number of new seedlings or

All others have grown taller and increased in diameter

in addition to iiending out new sprouts which increases their
area.

Since poor draina!?:e and undisturbed sod are no longer

main factors inhibiting woody invasion, other factors must
continue to keep the prairie balance.

These are moat likely

the clay soil's poor aeration, tough penetration, and seasonal
extremes of moisture.

~i
Mt~tth•d

fi)f Herbaceous Vegetration Sampli:ag fer all areaCJ

In May of 1973 I began aampl1Dg
west end with a CJquarG meter unit..

the Benedict Prai$

As the vegetation grew

taller the tmit e;na.gged and was difficult to maneuver, eapee ...
ia.lly when climbing down the cut slopes to tile rsd.lraad bed ..
So I CJubatitut&d a hoop of 32" diameter.
Although Raunkiaer had used his h.ogp method ff!Jr random
sampling, I needed to establish an order so it would be
pGasible to return to roeord flowering plants that could not
be identified in their Juve»il• forms..

Ther•fore, at each

pipe marker I stepped 1nt(tl the prairie midway between the flipe
and slo. pe a~--~~a~~~ed s pe~ whiQh , oo c y.l'recl., 1n t.h.· tt lowered iB
hoop --,o_n ___~--- ________
tally shee~ had paced €L 100' pl0t. and deter ...
,,...-··--·-·"·~-~-.,.~

mined the

nW~ber

0f pacea llCIIU.lessary to aet down the hoop

-+ e.J ~ur"'"'~e.!> ~""\~ i _,'
•qu1d1atant ~9u2-1aor• time•. This method ia nf.:lt as preeia• as
per1ua.nent A!&rkers ·out I was able to return to the aame approx•
imQ,te place by pacing and reeh.eck1ng

the previous. species

present ..

'I'he map of the woody species was an asset when I sampled
halfway down the cut slopes and m1dway on the railroad b@d.
I could not ••• th• plot markers on the upper prairie from these
points so I used trees and shrubs as reference marks.

Again

I could r•turn to the rut.me approximate area for aampling.
The speci•a were recorded for
eovered within the hoop.

pr~enc&!

but not for area

I determined frequency for each

~

species bJ findimg the mumber ef times it oeeurred in the
,
24 aaaplea ef each atrip, dividiag by 24 amd mul~plying by

100 to derive

per~eat.

eeabiaed 48 aaaplea of
similarly ter 48

I alae ealeulated frequeAey for the
aer~•

aaap~••

amd aauth prairie strips aad·

•• the two alepes.

Some apeeies

were well reprea•-'•4 1a all areas •• I feu:rul their frequ.eaeiea
baaed •• t..he 120 tatal aaaples ef all atripa oombiaed.
The pereeat trequeney ef apeeiea •• the aeuth aide ot .
the railroad bed la pleta 1•6 was eeapared.te i:aeoaplete data

et Whitfe>rd'a ata:ad /126 whiel\ aorreapeada with. the aaae area.
This yeild.ed •••• interesting vegetatioa ehal!lgea.
11edal apeciea, baaed e:n

Ourtlllt~in41eater

The twa

apeeiea, that eha.nged

a1gnitieantly in frequeae1 were correlated with oyclie

r~!~~~~

fluCJtuatioaa ill the growing aea.sou ef 1972 and 13.
Tal auaber er apeciea ·reuad ia quadrats of •1 data and

Whitford's data were eoapared to the lltia Benedict .Prairie

oheekliat~ellpariseaa

were alao aa.de to

f,>t;., state
:'if/"

...

prairies

apeoiea lia ta.
The alepes were treated first aeparatec..ly and th.en co•bined since ae aignifioaat apeeiea differeReea occurred whiea
would suggest slightly differeatly •1eroolimates •• aorthfacing
or aouthfaciag alopea.
b~d

The railroad data for pleta 1•6 were oonaidered

aepapate~

frem pleta 7-21 which were higher and better draiaed and oontaiaed a different flora.

30
A geaera.l d1aouaaiera ef pra1r1ea 1a aeeeaG&rJ te show

the wide va.ria.tioa ef demiuata a.Bd apeciea ooapoa1t1on ..
Three major prairie divis1o:u are
aad geographic raage.

Bflft.ed a~.oeerdias

t.• lilo1ature

The meat wester• aRt drieat is the

111ruu:•t grasa prairie whieh gradea 1a'io the aei!HU'ld ujor div1a1o:a,

tb.e tall graae prairie..

The last d1v1a,1oa, the prairie pfnti:n•

aula h&a the moat aoiat.ure alld 1• aiailar in predolliMt1Bg
tall gra.•••• te the tall graaa prairie ..
Weaver, in h1a extensive atudiea of prairies ia the aid•

weat, acted the variat1o».l 1• prairies due to the d1atr1but1oa
of

d~ueiunta..

Ia geaeral apee1ea tba.t are 4olilMnt are the

tallest pereaaiala, usually grasses aDd sedges, whieh oaa sur•

vive a etbaoka ot drought

·~

graz1Dg.

!he doaiu:ntll 1a the

aerther!l plaiu pra.iriea w•r• thread•l.ea.f a edge ( Carex f1l1tolia)
a:md Deedle leaf' aedgtt (Q.. eleooharis ) •

The oeatral plai:u

deai:manta weN three awa graae aad buffalo graaaee.
and aou:t.her• plaia ia aide oats grama whieh gives

aeuth to ctther speoiera..

