August, 1955 
not so greatly disturbed. Stones strewed 
the slope in places just above the rock 
ledge; sandy loess and sand capped the 
bluff. This prairie was visited Septem- 
ber 1, 1949; April 14, May 23, and July 
25, 1950. 
South Eldred.—In 1950, prairie cov- 
ered about +.5 acres of two southwest- 
facing slopes in the southwest quarter of 
section 4+, T. 9 N., R. 13 W., 2 miles 
south of Eldred, Greene County. The 
prairie formed an inverted U with the 
prongs of the U extending downslope. 
Andropogon scoparius was the dominant 
grass; Senecio plattensis and Lithosper- 
mum canescens were common. ‘This site 
was visited May 23, 1950. 
Richwood.—When last visited, this 
prairie, in the southeast quarter of section 
8, T. 8 N., R. 13 W., Richwood Town- 
ship, Jersey County, occupied + acres of 
the long, curved ridge which extends from 
the rock ledge on the southwest up to the 
bluff-top. The abundant grasses were 
Andropogon scoparius, A. gerardi, and 
Bouteloua curtipendula. A small arm of 
the prairie stretched northwestward on a 
small branch of the ridge. A mixed for- 
est covered the bluff slope to the west and 
the ravines on the east and north. Rich- 
wood was visited September 7, 1949, and 
May 23, 1950. 
Pere Marquette.—At the time of this 
study, prairie vegetation occupied about 
3.5 acres on the spurs of the southwest- 
facing bluffs, Pere Marquette State Park, 
west of Grafton, Jersey County. The 
prairie observed for this study was on the 
slopes west of the westernmost parking 
area that was located on the crest of the 
bluff. Mixed forest grew in the coves 
between the grass-covered spurs. A little 
below the top of the eastern and central 
spurs a firebreak crossed the prairie. 
Weeds, including Ambrosia elatior and 
Erigeron canadensis, grew among scat- 
tered plants of prairie species in this fire- 
break. The dominant grass of the prairie 
slope was Andropogon scoparius. Des- 
manthus illinoensis grew on the western 
spur and was very abundant on the cen- 
tral one. The western spur was disturbed 
by a bridle path which followed the crest 
of the spur and had cut 2 feet into the 
loess. The bluff-top was covered by a 
Evers: Hitt Prairies oF ILLINOIS 
405 
thicket of small trees and shrubs, includ- 
ing Crataegus crus-galli, Cornus drum- 
mondi, Malus ioensis, Cercis canadensis, 
and Sassafras albidum. Pere Marquette 
was visited July 8 and August 29, 1950; 
May 25 and November 29, 1951. 
Gratton to Cairo and Elsewhere 
in Southern Illinois 
Chautauqua.—A small village resort 
at the convergence of several ravines about 
3 miles east of Grafton furnished the 
name for this prairie. The prairie, a part 
of section 13, T.6 N., R. 12 W., in Jer- 
sey County, covered four south-facing 
spurs, mixed forest the coves. The base 
of each spur was a rock ledge at the top 
of the cliff which here closely parallels 
the Mississippi River. The spur slope 
above each ledge was covered with prai- 
rie; Andropogon scoparius was the dom- 
inant grass. Melica nitens occurred on 
the stony prairie slope above the ledge. 
Numerous weedy species such as Setaria 
viridis, Achillea millefolium, Ambrosia 
elatior, Lappula echinata, and Geranium 
carolinianum were present. Chautauqua 
hill prairie was visited July 8 and August 
29, 1950; also May 25, 1951. 
Principia.—A_ college furnished the 
name for this hill prairie, a part of the 
college campus. At this location in section 
20,06 N., UR. 1d W.,. east: of Flsah. 
Jersey County, the bluff of the Mississippi 
River has a high limestone cliff that is 
capped by a mantle of loess. The cliff is 
not a simple wall, but has sharp salients 
projecting well beyond the loess spurs 
above them, fig. 19. Prairie, with an area 
of + acres, predominated on the spurs in 
1950 and 1951. Andropogon scoparius 
was the dominant grass; Sporobolus asper 
was locally abundant. Several paths used 
by students traversed the spurs and the 
crest of the ridge; elsewhere the prairie 
was undisturbed. The lower parts of 
coves supported mixed forest. Above this 
forest, tree seedlings and Rhus glabra 
occurred scatteringly to the top of the 
ridge, fig. 20. The north side of the ridge 
was well forested. Principia prairie was 
visited April 21, May 23, July 8, and 
August 29, 1950; July 5 and November 
29, 1951. 
