PUBLIC PARKS OF IOWA 117 



The artist who would attempt to present with the brush the granduer 

 of The Ledges would find the task to lie beyond the grasp of his endow- 

 ments. So the pen is inadequate to present to the people of Iowa in its 

 reality this realm of natural beauty. Prof. L. H. Pammel, of Ames, la., 

 in his article on the conservation of the wild flowers, wherein he men- 

 tions The Ledges, says: 



"Let us now and then muse in the woods and enjoy the beautiful around 

 us. It will make better men and women. Everyone recalls with pleas- 

 urable delight, the swamp on the farm when the marsh marigold lifted 

 its golden yellow flowers in the sun, or the sunny and gravelly knoll on 

 some farm in northern Iowa, where the pasque flower in purple clusters 

 strongly defied the elements of weather. Perhaps you remember the long 

 tramp in the woods in May when suddenly you found a few yellow lady 

 slippers, under some tree, or perhaps you remember the day in June 

 when you went over a mossy bank, and you came across the large white 

 royal lady slipper, or you found one of the real orchids with its roots 

 tucked away in the mos-s. The lady slippers and orchids never were com- 

 mon in Iowa hence the greater delight in finding them. 



"You also recall that in the early days you went into the woods and 

 here you found an array of early blooming plants like the dutchman's 

 breeches, hepatica, bloodroot, bell-flower, may apple, rue anemone, etc. 

 Now go back to some woods after a lapse of twenty-five years and you 

 find that these plants have totally disappeared or are becoming rare. The 

 disappearance of plants in some parts of Iowa may best be illustrated by 

 calling attention to a few places and what has occurred in twenty-six 

 years. Let me select the place known as the "Ledges" in Boone county. 

 The most interesting spot in central Iowa, about five miles from Boone 

 and on the Des Moines river, is unique among Iowa's beauty spots. It is 

 a most picturesque place. 



"A small creek runs through the ledges known as Peese creek. The 

 sandstone ledges in some places are about seventy-five feet high and with 

 a gentle Aslope extending to the top of the prairies of about 125 feet more. 

 The sandstone rock consists of a deposit of rather coarse sand with a con- 

 siderable amount of lime. When I went there twenty-six years ago the 

 small valley was heavily timbered, the mo.st important trees were the 

 corky bark elm, black maple, black walnut, slippery elm. basswood, and 

 swamp as'h. In the spring the wake robin occurred in large numbers in 

 the humus. The moosewood, red cedar, buckthorn, pin cherry, ninebark, 

 and dogwood were rather common over the hills or on the ledges. 



"Today, however, these plants have become greatly diminished. Ttie 

 pin cherry only occurs in one place and comparatively few of the trees 

 are left. The ninebark too has been reduced to a few plants on the edge 

 of an almost inaccessible ledge. The buckthorn and moosewood have 

 not been found recently. Only two or three red cedars are left though 

 at one time fairly common. 



"It was not difficult in those days to find a few specimens every year 

 of the yellow lady slipper; now, however, this plant is rarely brought to 

 us. Down in the valley the ground was covered with the may apple, the 

 indian turnip, and the dragon's head. These plants though still occurring 

 are rare. 