Oeatral
WD.J

further

Farther east and '1m. areu of uple

aoiature little blue atea aad big blue atea are demiaants.
Weaver was aware ef variation in prairie a.aaoo1at1oaa due

to tepography..

noa low hillsides amd everywhere

big blueatea ia the moat important dollirmAt

soila..

lew lands,

•t w•ll-aerated ·

-Ill aatura.ted aoila big bluestem. sives wa1 ttJ> va.at

areas of prairie oordgrass.

coBtent

GUt

4iU~d

In

•~11a

ot 1:at.erauid1at.e water

aera:t.1oa, awlteh grass is the ehiet apeeiea. r•

( Wea:ver 1954).

3/
Ia the study of 65 stamds ot Wlaeonsia prairie$ !a
15 eiumties, Ourtia and Greea ( 1949) also noted spec! ell
groupings aasocla:tted with topography aftd ao!la.

They defined'

prairie t.ypaa b&aed oB aoll.i, moisture. and topography

eVe!~.

though t.he t7pea graded into eaeh other su.ld del!mitatiolll 1m.
some was borderline..

The7 de.fi:aed low prairie• a.a tho.ae on

Ashkum or Clyde Sell Series which were tiae text-ured aDd
poorlf dra1aed..

The high prairies were oa well <l.re.ined Wa.u•

keaha•l?a.rr or tema•Elliot series..
dric~~r:~

•'}~,,k~;~~~~

eft~u1

Th.eaHt high pra1riea were

The dry

the &WUter tham. the low prairiel..

lime pra.1t>.1ea oecured ia th.e Dedg«n·ille setila 1lt the drift ...
less areas..

ins

The top aeil 1n these prairies was a thin sever•

ever limeatou ridges altd hills.

La•t, the

~u.J~d

prairies,

ill the een.tral sand plains drlftlesa area, w•r• oa e;laoia.l
lakct 'beda and river terraeea ..

In another impllllrtan:t W1sccxuJ1n prairie 11tudy Curtis (1955)
further divided the lew aad high prairies and.
aediate the
1ndic~;tor

•••1c prairies..

'.J;,

thEJi:t~

·btter-

:&/)th etud1ea attempted to find

apeoiea fer the different t1pes et

11Bgle apeeiea had a 100% fidelity ttlt a t7pe,.

prair1~ •i~ce

While it

n*

WS,S

true •••• apee1ea were tJpieal •f oertaia habitata such as

eordgraaa (S;eartima. eeotinata ) ita wet areas, all prairie
apecie_a nave a range of' suaiature n.eeds and

t.olerancG~ua.~

ThetUl!

tila.t haVe a urroWer range Gf moisture tolerance &lid limits
serve a.&~ 1nd1eatora for a prairie typfij. ( Curtis and Gr•en 1949)
·r •

3J..

noted that "A species need net h&ve a high f1del1t1 to be

et valtu» aa an 1radioator..
apeoiee be preseat

011

The prerequis1 te is that t.he

most stat1ou of the type in quest1oa
'#NUl< Co~

,
ll'\ ,

and be ot leal frequent ooeurenee ea related typea." (~~
Curtia (1955} ohose t.el'l indicator species &f e;reateat
oeou.renee tor each of five moisture groupi designated respee-

tivelyt

W$'b,

ef l te 5 wa.s

wet-m.e111o, me111o,
~uuJign~d

5 'being the dry group..

dry-nu~aio,

and dry.

A

t~eale

to te&ch group, l being the vet and.

The number of indicator spee1ea

recorded for •aoh group during field checking is ault1pl1ed
:oy the aasigaed seale :&U!iber.
ed by the

tetal~tu:\l.ber

All product• are added, divid-

of 1nd1eat.er apeeiea, •• gt•eater than

KeX7> >'- CL:l~ \ V\ ~

50, then multiplied by 100 to give the Prescu1tiUt Index.. ( Qlia:Pt~~ t~.
Tb.e Curt1a O•ntiauum provides an excellent • tanard to
(l) compare with ot,her atandll and (2)

rt~nreal

incongruities

suggeat1ng limiting edaph1c faot.ora ..
First, the Bttnctdiot Prair1e'a thre•

ut.and~t•

u.tudied ia

Wb.itfcl:'d'a (1958) 27 atanda in Rioine and Kenosha Coum.ty

prairies, are 1l'l tbree differellt topographical sitea and
aoila..

Stamd

moraine.

126 oa the west

~·ad

is on a gemtly tloPillS

It alopea iato the lowest portion along a oreelt

aad cattail P<Hil.

Whitfcrd's Aitand /141 was ill the lowest por-

tioa and ataad/58 wa• oa the higher mora1me rt.s1:ng o:a the
eut. end..

A moisture gradient 1& suggest, by the Prea•ace

Illdex ealoulated by Whitford ffJlr t.hese stands: If 26 •• meder-

3~

ately: high ground was 292, #41 oa low ground was 258, and

158 waa 311, the h1gheat. gNund..

