|
found in groves with hazelnut or oak brush common in areas that do not burn frequently. Natural
<br />disturbances like gopher mouncfs and badger excavations are common.
<br />Common plant species inciude bur oak and pin oak, prairie rose, leadplant, heart-leaved
<br />alexanders, butterfly milkweed, purple prairie clover, bird-foot vioiet, prairie sage, and several
<br />species of asters and goldenrods. Common grasses include indian grass, little and big bluestcm,
<br />prairie dropseed, and sideoats grama.
<br />Common animal species include mourning dove, indigo bunting, spazrows, squitrels, pocket
<br />gophers, and white-tail deer. T�ese areas have often been degraded by grazing or farming
<br />activities. The impact of overgrazing is a reduction in grass and forb diversity, and forage
<br />quality and quantity, as wetl as invasion by exotics such as leafy spurge, knapweed, and sweet
<br />clover.
<br />Prior to Euroamerican settIement, regular fires maintained these communities. Without fires, the
<br />spread of woody shrubs such as sumac, prickly ash and red cedar is increased. Many areas of
<br />Roseville that historically contained oak savanna have slowly converted to oak woodland or
<br />forest. This succession has largely bcen brouaht about by the absence of fires and the use of
<br />appropriate levels of grazing izt the past.
<br />Mesic Prairie — is a fire-dependent, dry-mesic to wet-mesic grassland that has a continuous cover
<br />of tal( grasses and forbs. The forb cfiversity of inesic prairics is typically high. Trees and shrubs
<br />are absent in better quality remnants, but may occur in localized patches in moist, protected areas
<br />such as ravines and in areas that have not been periodically grazed, hayed, mowed, or burned.
<br />Common native grasses af inesic prairie include big and �ittle bluestem, indian grass, porcupine
<br />grass, prairie dropseed, and Kalm's brorne. Sorr�e of the most coznmon forbs found here include
<br />leadplant, sky blue aster, rough blazingstar, purple and white prairie clover, praizie phlox, stiff
<br />goldenrod, prairie coreopsis, betony, ;oZden alexanders, and bird-foot violet.
<br />Common bird species seen on mesic prairies include meadowlark, goldfinch, fteid sparrow, and
<br />eastern kin�bird. Some common mammals include the meadow jumping mouse, meadow vole,
<br />thirteen-lined ground squirrel, as we[1 as a number af frog, salamander, and toad species.
<br />Although it once covered an area from Texas to Canada, and Kansas to Ohia, today mesic prairie
<br />is among the rarest natural cominunity types in North America. Because the soils formed by
<br />Ciry of Rnseville 1 Z
<br />Parks Nati�r�rl Resotrrce Managerrte�at
<br />
|