Sand Prairie-Scrub Oak

Description

This preserve is a mixture of dry sand prairie, dry sand savanna and dry sand forest. Little bluestem, goats rue, eastern prickly pear cactus, sand love grass and porcupine grass characterize the sand prairie. Blowouts, areas of actively moving sand, are sites where beach grass, three-awn grass and Mohlenbrock's sedge may be found. Blackjack and black oaks plus mockernut and black hickories are present in the forest. Due to the arid nature of the soils, these trees remain small and "scrubby". Prairie plants are often present in the herbaceous understory of the forested land. Lark sparrows nest in the sand prairies which also provide homes for badgers, pocket gophers, western hognose snakes and many insects that are more typical of western states.