Co:!.iip&r1ng these values

with the total ram.ge ef 200-.332 (av• 274.4} fer all 27 staD.da,
we tart tor.tolude the three 1Hn,e41ot .Prs.1r1e st.&udi t,Q l>e typ1cal of pra.iriea in

th1t~

area ..

Th€J incongruities revealed are (1) laek

or

staBda in the

wet range (100 ... 200) which. would oeour adjacent to ereeks and
poolt 11 and (2} lack of dr7 speeiea aad ab&Entott of li&D1 dr1·

mesic apee1ea.,

when Whitford oompa.red these stands with other

prairies in Wisooilsin he found the

fi.H1U~t

similarities in the

do.mina:at. speciea of the wet. to mes1o group$.

Dry sand pr&1r1ea

and lime prairie& have ao counterparts in the Ra.clne•Kenoaha.

.atudJ ..
were

The dry a:ad -.eaie-dry or high prairie apeoiea that

I~1aa1ng

1n this area. were tound ill prairies 1B ether

aoutherll Wltu'tons1:a prairies were lew 1:n
Keneah& prairies.

fl::"equ~ntoy

i:za Ra.eine-

Even though .low in treq\Uutoy, they ooourred

in aeme of the low stands which affeota the l?reaence Index by
railing it toward

th~

Jrier end of the seale.,

The reVil!H"lle is

alao trueJ i.e. J.lingling of wet indicator apeeiea with mesic
species lowers the .Prea!ll'fnee Index.
r~a.eine-Keoosha

pra.1r1ea a eentel::"ing

broader raage in~eating extremes.
the

Oi.ft

·.rnue, there:. 1a

or

ita

these

valuea rather t:t:w.n a

Whitford attributed both

off of some driElU' species and tha intermingling of

wet,ter and drier species to the exoes.aive soil n'ioisture and
poor aeration in spring w1 th SQil me1•ture

retent1~n

ot the

31
elay l'iJila into .a1<baWtrun" followed by ser1o con.d1t1ona 1ato
la.te lilutuutr aM fall..
tU~~ser

Those drier speoiea were tigrd.tioa.ntly

and tall bleonaili\g whereas thtrt apring bloom1ns apeeiea

are tJpioal ot lew or wet prairies ..
C.htographioa.lly these prairies are similar to the Ill1ne11

and Ohio Clay Prairies tersed

tollew1~

the last glaciation.

They compare flor1at1oall1 te theae southward prairies than to

the westward prairies of better draised glacial outwaah ao1ls

aJuoh aa ia Rock Oeun'liy wh1oh waa atudied bf Phoe'Oe GreeR (1950).
The prairies of the Racine arul leaoaha Coutrtiea have a
diversity ef 173 apeoiea exe.luding adventivtt weeds (Whitford
1958). , Total prairie apeeiea for the state of Iowa 111 265

(Shillek i». YeaTer 1934) which 1ndioatea a size and spec.1ea
.Number of liPfUJies ab.ould decreue with. size of area.

1'1&~1mum...

Iater•llUitillgly, a single at quare mile o'f prairie near .L1neoln,

NebrallkM.

~Qata1ne4

237 prairie apeciea (Steiger in Weaver 1954).

ReliUnt atand.s ot prairie are aeldcll of unitor.lili .s1ze and repre-

••nt Tarieus areas an4sbapes whioh w&ul4 atfel'lt 41vera1ty
values.

Five atallda 1a Rcet C•untJ h&d 102 spetiea (Greea 1.950).

The broader Qurt1s aat GreEn:t study ot 15 •Guntiel allld 65 lltandi
Jltlded 231 epecies.

The

Belu~diot

Prairie

~hetklilt

( Iltia 1962}

baa 115 aptJeiea, 94 at which are 1n eomu10Jt with the :ae11rb;r
Qb!waukee .fra1r1e alDng
kiewle~,

•

the Lake Michigan Beaeh area (Gas1cr-

4a:te).

Quadrat data represent a m1n.im'WI of species a1nee man1

rare or 1n.frequeat. apeo1ea arfl aissed in the sampling..

or

the

35
115 apeo1ea

Oll

the Iltia Benedict Prairie cheekl1at, oal.y

er a.beut 2/J; oc<Jurred 1n Whitterd 's three etand.fll 1». tb•
Hill at.~Rd J26 waa deduee4 aa h&ving 42

tetal of 60 quadrats..

sp•ciea, which 1• agreeable with my 46 apeeies in the aal'le
I!'U"'a&..

Diversity in aupling was n•t"-

ill

my t1el4 aetea a&

different, ap:eciea ~oou~red w!thbl tll&Oh hoep.

8 to

'fhe »t'mb•r o:r qW&drata

~u,.

1a expresuted as % f!~requenoy..

hoopa a

t~peoiea

eceurr•d i:a

Frequency values fer the dem1n•

ant lpeo1ea ia my atud;r •f pleta 1-6 llf the Bened1c1; Prairie

were Selid.aso ris1da

15~,

Frasar1a v1re.s1n1a~ 64~, Aster

eriooidea 63%, tA.t.hz:r-q' venosus 56:', &nd
Moderate

!!H. 35%,

value!~

J!!U

app .. 54%.

wtJre fQund f{)r .M.t!l" la.evis 39;'• R&tibida pin

and 91li!~il.tm terebi~tthina<unva 35~.

g.ra.aa wu Pea pra.tens1a
wl:ua.n burning eeai!Hl~l..

