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Winter
2006
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"All ethics so far evolved rest upon
a single premise: that the individual is a member of a community of
interdependent parts. The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the
community to include soils, waters, plants and animals, or collectively, the
land ... a land ethic changes the role of Homo Sapiens from conqueror of the
land – community to plain member and citizen of it ... it implies respect
for his fellow members, and so also respect for the community as such."
--- Aldo Leopold, "Sand
County Almanac"
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Butterfly Habitat
With winter on its way, it may seem odd to be thinking about butterflies.
Perhaps for some, thinking nostalgically about beautiful Lepidoptera flying
gracefully among the wildflowers in green meadows under blue summer skies is
enough. But there are other souls who cannot help but think ahead to next
spring, and what they might put in their garden to attract butterflies to visit.
The following article from the United States Geographical Survey gives some
valuable hints to what strategies might be most successful.
Dr. Ron Royer of Minot is a butterfly expert. His telephone number at Minot
State University is 701-858-3209. His e-mail address is royer@misu.nodak.edu.
He has developed an internet site entitled, Atlas of North Dakota
Butterflies. This site includes pictures and can be found at:
www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/dist/lepid/bflynd/bflynd.htm . Ron also has
published Butterflies of North Dakota which
includes colored plates, range maps and general biological information.
The following is a very brief overview of butterflies taken from a
conversation with Dr. Royer:
As a general rule, most environmentally sensitive and conservation-important
butterflies prefer white and pink/purple/red blooms to yellow ones (e.g.,
Cirsium, Monarda, and Echinacea are much better than Ratibida
and Rudbeckia). My usual advice to butterfly gardening aspirants is to
prefer native to exotic or highly bred garden ornamentals (despite the most
prolific and more showy nature of the latter), because the adult appearance of
many native butterfly species is phenologically coordinated with the rather
specific nectar (i.e., "fuel") sources. A good example is the June emergence of
the conservation-sensitive grass skippers (Hesperia dacotae and ottoe,
Polites origenes, and Atrytone arogos) in time with the seasonal
bloom of such species as Echinaces, Lilium, and Zygadenus.
Among traditional garden ornamentals, composites (e.g., marigolds and
zinnias) are by far the most productive butterfly attractors in terms of overall
species richness of butterfly visitations.
Then there is the issue of larval food plants (actually far more important to
the conservation of native butterfly species). Unfortunately, most everything
butterflies prefer, gardeners do not (e.g., nettles, thistles, etc.).
 | Skippers - unmowed native prairie grasses and native legumes
(Locoweed, etc.). |
| Swallowtails - umbellifers (carrots, dill, parsley)
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| Whites and sulphurs - crucifers and legumes (i.e., food
crops) |
| Lycaenids - docks, pinkweed, wild buckwheats, native legumes
(e.g., Thermopsis, Oxytropis, Lupinus, etc.) |
| Brushfoots - "weeds" generally, including representatives of
just about every plant family, including nettles, various wild asters,
and so forth |
| Satyrs and Nymphs - native grasses and sedges
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Unless one is willing to sustain a one-acre native prairie or native woodlot
in the yard (including most of the plant species that the usual lawn-grower
2-4-Ds to death), flowers are likely to attract mostly garden pests (cabbage
butterflies, alfalfa butterflies, and so forth). The same unfortunately, is true
to CRP land. This, of course, is why butterflies are such good indicators of
undisturbed native habitats - they can tell far better than we when a place has
been "disturbed". Typically they do so by being absent.
The best butterfly habitat in cities is found in long-vacant lots that most
citizens describe as "eyesores". Why? Precisely because they are not "managed,"
but rather "neglected" for long enough that "weeds" get firmly established.
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Notes from the Urban Forest
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This past growing season has been stressful for trees. We’ve just
had one of the worst droughts in the history of the region. When
the soil is dry
and there is no snow cover for insulation, winter
deep freezes go to the roots
of trees, freeze-drying the vital
absorbing roots. As of this writing, it looks
like we’re having
another dry fall. So water your trees, even after leaf fall,
to
prevent winter root damage.
