August, 1955 



EvERS: Hill. Prairies of Illinois 



409 



curtipendula locally abundant, covered 

 both the rocky lower slope and the loess 

 which capped the bluflf. The loess had 

 been badly disturbed by earth-moving op- 

 erations to provide le\el homesites. 



Valnieyer. — When visited, this hill 

 prairie occupied the southwest-facing 



was visited. An open mixture of trees and 

 shrubs, with much Jtiniperiis virgininna, 

 surrounded the prairie openings, (ig. 24. 

 South along the bluffs large spurs were 

 complete!) covered by prairie. The entire 

 loess slope, with no visible rock outcrops, 

 served as pastureland. This site was vis- 



Fig. 24. — Prairie openings at Challin Bridge, Monroe County. Prairie is visible on the 

 parallel ridges between rows of red cedars which grow in the coves. 



slope of the ridge north of Monroe City 

 Hollow about 3 miles >outh of \'almeyer, 

 Monroe County, fig. 22. The site was 

 visited September 2, 19-I-9; April 22, Mav 

 24, July 9, and August 30, 1950. Prairie 

 covered almost 9 acres of the upper slope 

 between the cliff and the crest of the bluff. 

 Abcne the eroded cliff, fig. 23, the slope 

 was stony ; the upper part was loess. The 

 east-facing slope at the highest part of 

 the ridge supported a mixed forest ; far- 

 ther south along the ridge, prairie covered 

 the upper east-facing slope and a mixed 

 forest occupied the basal part of the slope ; 

 at the southernmost part of the ridge 

 only mixed forest occurred. In some 

 places the rock outcrops were merely small 

 vertical drops separated by steep rock\ 

 slopes on which much Juniper us virg'tni- 

 ana grew. In the prairie above the rocky 

 slopes, Andropogon scoparius was the 

 dominant grass ; Psoralen tenuiftora was 

 common. 



Chalfin Bridge. — Prairie openings oc- 

 cupied the bluffs southeast of Clialfin 

 Bridge, Monroe County, when this area 



ited August 30, 1950, and visited and 

 photographed February 6, 1952. 



Fults. — This hill prairie located on the 

 bluff south of Fults Creek, southeast of 

 the village of F"u!ts in Monroe County, 

 was \isited September 11, 1948; June 16 

 and August 30, 1950; also May 24, 1951. 

 It occupied about 12 acres, extended 0.6 

 mi'c along the upper southwest-facing 

 slope of the bluff-ridge, fig. 25. On the 

 northwest part of the bluff-ridge, long 

 prairie spurs descended from the bluflf-top 

 to a small rock outcrop with a vertical 

 face 2 to 3 feet high, below which was a 

 forest-covered rocky slope that formed the 

 lower third of the bluft. The coves be- 

 tween the long prairie spurs supported a 

 mixed woodland. On the southeast part 

 there was a high limestone cliff, and above 

 it prairie covered both spurs and coves, 

 which were there very poorly defined. 

 Galium iirt/alum and Heliotropium te- 

 nellum. rare in Illinois, grew on the lime- 

 stone ledge. 



Renault. — Located about 2 miles south 

 of Renault, Monroe County, this prairie 