35~.

a

O(IUimo:n

The dom1~tant

invader and increaser

The 37;( frequency for the we.a. Da.ueus

oarota repreaents vegetative growth aa few could blo"m due
tG the ab.adin,s from overtopp1:ag prairie

species..

The lower

f.requeRcy valtHJI tor the rem.ainins spttc1es mJ.y repreaent rarer

apeoiea, accidental invaderl; or evea li:.able eluapa.
We could not fiad the original quadrat data necuea&!Utry to
eosapare with my data..

We did find a voucher list of apeoiel

returD:&d from the UVI-Madison Herbarium with a checklist fer

stand 26 and frequen11y valu•s far stands 41 aad 58.
we
and

f~und

ae.r~e

Ira adt.l1t1aa

a listing 3f prairie indicator species for thele.tanda
of their frequencies.

Three important species listed

there but not o» the checklist tor atand;!were .Ool!daao risida, ~~>f)

Rat ibid&

Rinl'.\a~~.

aad Silph1wa t.ereb1nth1nacetlll_, (lCl \QQG 1)..

3~
~6\_\91~~.

Oomparieuut et frequencies of major species :froa 1954 to 1973

3oeoi\lt .011 We!~ t
o1•

Anema:ne

emd.. south ·aide

-.

find"ri~--~~-~--~-~~-

· i ·F' ia .1954 ·

.A\J!Uier er1oe1des

85
25
70
25
15
5
25

Ooreopt:is paaata

Eupb:arbia. cortill&ta
il're.ge.ria v1rg1nana

Latrqrus venoaus
ti thQs permu.m oanea oena
fetal;ll)litemum. purpureum
ltat.1b1da pin:n.ata
Silph.ium terebint.hin~ceum
Solidago r1g1da.
..
5t1pa sparti!!Ul

The
a;H~to1~~.
•~ic

grtu~ttest.

4
3,5
54
87
22

'?

10
,

,

'""""~

2
2

50

..

'l

21
2
62

?
?

Tradeaoant.ia oh1en.a1a.
..

F in

79
60

80

Ast~n.. laevit~

fl-.o50..Sf·

i

--~-----··sJ~--~-----------~--""·--·4

2

, _,

,,

changes were Euphorbia oorollata,a. broad rang1llg

from 70 to

2~,

Stipa spartea, modal on high or dry ...

.a:>rairiEHJ• deor>eased from 50 t.Q 2;7&. and J.<ras;aria virg1n1ana,

m.ods.l on ">vel:•mea1o &:nd lGw pra.iriEiia, 1nereased from 25 t<J 62}t..
. Ih,orea.s ea and inortu.taea in frequ.ency h$r& prQ'bably repr~lhl ant

a response to oyolia cl1ma tic tluotua:tiona; Wi t.h wett-er grow1r.tg
t

season.'i in '72 and 73..

While moister year~: :f'a.vor some &pecies

and reduce t:i>thera, the revereul ia alt~o true and. dritu• fiuirl allGW

recovery and 1noreil\i.S$8

or

or

drought tolerant species while those

wet and W\'tt-mesic prairie• decline ..
Curtis and Green ( 194~) a~mmen:~ed that species reduced

tG

low levels or wiped

llHlt

eould not rEu~s t'.ablish aga-in in

favorable tiiUiS beoau.se their remruanu
seed iiHruroes,.

WliU'e

isolated :from othel:'

The floris:tie diversity o:f our remnant prairies

ia therefor• lests tman in their original condition.

Suoh

37
reduction in tlGra may provide n1ohea for aggressive weeds,
D&UOU~i

•• g.

Pea

oarot.a. Melilotua alba,

fU'ld

m

2rateD&i& ..

1a kaowa to out-compete prairie grasses

prate~!•

when Weill ea tabliah.ed tm.der graz 1ng

and mcwiag..

The inoreallUt

of this grass and the reduction •f prairie grasses is meat

likely due to the

Gntsll& ti:ea

of burning.

PG& 'a

growth eeours

in early apring and late fall whtUl prairie gra&Ulea are dor-

aant.

Early spring and late fall burl'l$ have beelll aost effec-

tive in reducing Poa yet benefiting the prairie grassea by
reducing litter and adding nutrient aah.
dool;.tmented by

IUltn.f

This hal bee».

wc.rrkers, i:a particular the University of

Wisoonain-Madison Arberetwn prairieB(Curtis amd .Partoh 1948 1
1950) (Cottom and Wilso:a 1966:)• ..
~

reduced.

Wea:ver (1954) eoruliders Poa pratenaia t.o be

normal compenent

or

prairieS~

&

nativ• prairie ..

The oompetitiom.
1ng

.

Poa persists evem. though

or

weeds is a aaJer problem in reetor-

as the weeds can reduce the denaity of the

prairie apeoies..

Fire ia now

1.uu~d

ln maintaining our native

prairies and art1f1oal and restored pra.iries..

The frequenoy

of fire appears to be an: 1raportant factor. "On plots burned
anD.ually
were

pr~Jduotioa

malatailu~d

and

dfUll1 ties

of nat1 ve prairie gra&Ui el

at levels whioh w•:re 1 in ll&<>me case• 100 %

greater than thoa•r control plots.

