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Ii.i.iN'ois Natural History Survey Bulletin 



Vol. 26, Art. 5 



parius was the dominant ijrass. Bouteluiui 

 ittrlififiiilula, a^ well as B. Iiirsuta, was 

 scattered througliout. I'olyi/ala iiuarnnta 

 grew on the hhiff top, and ,lrtC7iihia raii- 

 data grew as scattered individuals in the 

 sandy loess. This prairie, which served 

 as pastureland, was visited Septemher 15. 



Psoraha It'iiuiflora, Onrjsniodiuin nrci- 

 deutiilf, and Ambrosia coronoftifolin. 



Walnut Creek. — The site of this 2 

 acre prairie occupies one southwest- and 

 two west-facing spurs of the bluff north 

 of \xhich Walnut Creek enters the Illi- 

 nois River valle\ in the northwest quar- 



FijS. 18. — Spurs of Mud Creek hill prairie (center of picture) in northwest Morgan County. 

 Ill ihe distance beyond the Mud Creek prairie are slopes, some of which support prairie. 



1940; ]ulv 6, 1950; .Mav 18 1051; and 

 March" 25, 1952. 



Northeast Meredosia was the first of 

 those hill prairies along the Illinois River 

 observed by A. G. V'estal, who visited it 

 in the spring of 1931 in company with 

 James M. Schopf and Herman B. 

 Wascher. They were impressed by the 

 persistence of native pra;rie vegetation 

 and by the lack of serious erosion on the 

 steep loess slopes, over which the continu- 

 ous trampling of cattle had worn steplike 

 cowpaths. 



Bluffs. — When this site was visited 

 July 6, 1950, a mixture of prairie and for- 

 est covered about 8 acres of the west- 

 facing slope of the bluff in the southwest 

 quarter of section 10, T. 15 N., R. 13 

 W., north of Bluffs, Scott County. Prai- 

 rie species included Lespedezn capitata, 



ter of section 26, T. 14 N., R. 13 W., 

 about 4 miles west of Winchester, Scott 

 Countv. When visited August 13. 1950, 

 and -Vpril 24 and .May 18. 1951, the base 

 of the slope contained a mixture of prairie 

 and shrubbery. The spur slopes contained 

 prairie, with .hidropogon scoparius the 

 dominant grass. The coves between the 

 spurs supported prairie and some woody 

 plants. The top of the ridge was very 

 weedy. Walnut Creek prairie was used 

 as a horse pasture. 



North Eldred. — Located in section 

 16, T. 10 N., R. 13 W., 2 miles north 

 of Eldred, Greene County, this prairie 

 in 1949 and 1950 covered several spurs on 

 the upper slope of the bluff. The spur di- 

 rectly above the cemetery at the base of 

 the bluff was heavily pastured; the spur:; 

 to the south of this were also pastured but 