During the later part of the summer many trees of various species were
showing
signs of scorch. This is a non-infectious disease caused by heat and
humidity.
What can we do for our trees? Basic hygiene comes first. The pruning of dead,
diseased and storm-damaged limbs improves both the appearance and longevity
of
trees. To not prune these provides inroads for rotting fungi and wood boring
insects. Remember: correct pruning improves tree health; incorrect pruning
hastens
tree decline. A Certified Arborist is the best person to determine
appropriate pruning.
Speaking of pruning, late fall and winter are excellent times to prune. This
is
especially true of oak trees. Perhaps you have seen articles in the media
about
a disease called oak wilt. This is becoming more and more of a problem in
the
Kankakee River Valley. Previously this disease had been confined to the
south
side of the river, but this year I have seen it in and around Kankakee
River
State Park on the north side. I have even seen it in Bourbonnais
subdivisions.
symptoms of wilt disease
If you’ve got oak trees you should be concerned about this disease. In red
oaks
and pin oaks it is usually fatal, often killing the tree within weeks. It
is also
a problem with white oaks and burr oaks, but usually takes longer to
kill the
tree. There is a preventative treatment that can be used before signs
are showing
on red oak but it is not effective once symptoms are present. In
white oak or
burr oak, however, the same treatment can be effective even after
symptoms are
showing. The symptoms of oak wilt include browning along leaf margins, then
working
inward toward a green center. Also the outer sapwood shows brown
streaking when
the outer bark is stripped back. The diagnosis should be made
by a certified
arborist because there are several less serious diseases that may look
similar.
Or, you may send samples to the plant clinic at the University of Illinois.
Your
Kankakee county Extension Agent may be able to help determine the best tactic.
Another tree disease on the increase this past season was verticillium wilt.
This soil-
bourn fungus enters through the roots and clogs the vascular system,
reducing the
ability of the tree to pull moisture from the roots. This does not
usually cause the
sudden death of the tree, but usually causes scattered limbs
to wilt and die, as well
as major sections of the crown. Verticillium wilt is a
problem primarily in maples
and ash in our area, but dozens of other species of
trees and shrubs are also
susceptible. There is a treatment for this disease, but it is only effective if caught
early. So check your maples, especially Norway and sugar maples, for wilting in
late May/early June of next year.
There is much more that can be said of the plethora of tree diseases, and
even more
about tree-attacking insects. But I only have time right now to
mention one more
pest – the Japanese beetle.
Every year they seem to gain in population and this last season was no
exception.
The one consolation, however, is that the damage these insects do by skeletonizing
the leaves is not nearly as serious to the health of the tree as
it may appear.
Currently the best control of Japanese beetles is either to pick
them off or spray
every ten days while they are present (several weeks). A new
treatment is being
researched that may allow one treatment for season long
control.
Well, that’s all for now. I haven’t meant to accentuate the negative with
this
article, but I felt it important to get the word out. All too often I get
calls to
look at trees that could have been saved, but by the time I see them
the
problem is too far progressed.
Rob Frothingham Certified Arborist & Landscape
Architect
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A closer look shows state's diversity of ecosystems |
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September 11, 2005
BY DALE BOWMAN STAFF REPORTER
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
HOPKINS PARK, Ill. -- Fran Harty spread his arms as if embracing the savanna.
"When we flew over this place, we wanted to jump out,'' said Harty, one of the
naturalists who catalogued the Illinois Natural Areas Survey in 1978."It's a
true savanna here.''
That's one of the oddest things anybody has said about Pembroke Township, a
godforsaken, poverty-stricken area in eastern Kankakee County. That may be the
reason that Illinois' best savannas are in Pembroke.
Fire is essential to preserving savannas. In the poor, law-unto-itself world
of Pembroke, burning trash is how garbage is collected. Unintentionally, small
fires regularly break free to maintain savannas.