Om plots burJHtd Gnce 1n

five yea.ra. deterioration of grass grGwth and vigor waa ebaerved. similar to that for fire-tree pletstt (Kucera 1968) •

3Z

Kucera propoaed ao longer than a three year iRterval of burning to maintain grass dominance and retaia apeeies diversity.
· ~ative ·
· - ·"Atr· p-r~-gra.......-~·a·rtr not dominant at the Benedict
Prairie

aa&

'

Poa. is ali important grasa based on Frequenoy.

The last bubm occurred six years ago in 1968.
burn program is set up by the

uw~

Unless a regular

field statiom personnel

the eeoaaaiomal burRS by the CoD»ervatian Olub and Dr. Whitfor4s Eoology studeats will have little affect in maintains the
Benedict .Pra'D~ against new woody seedlings and Poa.

10

Aohillea millefolium
Alli'lll ean~denae
Anemone eyolindrioa
Anam::.>ne vir.rinia!l:lll.

-All bros ia arteu;misi:foJ.ia..
A~torpha Oi.l'l&HHH~ns
Asalepia~ ay~iaea

aste!' eriaoidea
Aster J.(vavis
Aster ncvae-angliae
Cirsiu;n disH~v ·t"
Convolvuloua aepi1xm
Com~Jandr•a riehardia~.:o.a

Oc.rreops is pal<na ta
e~.nadense
Dodee~theon me~dia

Deliunodium

arvense
Eri:.reron atri."'.os ~,:s
Euphorb14 ooro.ll&t:a.

lquis•t~m

Gali'..tm bore-ale

.\'Uioulat,m

Helenium aut1.Hnale
Heliantnu.s ;::rosserrs.tni

Re:ti.anth.,.;s laetitllor\~S
Helianthus
Heliopsis

atrt.tiROtH~s

h.elianthoid~s

~th.y.ru~ venoi!Lt~
Le:~ pechn;a o:a. pita t~.

Liatri~

as per'a

Lithosper-mum Q¢inesoan$
flstulosa
Paniou. l~ibergii
?etal•s t~mum candidt.u!l
Phlox 'pllo:ut
P·otentilla simpl~x.
aatibida. pinnata

~\lona1?da

~tO$& ~_p.

::J1lph1um

inta'!rifoli.Jm

3ilph1utn terebinthinaeeum

ca.mpestre
J•1laa1na atellata

31ss.r1nchiu~

Sol1d;;ago

4
2
2
4

2

mi~UJouJ:•ienais

0
0

14

0

2
2
2

0
0

63

17

39
0

39
6

0

4
0

0
4

0
0

10

0

6

0

4
4
0
2
'3

0
0

0
0
0
0
4

0
4
0
4
6
2

4

0

52

~

4~

6

0
0
4
4
0
0

4

0

2

0

4
4

2
2
10

0
J
0

0

. ~j;tJ~.
;:-"•.
~-·~~~:'"~

21
4
8

0
0
2
·J

14

0

10

0
0

3

0
2

4

0
0

0

35
54

35
54

0
0

35

16

10
4

J

0

52

2~

6
14

6

J:i.rad.Eit&CtU'lt.ia ohie.nsis

4

Zizia aurea

2

4

0
17

6
2
J
10

:f?¥'att>4e

·~

4

0

PrAirie

0

14

75
4

Solidago ri.gida
Stiva spar·tea

0
8

6
63

64

Frapri& Vir3iniana

Jeran1.~.1:2

und in olota l-6 .. :~n
Pra frie s lo;>ea ;,~Rabed
0
4
0

4
12
0
0
0
0
0

0
~F'~qt1et1cy ba>i&d on 43--sa~i)Iis in the nortfi-"artd s(iuth prairie
!0

stri
tile

, 41

along tbe two alopit!l• iand 24

11

:r"~ilro~d

bed$

s&.m:;>l~s

from

'-f/

·r~:;. ole

·z.

Adventive species in plots 1-6, Benedict Prairie
H.!tS ?rairie
Slopes
JB Bed
Oiii.rex molesta
0
0
12
Carex vulpinoid.e<l
0
0
4
DaLmus carota.
33
67
4
0
4
0
Dianthus armeria
0
0
4
~..:leochar1~ erythropoda
Juncus Dudleyi
0
0
50
Juncus rorreyi
0
0
50
Medicago lupulina
0
10
0
Melilot'-is alba
13
47
0

.i?oa pratens 1s

iimilax herbaceae
dcirpus •trov1reni?>
3cirpus line;ittus
Taxacarl.l;u o ic 1n&.lL3

