August, 1955 
Hill-Top.— This prairie opening, when 
examined October 5, 1950, occupied 
about 4.5 acres on the uppermost surface 
of the bluff, one ravine south from the 
main entrance to the Mississippi Palisades 
State Park. A mixed forest surrounded 
the prairie. Sorghastrum nutans was the 
dominant grass; Panicum virgatum was 
abundant. Several paths crossed the prai- 
rie. Here and for a short distance into 
the prairie, weeds were common. 
South Palisades.—This prairie occu- 
pied about 0.2 acre of the generally stony 
southwest-facing ridge-slope north of the 
abandoned quarry near the southern 
boundary of the MiQississippi Palisades 
State Park, when observations were made 
there on June 22 and October 5, 1951. 
Andropogon scoparius was the dominant 
grass. 
Bielema.—Prairie occupied _ slightly 
more than an acre of the bluff on the Bie- 
lema farm in section 32, T. 23 N., R. 4 
E., southeast of Thomson, Carroll 
County, in 1950. Stones strewed the 
lower slope; sandy loess comprised the 
upper. The base of the lower slope, much 
disturbed by pigs, was weedy. Prairie, 
with Bouteloua curtipendula and Andro- 
pogon scoparius as dominant grasses, cov- 
ered the upper part of the rocky slope. 
Andropogon scoparius was the dominant 
grass on the sandy loess, except where 
shallow drainageways on both the stony 
and loess slopes were densely covered by 
Artemisia caudata. Poa pratensis was the 
dominant cover on the northern part of 
the bluff-top; Bouwteloua curtipendula 
dominated the southern part of this sur- 
face. Bielema prairie was visited June 
23 and October 6, 1950. 
Balk.—In 1951, two conspicuous prai- 
rie openings, together about 1 acre, were 
observed on the upper west-facing slope 
of the bluff-ridge in section 5, T. 22 N., 
R. 4 E., in Whiteside County. The south- 
ern opening and the surrounding forest 
were frequented by pigs; the northern 
opening, which was separated from the 
southern by a fence, was unpastured. Bou- 
teloua hirsuta and Stipa spartea occurred 
in these openings. This site was visited 
June 13, 1951. 
Wiersma.— Hill prairie, about 0.5 acre 
in area, occupied the upper west-facing 
Evers: Hitt Prairies or ILLINoIs 
397 
slope of the bluff-ridge on the Wiersma 
farm in section 8, T. 22 N.. R. 4 E., 
Whiteside County, in 1950. Bouteloua 
curtipendula was apparently the dominant 
grass; Andropogon scoparius was locally 
abundant. The entire ridge was heavily 
pastured. Wiersma prairie was visited 
October 6, 1950. 
Rock Island 31.—This site, located in 
section. 3150. 16 Ng wR. 5 «We sock 
Island County, was visited September 9, 
1949. The slope, heavily pastured, and 
covered with a mixture of prairie and for- 
est, was stony below and capped with 
sandy loess. Andropogon scoparius, A. 
gerardi, Sorghastrum nutans, and Boute- 
loua hirsuta were some of the grasses on 
this slope. 
Bald Bluff.—The name denotes the 
prominent, narrow, northwest-projecting 
arm of the Mississippi bluffs in section 
18, T. 12 N., R. 4 W., Henderson Coun- 
ty. Mantled with sandy loess, Bald Bluff 
supported both mixed forest and prairie 
when visited. This prairie, with an abun- 
dance of Bouteloua hirsuta and many 
weedy species, was heavily pastured. Prai- 
rie covered about 9 acres, 3 of which were 
examined on August 18, 1951. 
Ursa.—When visited, this hill prairie 
occupied the southwest- and west-facing 
slopes on the north side of Ursa Creek 
valley where the creek enters the Missis- 
sippi River bottomland in section 13, T. 
1 N., R. 9 W., Adams County. Prairie 
covered about 1 acre of the slopes. A 
stony levee and small spring-fed stream 
separated the road on the west from the 
bluff to the east. The stony east bank 
of the stream supported prairie. Small 
rock outcrops capped the stream bank. 
Above these outcrops the surface was al- 
most level. A dense stand of Juniperus 
virginiana with scattered individua's of 
Quercus muhlenbergii and Cornus drum- 
mondi grew on the level surface near the 
limestone outcrops. Eastward there was 
a narrow belt of prairie and beyond that 
a thicket which included small oaks, bass- 
wood, and hop hornbeam. This thicket 
bordered the base of a steep loess spur 
which was covered by prairie up to the 
top of the bluff. Prairie covered the 
southwest-facing spurs, mixed forest the 
coves. The bluff-top was a mixture of 