Last month, I took a tour with Harty, a 55-year-old director of land
conservation for The Nature Conservancy. We began in neighboring St. Anne
Township at the 640-acre Mskoda Sands Preserve, part of the Kankakee Sands
project on both sides of the Illinois/Indiana line.
TNC has been actively building and buying thousands of acres for the Kankakee
Sands project, which is named for the "sandy soils, which support globally
significant oak barrens, prairies and sedge meadows.''
Mskoda Sands is a recent purchase, very much in the process of being restored
as black oak barrens. As we walked around, Harty bent and showed me the one
Illinois true cactus, common prickly pear cactus.
For much of my life, staring at black oak barrens, savannas or prairies did
nothing for me. But I'm learning the richness, the diversity of these places.
Traipsing around with somebody like Harty only enriches that.
Our next stop was a small patch of true savanna to the east in Pembroke. "If
we were Potawatomi, we would feel right at home,'' Harty said.
Illinois' highest call counts for bobwhite quail regularly come from the
Pembroke savannas. "This is perfect habitat for quail,'' he said."They love
legumes.'' With that he bent and pointed out three ideal native legumes:
round-headed bush clover, goat's rue and partridge pea.
He showed the mounds of dirt thrown around by plains pocket gophers -- "We
consider them an ecosystem engineer.''
Harty launched into a description of Illinois savannas as a kaleidoscope:
blue in spring with birdfoot violets, white with flowering spurge, blue with
blazing star and yellow in the fall with sunflowers and goldenrod.
"It's no secret why we make our parks look like savannas: we feel safe,''
Harty said.
He's right. But where our parks are far too often simply grass and shade
trees, savannas are much more complex, richer and healthier.
Our next stop wasn't a TNC project, but Iroquois County State Wildlife Area,
one of my favorite hiking and hunting places. For Harty, it is much more.
"The biodiversity here is unusual,'' he said. There's sedge meadow, wet
prairie, savanna and woods. "This is the whole gradient.''
On a mission, he marched us off to a back piece. He wanted to show me a
sundew, a rare carnivorous plant tinier than a fingernail. After crawling around
on his knees for a while, he found it.
Then we crossed into the Indiana portion of Kankakee Sands, where restoration
is much farther along, to the point where some areas are open for hunting.
(Hunting is managed by Willow Slough Fish & Wildlife Area.) About 3,700 of the
7,000 acres along Route 41 in Indiana have been retired or restored so far.
TNC Kankakee Sands offices sit on remnants of Bogus Island, once the great
hideout for horse thieves and counterfeiters in the 1800s. There's something I
enjoy in that connection to the past.
For information on TNC's Illinois projects, go online to www.nature.org/illinois
. Bowman may be reached at dbowman@suntimes.com. "Bowman's Outdoor Line'' is
heard on "Outdoors with Mike Norris'' (3-4 p.m. Thursdays, 1280-AM).
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Classification of Wetlands and
Deepwater Habitats of the United States
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Thanks again to the United States Geological Survey for the description that
follows, detailing the characteristics of typical North American wetland
habitats. Water is one of the most precious of the natural resources, and fresh
water is not in unlimited supply. The name for our planet might very well be
called Ocean, because 97.2 % of Earth’s water is saltwater oceans and seas. Only
2.8 % is freshwater, of which 2.15 % is bound up in polar ice caps and glaciers.
Freshwater lakes hold 0.009% of Earth’s freshwater, saline lakes and inland seas
hold 0.0008 %, soil moisture is 0.0005 %, stream channels hold 0.00001% and the
atmosphere holds 0.001 %. Groundwater holds 0.62 % of all available fresh water.
Until recently, wetlands have been the orphan of our ecosystems, little
understood and generally considered to be wasteland. Little was understood about
the role of wetland in maintaining water reserves, recharging groundwater
levels, providing flood management, and purifying fresh water resources. Today,
many scientists and engineers advocate a nonstructural approach to protecting
groundwater resources and providing flood control. They suggest that an
alternative to artificial levees, dams, and channelization is sound floodplain
management. By identifying high risk areas, appropriate zoning regulations can
be implemented to minimize development and promote more appropriate land use.