35
4
0
0
0

56

17

0
0
0

0
4
4
0

8

Jl•requency based on 4,3 samples in the north ari'dSouth pr.::tir-ie
s tri~)S, 43 sa.mplns along tl1.e two slopes, and 24 samples f'rom.
the railroad bed.
Table S. ctailroad bed species in olots 1.::..§ and olota .. Z-21
_
1-6 7-21
l::r7-21
Ane;n:::me oylindrioa
-"' - ( . .;:1 2\.fedicago lupulina
,o · 42
.~ vir~ini&na.
0
20
£l[el1otus alba
0
34
Ambrosia artelU;tis ifolia 0
6
)ionti?U~"da f'is tulosa
0
3
Aster ericoidea
17
Oxalis striata
0
2
CareK. molest&
8
0
.?hleum pratense
0
6
Carex. vulpinoides
4
0
P1anta;::o maj~r
0
3
Commandra ricnardsiana
0
2
.Poa pratenais
17
70
Convolvulus aepiu:n
0
6
:3eirpua atrovirens
!.s.
2
Dauous earot111
4
13
S>oirpus lineatus
12
0
Euphobbia corollata
4
14
311phium laei.anata
0
4
F..;qd_isetum arvense
0
52
3il~::>hium tereb1nthinaci~um12 22
.£quiset!.l.Jl kansantl:n
0
4·J
.3olida;;o rtr:~ida
29
20
F'r~garia vir·giniana
42
24
Rosa
0
2
Helianthus groasaratus
4
0
Taxacarum offlcinalis
0
6
Heli:antl1us laetiflorus
0
4
Trifolium or.;,:.tensis
0
4
Heleniu:r. autu.;nale
4
0
T:r>adescantia ohienilis
0
2
Horde:..tm jubat:.1m
0
2
Vicia armaria
0
2
,Juncus .Dudleyi
50
0
Juncus Torreyi
~0
0
~--·-------~-

-

---

~ ----~,:O.B'r&quency in plots 1-6 based
on 2"+ i1LSL1l.l)les, ;Jlot.;; 7-21 based

o:n 50 samples.

'

-

L/v

Results aDd

D1s~uasion

of the Secondary Su*ceasion

The Benedict Prairie has three dir£tinct ar<Sas of
;uccession based on flora consiateney in each area.

The

first area iii the slopes 111 when eonaidered together, cut thru
the moraine in 1862 by the railroad pick and shovel crew.

The slopes height is greatest in plot one and tapers grad•
ually until level with the prairie in plot$ 7 and 8.

The

:u;cond area, the railroad bed within these cut slopes, has

a moisture gradient due ts gravel re11oval after the ties
were lifted in the 1940's.

Standing w.ater into July has

sup!:)!.3rted a sedge-rush eo.mmunity.

The last area, the rail

road bed in plots 7-21 is level with the prairie or elevated

above the

cn"~ek

~o,;r..1lU!1.:l,t:t

flourishes there.

A den.se rwrsetail dominant

and deprsssiona..

but the plots 7-21 is

mis~ing

The data for plots 1-6 is complete

fall

blooJ~:~.irlg

species ..

The cut sl@pes were totally eovered with vegetation as
compared to the railroa.d bed of' plots 1 ... 6 which e till has aome
exposed sand and

grav~l.

The prairie species on the sl0pes

have almost the same frequency as those on the prairie strips.
Its diversity of 36 prairie species is almost that of the
p:r•airie strips of 41 species.
t~.re

near recovery.

Thus, after 111 ye£rs, the slopes

The invaders f!!:. pra.tensis, Dauous ;.

~~.~ta

:Melilotus alba and others will probably decline in frequency

but will persist ia

~naall

:numbers as they do on the prairie.

If a r9gul;].r bu.r.ning program is

further

red~aed.

ado.~d

they may b9 even

'-/3

lo.-tc\e.. q.

Comparison of important a peeies in areas ft)f plots 1-6 in :foJP
Pr~,irie

Total area
120 ho0ps

species

Prairie 31Qp~s
RR bed
48 hoops 48 hoops 24 b.oGps

53

Aster ericoides
Aliter laevis
Fragaria virginiana

32
57

62

17

39

39

0
42

~-:;;:

0
0

52

64
54
35
35
75

48

Ro5a sp.

t):r-

28
Rat1b1da pinnata
Silphiuri terebinthinac!ilum 24
58
3Glidago rigida

./..J

35

16
52

12
30

67

4
4

56

17

AdvE?ntive weeds

38

42

Daueus CiiUtflta
Melilotus s.lba
.Poa pratensis

26
53

47

13

35

The railroad bed is in y0ullfS stage of sueces.sion compared
to the slopes.

Af'ter the ties

Wi~r·~

removed and gravel dug out

the railroad bed was used ali a traqtor road until the pr:a.irie

was purcb.ali;::d in 1963.

Ruts are mofit

end and have filled with :moss aud
mat.

The

wette~t

area in plot two

Gl.l~(

notic:t~ble

on the west

Eleocharia eryth.ropoda

beco~es

slightly higher

and drier eaatwaPd forming a .!ltoisture gr·adient vlith a vegeta-

tion response of sedges. mossea, lind .v:U,uhes in the wettest
area, intermingling wit:!:J.
rigida in the

~iddle

Fragari~

virginiana rand Solid.ago

area of plots 3-5.

Thii!t :Jedg&-rush-Iiloss

community grade out in plot f'i ve where .Silohiu..m terb1nthinaceum and l?oa .Pratensis increase.
slopes is

encr~oaching

The vegetation of the

onto the railroa.d bed eggea but does

not .af'fect the data based on S.iiri:tPlHS plact:.1d :nidwii!.y i:n the bed.

'it/
Th~

wettest area in this west end of

the railroad bed

supports a sedge-rush eommuntiy of speeies not found on eitar
the slopes or prairie.

