Botanical inventory of Prairie Ridge State Natural Area, Jasper County, Illinois

Gordon C. Tucker, Bob Edgin, Sean C. Jones, John E. Ebinger

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

At the time of European settlement, prairie vegetation covered about 60% of Illinois (Iverson et al. 1991). Most was "black soil" tall-grass prairie of the prairie peninsula that once stretched throughout much of the central United States The Central United States is sometimes conceived as between the Eastern United States and Western United States as part of a three-region model, roughly coincident with the Midwestern United States plus the western and central portions of the Southern United States; the term is and adjacent Canada (Transeau 1935). Nearly all disappeared after the arrival of European settlers. Small remnants remain in pioneer cemeteries, along a few railroad tracks, and in places of rocky or thin soil where it was not profitable to plow. In recent times, mostly within the last 40 years, numerous attempts have been made to recreate and restore prairie communities in Illinois (McClain 1986, 1997; Packard & Mutel 1997). Rarely, natural succession processes also created prairie communities.
Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)120--133
JournalProceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science
Volume118
Issue numberDec 29, 2009
StatePublished - 2009

Keywords

  • INHS

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