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Moss - Lichen Wetland
Definition. The Moss-Lichen Wetland Class includes areas where mosses or
lichens cover substrates other than rock and where emergents, shrubs, or trees
make up less than 30% of the areal cover. The only water regime is saturated.
Description. Mosses and lichens are important components of the flora in
many wetlands, especially in the north, but these plants usually form a ground
cover under a dominant layer of trees, shrubs, or emergents. In some instances
higher plants are uncommon and mosses or lichens dominate the flora. Such
Moss-Lichen Wetlands are not common, even in the northern United States where
they occur most frequently.
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Subclasses and Dominance Types.
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| Moss. -- Moss Wetlands are most abundant in the
far north. Areas covered with peat mosses (Sphagnum spp.) are usually
called bogs (Golet and Larson 1974; Jeglum et al. 1974; Zoltai et al. 1975),
whether Sphagnum or higher plants are dominant. In Alaska,
Drepanocladus and the liverwort Chiloscyphus fragilis may
dominate shallow pools with impermanent water; peat moss and other mosses (Campylium
stellatum, Aulacomnium palustre, and Oncophorus wahlenbergii)
are typical of wet soil in this region (Britton 1957; Drury 1962). · Lichen. -- Lichen Wetlands are also a northern
Subclass. Reindeer moss (Cladina rangiferina) forms the most
important Dominance Type. Pollett and Bridgewater (1973) described areas
with mosses and lichens as bogs or fens, the distinction being based on the
availability of nutrients and the particular plant species present. The
presence of Lichen Wetlands has been noted in the Hudson Bay Lowlands (Sjörs
1959) and in Ontario (Jeglum et al. 1974).
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Colors
Borders of flowers define the street.
By the blue chicory we will meet.
By the burning bush we’ll know it is fall.
And by the ponds Canada geese will call.
White Queen Anne’s lace will spoil the corn
But brown whippoorwills underneath are born.
The cardinals hide in evergreen trees.
Gophers dig holes to escape the freeze.
Goldenrod paints ditches yellow not blue.
Little purple asters much bigger grew.
All the lawns are no longer green.
Lightening sparks so new details are seen.
Thunder follows God’s bursts of light.
Hearing and seeing prove His might.
He came to show us His infinite power.
And gives us fresh talents every hour.
---- Betty Buck Reynolds
Kankakee, Illinois
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Emergent Wetland |
| The Emergent Wetland Class is characterized by erect, rooted,
herbaceous hydrophytes, excluding mosses and lichens. This vegetation is present
for most of the growing season in most years. These wetlands are usually
dominated by perennial plants. All water regimes are included except subtidal
and irregularly exposed.
Description. In areas with relatively stable climatic conditions,
Emergent Wetlands maintain the same appearance year after year. In other areas,
such as the prairies of the central United States, violent climatic fluctuations
cause them to revert to an open water phase in some years (Stewart and Kantrud
1972). Emergent Wetlands are found throughout the United States and occur in all
Systems except the Marine. Emergent Wetlands are known by many names, including
marsh, meadow, fen, prairie pothole, and slough. Areas that are dominated by
pioneer plants which become established during periods of low water are not
Emergent Wetlands and should be classified as Vegetated Unconsolidated Shores or
Vegetated Streambeds.
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Subclasses and Dominance Types.
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Persistent |
Persistent Emergent Wetlands are
dominated by species that normally remain standing at least until the
beginning of the next growing season. This Subclass is found only in the
Estuarine and Palustrine Systems.