These are Juneus

T~rreyi 50~,

Juneus

Dudleli 50;,, Garex ll01esta 12%, Seirpus lineatu.s 16%, Seirpua
atrovirens 4%, Carex vulplnoidea 4%, Eleocharis erythropoda 4%,
and .mosses 29% in plots 1-6 of the railroad bed..

These species

were difficult to key out and specimens were sent to the UWMadison Herbarium for correction or verification.
The prairie speaias in plots 1-i of the railroad bed
were smaller than the same species on the slopes and prairie.
Xeric conditions existed in the
iipeeies to bloom

s~mmer

of 1973 causing few

on the railroad bed and reducing fall bloom

of some species on the prairie and slopes.
in the railroad bed of plots

1-e

Prairies species

were F'rae;aria virginiana 42%,

Solidago rigida 30%, Afiter erieoidefi 17%, and Silphium
terebinthinaeeum 12%..

The last ri&pecies was l!lending up norma1&7'
' a}\.~

flowering a talka in July of 19T4f a year

of ample rainfall,

whereas the year before amly a few 3-4 foot a talks appeared
in the prairie •.
The dominant species in the railroad bed in plot's '7-21
were Poa prateuis 70%, Equisetum ar'iJense 52%, and E..
f. ram.oaua 40%.

ki.DIUi.llum.

Horsetails are common in wet and wet mesic

disturbed areas yet are :frequent in wet to m.esie prairie also.
.Prairie species in these plots were fragariavi~pj.niana
\2~ iSLtphiwn
terebinthinaceum 22;~, Solidago rigida 20%, Anemone cyclindrica
and A.. virginiana 20%..

-

Dauous oarota 18% and Melilotus alba

wer•e tne .11os t oornmon weeas.

---------

34:%

'-15

Seven major factors of early aucu~e,;aio:n suuar1zed by
Rarnal and Bazzaz {1973) can be ,applied to-the t.hrEl'e areas

of recovery in the Benedict Prairie.
Seed Source .. The nearest seed source is the prairie strips

-on both sides of the recovery araas although cropped :f1el\iS
and shruboy fen.celines ar• adjacent, to the prairies.

viability of burled seeds has been dem<:)JlS tra ted by

Th.e
ma.Dy

workers (Oosting 1940) and could be reaponaible for 3ome of

the initial aeedlinga,.
Di•oera-al Meehaniama..
dispersed

&!.iH#dB

weed se<:ids.,

A.irborne seeds and animal and bird

probably

~ontr1buted

the

gr-:~atest

amount of

Plants oontinuslly produce more seed than the

nea.rby area can aupport and most do not find illtJit&tble aitea
f~r

g@rminati0n.

Germination reg:.tirements..

i1i.ynal and Bazzaz~l973l tound

certain weed a peeies had grea'Cer germ ina ti;;::nl numbers O)l_ . ,
Th~y

forest soil ths.n prairie iioils.

v•riad. the

m.;,i~ture

1n both aoila and found various speelea showed definite
~~ekeK'I.c.9.. •
moisture requir~menta in a.ddi t1on to so1leau1re:;aent.
Thia preference for eerta.in soils may be related to the
text...<re of the i!Jurfa.ee soll..

Apparently the lnd1v1dua1

seed .ihape and sur'faee texture coll.lbined with the water-loss
prot~ct.ion

in soil ereva.oes dete.r•mine germ1na.tion auccEJss for

some species(Harper, W1lliama, Sagar 1965)..

This wot<.ld alee

11m1 t Jn&ny la:r"'ger aeeds especially in xeric open soils. 31nc9
lieeds are dispersed 111Diollly, only thoae aeada whose soil

aois ttlre require.:nenta were
explalnethe iied:?:e-ruan

~e't

would g$rm1nate and would

co~munit.y

•

:-:.,.1-o. "'-6-~~~ 'J)a_W.

response to I;Jml' rl®cab

Lj(p

.Em.ergence

~

establishm.a:nt 2f. seedlings.

Bright conditions

exist in early secondary succession limiting early invasion
to those light tolerant species.

Short eyele weeds probably

existed in the first few years after the ties were removed.
Survival :!&. maturity.

The early annuals are ilaually low to

:medium in size and set seed befire the dry summer.

The annuals

are replaced in a few years by perennials which need t·t<to or
three years root development

bef~re

seeting seed.

The decay-

ing roots of the an..nuals i:blow new roots t.o penetr·a.te easily.
The seedlirJ..g

perennials probably benefi ~s seedling;s ff>om

the annuals shade.
JJeproduative behavior..

The vegetative reproduction of

perennials by rhizomes and tillerss compete

l>Ti th

the annuals

for moisture and space, and eventually cause their demise
Sod~nial

and altar the germination habitat.

