The upland to the west and northwest of the ra- 
vine has been disturbed by agricultural pursuits. 
Some of this land has served as pasture. On the 
southeast side of the ravine, a part of the upland has 
served as pasture and another part is a fallow field 
that is unpastured. In the fallow field, certain prairie 
plant species have persisted and are common. These 
include Indian grass, little bluestem, blazing star, 
American feverfew, goldenrods and asters. Broom- 
sedge grows in this area. The forests of the upland 
contain shagbark hickory, red cedar, black-jack oak, 
and post oak. Poverty grass, pencil-flower, and sev- 
eral species of three-awn grass grow on the floor of 
Fig. 20.-- Devil’s Prop area. A pillar of sandstone 
that appears to support the cliff above supplies the name for 
this area near Divide, Jefferson County. 
the relatively open woods. Sizable patches of mosses 
of several species and some lichens form patches on 
the soil. The orchid Spiranthes grayi is not uncommon 
in the fallow field, and a few plants grow in the wood- 
land border. 
At one place the small stream flows through a 
narrow, V-shaped ravine, fig. 21. In some places, the 
sandstone of the steep sides is exposed and in other 
places covered with a thin layer of soil. Much of the 
steep slopes is covered with a growth of mosses, in- 
cluding hairy-cap moss. On the less steep slopes and 
on the floor of the widest portions of the ravine grows 
a deciduous forest; black gum, northern red oak, bit- 
ternut hickory, shadbush, white oak, and hop horn- 
beam are some of the tree species. Wild hydrangea 
and winged sumac are common shrubs in this forest. 
Devil’s Prop is presently in private ownership. 
13. FULTS HILL PRAIRIE 
Fults hill prairie (Evers 1955) is located on the 
bluff south of Fults Creek, southeast of the village 
of Fults in Monroe County, about midway between 
Valmeyer and Prairie du Rocher. The prairie is a part 
Fig. 21.-- A narrow, V-shaped valley through which a 
small stream flows in the Devil’s Prop area. 
of old French land grants, the longest boundaries of 
which were perpendicular to the bank of the Missis- 
sippi River. Such boundaries were common in St. 
Clair, Monroe, and Randolph counties. 
The bluff on which the prairie is located trends 
northwest to southeast; the brow slope faces south- 
west. This bluff, like others in the vicinity, is tall, 
towering more than 300 feet above the adjacent bot- 
tomland, fig. 22. The limestone bedrock is exposed 
for some distance as a tall cliff. The toe slope of the 
bluff is talus. A blanket of loess caps the bedrock to 
form the brow slope, which varies in width. This slope 
is widest at the northwest, where there are sizable 
spurs and coves. Southeastward the brow slope is not 
so wide, and the spurs and coves are poorly defined. 
At the extreme southeast, however, the brow slope 
widens and supports a broad expanse of prairie. 
Vegetation of the bluff is of two types. The toe 
slope and the larger coves on the brow slope support 
deciduous forest. The spurs and the remainder of the 
brow slope are prairie. At the top of the cliff is a 
narrow rock ledge. The tall cliff faces are devoid of 
plants except for a few ferns and a few composites. 
Fults hill prairie is not rich in plant species. 
As on other hill prairies, little bluestem is the dom- 
inant grass. The rare or semirare species this hill 
prairie contains make it important as a natural area. 
The bedstraw Galium virgatum is known in Illinois 
only at this site, where it grows abundantly at the 
base of one prairie spur. Scattered plants of blue- 
hearts grow in this prairie. The rare Heliotropium 
tenellum, first reported in Illinois from this site 
(Evers 1951), and stickleaf grow on the rock ledge. 
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