Persistent Emergent Wetlands dominated by saltmarsh cordgrass (Spartina
alterniflora), saltmeadow cordgrass (S. patens), big cordgrass (S.
cynosuroides), needlerush (Juncus roemerianus), narrow-leaved
cattail (Typha angustifolia), and southern wild rice (Zizaniopsis
miliacea) are major components of the Estuarine systems of the Atlantic
and Gulf Coasts of the United States. On the Pacific Coast, common
pickleweed (Salicornica Virginica), sea blite (Suaeda californica),
arrow grass (Triglochin maritimum), and California cordgrass (Spartina
foliosa) are common dominants.
Palustrine Persistent Emergent Wetlands contain a vast array of grasslike
plants such as cattails (Typha spp.), bulrushes (Scirpus spp.),
saw grass (Cladium jamaicense), sedges (Carex spp.); and true
grasses such as reed (Phragmites australis), manna grasses (Glyceria
spp.), slough grass (Beckmannia syzigachne), and whitetop (Scolochloa
festucacea). There is also a variety of broad-leaved persistent
emergents such as purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), dock (Rumex
mexicanus), waterwillow (Decodon verticillatus), and many species
of smartweeds (Polygonum).
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Nonpersistent
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Wetlands in this Subclass are
dominated by plants which fall to the surface of the substrate or below the
surface of the water at the end of the growing season so that, at certain
seasons of the year, there is no obvious sign of emergent vegetation. For
example, wild rice (Zizania aquatica) does not become apparent in the
North Central States until midsummer and fall, when it may form dense
emergent stands. Nonpersistant emergents also include species such as arrow
arum (Peltandra virginica), pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata),
and arrowheads (Sagittaria spp.). Movement of ice in Estuarine,
Riverine, or Lacustrine Systems often removes all traces of emergent
vegetation during the winter. Where this occurs the area should be
classified as Nonpersistant Emergent Wetland.
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Scrub-Shrub Wetland
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Definition. The Class Scrub-Shrub Wetland includes areas dominated by
woody vegetation less than 6 m (20 feet) tall. The species include true shrubs,
young trees, and trees or shrubs that are small or stunted because of
environmental conditions. All water regimes except subtidal are included.
Description. Scrub-Shrub Wetlands may represent a successional stage
leading to Forested Wetland, or they may be relatively stable communities. They
occur only in the Estuarine and Palustrine Systems, but are one of the most
widespread classes in the United States (Shaw and Fredine 1956). Scrub-Shrub
Wetlands are known by many names, such as shrub swamp (Shaw and Fredine 1956),
shrub carr (Curtis 1959), bog (Heinselman 1970), and pocosin (Kologiski 1977).
For practical reasons we have also included forests composed of young trees less
than 6 m tall.
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Subclasses and Dominance Types.
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| · Broad-leaved
Deciduous. -- In Estuarine System Wetlands the predominant deciduous
and broad-leaved trees or shrubs are plants such as sea-myrtle (Baccharis
halimifolia) and marsh elder (Iva frutescens). In the Palustrine
System typical Dominance Types are alders (Alnus spp.), willows (Salix
spp.), buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), red osier dogwood (Cornus
stolonifera), honeycup (Zenobia pulverulenta), spirea (Spiraea
douglasii), bog birch (Betula pumila), and young trees of species
such as red maple (Acer rubrum) or black spruce (Picea mariana). |
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Needle-leaved Deciduous. -- This Subclass, consisting of wetlands
where trees or shrubs are predominantly deciduous and needleleaved, is
represented by young or stunted trees such as tamarack or bald cypress (Taxodium
distichum). |
| · Broad-leaved
Evergreen. -- In the Estuarine System, vast wetland acreages are
dominated by mangroves (Rhizophora mangle, Languncularia racemosa,
Conocarpus erectus, and
Avicennia germinans) that are less than 6 m tall. In the Palustrine
System, the broad-leaved evergreen species are typically found on organic
soils. Northern representatives are labrador tea (Ledum groenlandicum),
bog rosemary (Andromeda glaucophylla), bog laurel (Kalmia
polifolia), and the semi-evergreen leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne
calyculata). In the south, fetterbush (Lyonia lucida), coastal
sweetbells (Leucothoe axillaris), inkberry (Ilex glabra), and
the semi-evergreen black ti-ti (Cyrilla racemiflora) are
characteristic broad-leaved evergreen species. |
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Needle-leaved Evergreen. -- The dominant species in Needle-leaved
Evergreen Wetlands are young or stunted trees such as black spruce or pond
pine (Pinus serotina). |
| · Dead.
