Agencies
Services
Nature Preserve Area
9
County
Union
Location And Access
From Jonesboro, take Highway 127 north 3 miles to a county road. Turn west on this road and go 0.5 mile to the entrance to Trail of Tears State Forest. Stay on the road for 1 mile. The preserve is on the south side of the road.
Description
This preserve is located in the Southern Section of the Ozark Division, that part of Illinois that is geologically similar to the Ozark Region of Missouri. The site is mature second growth forest. It contains several unusual plant species such as red buckeye, azalea and cucumber magnolia. These plants have a very limited distribution in Illinois. The community that these plants occur in is dry-mesic and mesic upland forest. The dry-mesic forest contains white oak, black oak and hickories while American beech, tulip tree, sugar maple and sweet gum comprise the mesic upland forest. In the spring the forest floor is blanketed by colorful wildflowers including phlox, Dutchman's breeches, spring beauty, bellflower, celandine poppy and squirrel corn. This preserve provides habitat for scarlet tanager, summer tanager, hooded warbler, worm-eating warbler and Kentucky warbler.
Ownership
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Dedicated
December 1974
Size
222 acres
Topographic Quad
Jonesboro
Topo Map
For Further Information
Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Biologist, Ferne Clyffe State Park, P.O. Box 67, Goreville, IL 62939 (618/995-2568) or Site Superintendent, Trail of Tears State Forest, R.R. #1, Box 1331 Jonesboro, IL 62952