132 



forest, Ms taken the place and grows so thickly as to shade out all under- 

 gi'owth except a few spindly, discouraged-looking plants of red sorrel, 

 Rumex acetoseUa. The lower leaves of this copse of sassafras took on beau- 

 tiful autumnal coloration quite early in 1900. It was quite noticeable 

 toward the end of July. Other parts of this once cleared place are covered 

 with a thick sod of Kentucky blue grass. 



There is also in the region just described (east of the lake) a sparse 

 growth of scrubby oaks with clumps of raspberiy and blackberry and wild 

 grapes here and there. 



The Russian mulberry has established itself here and forms an 

 abundant sprinlding tlirough the copse. The trees have in all probability 

 sprung from seed scattered by birds. A peculiarity of this place is the 

 tendency of plants of one species to form continuous patches to the exclu- 

 sion of almost everything else. The sassafras has been cited as an ex- 

 ample of this. One finds here and there a large bright green spot where 

 dewberry vines ha^e crowded out everything else. In other spots large 

 patches of common five-finger (PotoitiUa canadense), in others Steironema 

 cUUttum, and in others of prostrate tick trefoil cover the gi'ound exclu- 

 sively. 



Where the ground has been wholly cleared, and cultivated, and then 

 abandoned, we have, besides the ever present ragweed and Chenopodium, 

 such rosette plants as mullein, pasture thistle, and Canada thistle. Pepper 

 grass is abundant, shepherd's purse scarce. There is also an abundance of 

 such mat plants as purslane, carpetweed, and spreading spurges. Species 

 of Eragrostis spread out in the form of mats. Crabgi'ass is abundant, and 

 where the gi-ound is cultivated, one of the most persistent and annoying 

 weeds. Eiipliorhia corrohita is particularly abundant and conspicuous. 



The gullies and immediately adjacent forests have a flora of their own 

 somewhat different from the rest. The gully of Cherry Creek is a broad, 

 level, swampy tract of country, covered with willows, sedges, skunk cab- 

 bages and various other marsh plants. It has a muclcy soil, and resembles 

 an extension of the lalvo plain. 



Along the sides of this gully is considerable underbrush in the forest. 

 There are plenty of such small trees as juneberry, flowering dogwood, 

 ironwood, water-beech and haws, and such shrubs as hop-trees (Ptelea), 

 witch hazel, bladdernut, and so on. Far up the gully is a specimen of the 

 laurel-leaved oak, Qnercus wihricaria, and one of alternate-leaved dog- 

 wood, neither of which are particularly common in the X'egion. At the foot 



