146 MICHIGAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



lighter and even sandy soil, though the land is seldom pronouncedly barren. The 

 flora of the oak openings is gradually becoming general to the whole upland 

 region. Groves have been planted or encouraged to grow even in the prairie dis- 

 trict, and the hardy autumn vegetation springs up in fence corners, and survives 

 in some fashion the frequent pasturings In fact these little woodlots have de- 

 veloped a flora of their own. It is bur oak overhead and burs all around. The 

 following is a list of species, the seeds of which clung to my clothing after a ven- 

 ture in one of the groves: 



Desmodium nudiflorum, DC. 



D. acuminatum, DC. 



D. pauciflorum, DC. 



D. rotundifolium, DC. 



D. Dillenii, Darl. 



D. paniculatum, DC. 



Agrimonia Eupatoria, L. 



Galium aparine, L. 



Bidens frondosa, L. 



Arctium Lappa, L. 



Cynoglossum officinale, 1^. 



Echinospermum Virginicum, Lehm. (The worst of the lot.) Nor was there much 

 else, barring scoke and pennyroyal. Evidently animals had been carrying seed 

 around for generations, till the whole lot was filled with ticks and burs. A few 

 forests, however, are more nearly in a primitive condition. Tyler's woods, a few 

 miles to the southwest, is an example. This forest, bordered by bogs, and alluvial 

 bottoms, if bottoms there can be where there is no river, has a rich and interesting 

 flora, several species occurring nowhere else in the vicinity of Sturgis. 



The alluvial region referred to above is but a few acres in extent. The flora 

 of our bottom lands is closely allied to that of the beech and maple timberlands, 

 but it has more of a hydrophytic tinge and the ash and the elm take the place of 

 the maple and beech. This little portion of Tyler's woods and adjoining forests 

 is all the region to which this flora can be ascribed, though on the margins of 

 wooded swamps a thin stratum of it is to be discerned. As said before, there are 

 no beech and maple timberlands. In fact I saw only one beech in the whole region. 

 Species, however, of that flora now and then occur, the spring vegetation espe- 

 cially in the alluvial woods referred to above. 



The paludose, limose and aquatic flora is very well preserved. Setting aside the 

 prairie bogs, this flora may be divided into swamps bordered with timber and 

 swales in woods; Cassandra and tamarack bogs; open bogs and marsh meadows 

 coalescing with the prairie bogs and better referred thither; the wet and limose 

 margins of streams, ditches and lakes; the sandy margins of lakes; and, finally, 

 the aquatics in the ponds, lakes and streams. The flora of swamps and swales is 

 that usual to such places in oak openings. The swamp oak is frequent, as are 

 poplars and elm. There are a few Cassandra and tamarack bogs with a small 

 flora very distinct. The Cassandra is a sure evidence that valuable cement beds 

 lie underneath its brown growth. There are few sti-eams near Sturgis. but a creek 

 bordered with Zizania lies south close to the Indiana line. The ditches are full 

 of aquatics, and are lined with limose plants. A peculiar feature of the open bogs 

 and lowlands is their minty character. The air is fragrant with peppermint, spear- 

 mint, and our Canadian wild mint. The following list of labiate plants was taken 

 from a low meadow a few rods in extent: 



Mentha viridis. L. 



M. piperita, L. 



M. sativa. L. 



M. Canadensis. L. 



Lycopus Virginicus, L. 



L. sinuatus. Ell. 



Pycnanthemum lanceolatuni. Pursh. 



Scutellaria lateriflora, L. 



S. galericulata. Ij 



Brunella vulgaris. L. 



Lake Minnewaukon, the most accessible lake, is typical of those in the vicinity. 

 Besides its own aquatics, it has a varied vegetation on its shores. Its southern 

 banks are somewhat steep, open and barren, its eastern shore flat and boggy, its 



