NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



379 



there were also extensive tracts of hard- 

 wood on the richer soil here, and many 

 extensive bogs. The wet lowland forest 

 in this region, as in the upper peninsula, 

 was usually dominated by ar])or-vitae, 

 white spruce, tamarack, black spruce, or 

 black ash {Fraxinus nigra). 



In the southern part of the southern 

 peninsula the drier upland forests were 

 largely dominated by oaks (especially 

 Quercus rubra and Q. alba) and hickories 

 (especially Carya alba, C. ovata, and 

 C. glabra), while hard maple and beech 

 were confined mostly to the heavy clay 

 soils. The extensive lowland hardwood 

 forests, especially on the flood-plains of 

 rivers and lakes, were dominated largely 

 by such trees as red maple {Acer ru- 

 brum), swamp oak {Quercus paluslris), 

 white elm {Ulmus americana), linden, 

 black ash, white ash {Fraxinus ameri- 

 cana), and butternut {Juglans cinerea). 

 In these forests are found a few represen- 

 tatives of the southern hardwood forest, 

 such as the tulip tree {Liriodendron 

 tulipifera), sycamore {Platanus occi- 

 dentalis), and gum {Nyssa sylvaiica). 

 Numerous tamarack bogs occurred, 

 mostly in the glacial depressions, but 

 on a much less extensive scale than 

 further north. In many places on lake 

 and river shores occurred dense thickets 

 composed of such shrubs as willow {Salix 

 spp.), alder {Alnus incana), buttonbush 

 {Cephalanathus occidentalis) , and red- 

 osier dogwood {Cornus slolonifcra) . 



Numerous meadows or prairies were 

 originally present in this southern part 

 of the state, some of these being exten- 

 sions of more ex-tensive prairies in the 

 states to the south and southwest. 

 Some of these prairies were certainly 

 due to frequent fires, while others had 

 apparently developed following the 

 filling up of beaver ponds and of lakes. 

 A characteristic vegetational feature 

 in this part of the state were the "oak 

 openings," which were large or small 

 open tracts covered with scattering oaks 

 {Quercus macrocarpa or Q. velutina), 

 and sometimes having a thick under- 

 brush of hazel (Corylus). 



The vegetation of Michigan is now 



much modified from the primitive. In 

 the southern part of the lower peninsula 

 much of the land is under cultivation 

 and only a few tiny patches of native 

 forest remain. The timber in the 

 woodlots is mostly second growth, and is 

 frequently in l)ad condition from pastur- 

 ing and heavy cutting. Many swamps 

 and bogs have been drained. The 

 streams are often badly polluted by 

 sewage and industrial wastes, and the 

 aquatic conditions are therefore much 

 modified. 



Forest fires and destructive lumbering 

 have destroyed most of the native for- 

 ests in the northern part of the state, 

 also, although numerous areas only 

 slightly modified can still be found in 

 the northern peninsula. The pine forests 

 of both peninsulas are now practically 

 all cut or burned. Hundreds of square 

 miles of the sandy plains are now cov- 

 ered with a low growth consisting of such 

 forms as sweet fern {Myrica aspleni- 

 folia), blueberries {Vaccinium spp.), 

 bracken fern {Pteris aquilina), and June 

 berrj' {Amelanchier canadensis). Other 

 extensive areas are covered with sapling 

 forests of aspen {Populus irernuloides 

 and P. grandidentata), and some areas 

 have grown up again to small jack pines. 



On richer soil in all parts of the state 

 a shrub stage is common following 

 clearings and fires; this includes such 

 forms as red raspbcrrj' {Rubus idaeus 

 aculeatissimus), blackberry {Rubus alle- 

 gheniensis), pin cherry {Primus pcnn- 

 sylvanica), and sumac {Rhus glabra). 

 Commonly this is followed by a sapling 

 growth of the aspens, and in the north 

 commonly also by the white birch 

 {Betula alba papyri/era). 



III. F.\UNA 



The animal life of Michigan, like the 

 vegetation, shows a series of transitions 

 from north to south. Contrary to what 

 might be expected, the Straits of 

 Mackinac, between the twi) peniii.sulas 

 of which the state is composed, does not 

 appear to act as a very etToctive barrier 

 to animal or plant distribution. 



