August, 1955 
Government Rock.—Located in the 
southeast quarter of section 9, T. 11 S., 
R. 3 W., 4.5 miles north of the village of 
Wolf Lake, Union County, this hill prai- 
rie, when visited, occupied one of the siz- 
able spurs which extends from the sum- 
mit downslope to the rock cliff in that 
portion of the Mississippi bluffs known as 
Pine Hills. The appellation here used— 
Government Rock—is the one applied to 
this spur on the Wolf Lake sheet of the 
topographic map. 
Above the cliff at the base of the spur 
is a steep west- and southwest-facing 
slope strewn with chert stones. When last 
seen, the lower part of the slope was oc- 
cupied by a thin stand of undersized 
trees. Above this was prairie, dominated 
by Andropogon scoparius and Bouteloua 
curtipendula. A few small trees of Quer- 
cus muhlenbergi, Ostrya virginiana, Ju- 
niperus virginiana, and Virburnum rufidu- 
ium occurred in several open’ groups 
within the prairie. 
Upslope on the spur was a strip, about 
20 feet wide, with fewer prairie plants 
and an abundance of Tephrosia virgini- 
ana. This strip was followed by a zone 
of mixed upland forest, which included 
Quercus muhlenbergii, Q. stellata, Sassa- 
fras albidum, Juglans nigra, Carya spp., 
Cercis canadensis, and some large trees 
as well as seedlings of Pinus echinata. 
Vaccinium arboreum and Ceanothus 
americanus were common shrubs. 
The uppermost part of the spur, which 
was capped by loess, was occupied by prai- 
rie vegetation. The narrow ridge-top had 
been much disturbed by picnickers. The 
east-facing slope of the bluff-ridge was 
forested nearly to the ridge-top. 
Government Rock was visited October 
27, 1949; August 17 and October 16, 
1950; April 19 and May 23, 1951. 
Tamms.—This hill-top prairie open- 
ing, about a half acre in area and located 
on the crest of a cherty ridge in the south- 
east quarter of section 35, T. 14 S., R. 
2 W., 1 mile west and 1 mile north of 
Tamms, Alexander County, was visited 
September 20, 1950. ‘The prairie area, 
containing such plants as Andropogon 
gerardi, Solidago nemoralis, and Helian- 
thus divaricatus, was surrounded by a 
woodland of xeric oaks, hickory, and some 
Evers: Hict Prairies or ILLINoIs 
413 
sassafras. One of the oaks on this ridge 
was Quercus montana. 
Cave Creek.—When this area was 
last visited, a rock (limestone) hill prai- 
rie occupied part of the bluff on the east 
side of the confluence plain of Dutchman 
and Cave creeks, somewhat over a mile 
east of the Cache River, in the northeast 
quarter-of section; Z3;, Desist. Re oot, 
about 5 miles south of Vienna and 1.5 
miles northeast of Forman, johnson 
County. The base of the bluff was 
wooded, but it had been much disturbed 
during the construction of a power line. 
The prairie opening above the disturbed 
wooded bluff base occupied about 1.5 
acres of the south- and southwest-facing 
slope of the ridge. The prairie slope was 
strewn with rock fragments which had 
eroded from outcrops at various levels 
on the slope. In some places the slope 
was almost a rock pavement. Grasses and 
composites were the predominant vege- 
tation; a few small trees of Quercus 
muhlenbergit, Juniperus virginiana, Cor- 
nus florida, and Crataegus spp. were 
found scattered throughout. The trees 
did not reach full size; after they had at- 
tained heights of 10 to 15 feet the tops 
lost vigor and the trees died. 
Upslope from the prairie, the broadly 
rounded ridge was forested, but it had 
openings occupied chiefly by Andropogon 
gerardi. An interrupted limestone ledge 
traversed this forested surface. Much 
Nothoscordum bivalve grew in the crev- 
ices of this ledge. 
Cave Creek prairie was visited June 10, 
August 17, and September 20, 1950; 
April 18 and May 22, 1951. 
FLORA OF THE HILL 
PRAIRIES 
As a means of determining what spe- 
cies of plants occur in Illinois hill prai- 
ries, numerous collections were made from 
early September, 1949, to the middle of 
October, 1951. Many of the plant spe- 
cles very common in Illinois were col- 
lected from only one prairie but their oc- 
currence in other prairies was recorded 
in the field notes. Species less common 
were collected from each prairie site in 
which they were growing. More than 