-- Dead woody plants less than 6 m tall dominate Dead Scrub-Shrub Wetlands.
These wetlands are usually produced by a prolonged rise in the water table
resulting from impoundment of water by landslides, man, or beavers. Such
wetlands may also result from various other factors such as fire, salt
spray, insect infestation, air pollution, and herbicides. |
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Forested Wetland
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Definition. The Class Forested Wetland is characterized by woody
vegetation that is 6 m tall or taller. All water regimes are included except
subtidal.
Description. Forested Wetlands are most common in the eastern United
States and in those sections of the West where moisture is relatively abundant,
particularly along rivers and in the mountains. They occur only in the
Palustrine and Estuarine Systems and normally possess an overstory of trees, an
understory of young trees or shrubs, and a herbaceous layer. Forested Wetlands
in the Estuarine System, which include the mangrove forests of Florida, Puerto
Rico, and the Virgin Islands, are known by such names as swamps, hammocks,
heads, and bottoms. These names often occur in combination with species names or
plant associations such as cedar swamp or bottomland hardwoods.
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Subclasses and Dominance Types.
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| · Broad-leaved Deciduous. -- Dominant trees typical
of Broadleaved Deciduous Wetlands, which are represented throughout the
United States, are most common in the South and East. Common dominants are
species such as red maple, American elm (Ulmus americana), ashes (Fraxinus
pennsylvanica and F. nigra), black gum (Nyssa sylvatica),
tupelo gum (N. aquatica), swamp white oak (Quercus bicolor),
overcup oak (Q. lyrata), and basket oak (Q. michauxii).
Wetlands in this subclass generally occur on mineral soils or highly
decomposed organic soils. |
| · Needle-leaved Deciduous. -- The southern
representative of the Needle-leaved Deciduous Subclass is bald cypress (Taxodium
distichum), which is noted for its ability to tolerate long periods of
surface inundation. Tamarack is characteristic of the Boreal Forest Region,
where it occurs as a dominant on organic soils. Relatively few other species
are included in this Subclass. |
| · Broad-Leaved Evergreen. -- In the Southeast,
Broadleaved Evergreen Wetlands reach their greatest development. Red bay (Persea
borbonia), loblolly bay (Gordonia lasianthus), and sweet bay (Magnolia
virginiana) are prevalent, especially on organic soils. This Subclass
also includes red mangrove, black mangrove (Avicennia germinans), and
white mangrove (Languncularia racemosa), which are adapted to varying
levels of salinity. |
| · Needle-leaved Evergreen. -- Black spruce, growing
on organic soils, represents a major dominant of the Needle-leaved Evergreen
Subclass in the North. Though black spruce is common on nutrient-poor soils,
Northern white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) dominates northern wetlands
on more nutrient-rich sites. Along the Atlantic Coast, Atlantic white cedar
(Chamaecyparis thyoides) is one of the most common dominants on
organic soils. Pond pine is a common needle-leaved evergreen found in the
Southeast in association with dense stands of broad-leaved evergreen and
deciduous shrubs. |
| · Dead. -- Dead Forested Wetlands are dominated by
dead woody vegetation taller than 6 m (20 feet). Like Dead Scrub-Shrub
Wetlands, they are most common in, or around the edges of, man-made
impoundments and beaver ponds. The same factors that produce Dead
Scrub-Shrub Wetlands produce Dead Forested Wetlands. |
All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full;
unto the place
from whence the rivers come, thither they return again. (Ecclesiastes 1:7)
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