~dventive

eurasian weeds

are able to compete with the prairie species and are coru&idered naturalized: i.e. Achellea millefilium listed on the
UW-M4adison Plant Eaology Researea forms
~~~eraction

of !11 factors.

A

hor~etail

35 and 36 9 Prairie

species

checklist.
dominant community

would probably not be continuous over th€! entire railroad
bed even if the graavel had not been dug out from the west end.
Horsetails are common in the low wetter middle portions of
the prairie while on the West end only one occurred in a
sample on the slopes.

While horsetail spores probably were

responsible for some of the initial pl.smts, it is mere probable
the horsetails encroached onto the r:ailroa.d bed from rhizomes.
The railroa.d bed in plots l-6 would then have eo:ntained a flora

L/-7
si•ilar tG the early stages of the slopes recovery with

a mixed prairie .and weed species, although equisetum WGUld
probably oecur.

The ratli of succession in the west end of'

the railroad bed was slower than the middle and

ea.~t

end

beeause th.z seed source of the sedges an..-1. rushes oame from
a more distant aquatic-like habitat.

These species are also

eapa,&ble of vegetatiife reproduction and will eventually
eover all present exposed areas.

The moss is two inches

deep in the wettest parts and alters the loss of soil moisture during the EHlm.mer..

As

the ground habitat is altered by

plant eover more different species eal'l seed in aue<.HJHJfullyo
It is possible the sedges and rushes will be replaced by
prairie spc+oiea

~hat

tiona of prairies.

are xwrraally found in tl1.e wettest. parIt is :more likely that the Silpb.ium

t.erebinthinaoeum .lind .F'ragaria virginian;&
Aliter erieoides and Solidag€i ri:J:ida to

.~ ~ont;(=nue w1 th

inere~ae

and

oo~xiat

with the preaent sedges and rushes.
With the e:t<ception of willows in the wettest portions
of the railroli.d bed, no tree or shrubs OQcurred theri'.

The

slopes. however, have many woody slumps of 10 cherry, 12 hazelnut, 6 bur

oak~2

box elder in plots 1-7.

ao near to recovery

~.ny

Since the slopes are

malntence program should include this

area.

The Benedict .Prairie, then, had three distinct
succession:
but contain

the out moraine slopes w.nich are near
~ore

weedy

spe~ies

area~o

of

:r~eoovery

than the prairie, the sedge-

rush community on a moisture gradient in plots 1-6, and tne
longer railroad bed in plots 7-21 which is a horsets.il dominant
community mixed with pr.ii.ir iQ a peeies

~nd

so1:ne weeds.

'-!1
Concluliol'l
The Senedict .Prairie ia maintaining· i tael.f agl.itina t n0w
woody invasion even

thot~gh

the bala:ne() towar·l!

ti,i.::ped oy man • s dis tu:rbanc~s..
li~.l:J.;r~¢1.

aad

f~re~S t

has bee a

The fact remains that ·the es tab•

invasions aro arncroaching further into the pr<'iirie

+,)". ·r:~ ...

tdn to reduce the pr7drie vegetation..

~ pr&ti.H'lll~~

The bluegraas

also is wea:tening the prairle species and the

natjve c!'<i'!Hles

~.re

e;reatly reduced.

The slow suocessi<Hl t.o ...

ward shrub and oaJr. savanna will cont.inue

uale:~s

a well planned

and reg,.;l.ar p.r'OEram of maintenenoe is riet up unde:r• the directir:>n

the UW:4 fieldst;ltion ..

.Heoo:ll.nended are: {1 ) annual fall burns w1 th the Brie tol
' ire

~p&rtment

s t£:ading by in case of emi!H"f!ellcy, (2)

iniplClct.lo:n& wl th horbicld.e

~p:.·.ayints

ye~At.·ly

in s prln.;T •.Jn woody

.i t,umps

and rcy~;prout..s fr;;;,;u &i.not:i::~J~r extensive cn1tting, (J) reintro-

duction o:f species f!und in e>ther prairies (am possibly lost
froa1 this prairie) by ~H#d or' trans plants in teat plots in
tru~

prairie and. railroad bed., and {S) lifting t,he

>~et61.l

stakes

a-sed to :m~.rk the fenceline and position tham next to the V!itry
short plot llar.tters

<i!.& $I'l

aid to further studl~H~.

49
SOILS OF KENOSHA COUNTY, WISCONSIN
GENERALIZED

Beriedict
Prairie
LEGEND
I. Hilly, stony looms (Casco, Rodman)

2. Gray- brown silt looms (Miami)
3. Pink cloy looms (Morley, Blount, Miami)
4. Black cloy looms (Elliot, Ashkum)
5. Wet sands (Granby, Kibbie)

/

//
/

...,.....,...

..... --.

,_-"" E)d .

~//

,/.,~----

,..,
//
tbl_............

/

,"'

_Ji',.. ff_,/"/

'

,

.... ~

/

,.

0

SCALE OF MILES
10
'20

30

TERMINAL MORAINEY SOUTHEASTERN WISCONSIN
From Wisconsin Geological and Natural Histt>»y Su.-vey Bulletla XXXVI

j()~

Soils Mrop

Soils of Section 11 of Bristol Township, Kenosha County
Mi911..-.r so

Cs ·

Ms

Heavy Soils Cc F Ms Mo
cc carrington*clay loam, prairie soils
F
Fox silt loam, woods
Ms Miami clay loam, woods
Mo Miami silt loam, woods
Loams and fine sandy soils Fm Wl Wf
Fm Fox loam, woods
Wl Waukesha loam, prairie soils
Wf Waukesha fine sandy loam, prairie soils
Poorly drained soils Cs Cf
Cs Clyde*clay loam, wet prairie soils
Cf Clyde fine sandy loam, wet prairie soils

*Carrington now renamed in Waupun, Elliot, and Parr soil
series by Hole and Lee (1955)
*Clyde now renamed Kokomo by Hole and Lee (1955)

c'O~