118 PUBLIC PARKS OF IOWA 



"There were also a great many sweet Williams and wild cranesbill. 

 The Ledges are unique for central Iowa because of the occurrence oi ! 

 several interesting ferns, among them the walking fern, the common poly- 

 pody, the Asplenium filixfoemina, Adiantum pedatum, Woodsia obtusa, 

 and Systopteris fragilis. These ferns except the last are all protected 

 because they occur in inaccessible ledges. The latter fern is common in 

 the woods. The reindeer lichen occurs on an exposed point. It is the 

 only locality so far as I know in the state. 



"The region is now subject to pasturage and the valley is used as a 

 camping place. The people who use it totally disregard the rare plants 

 found there. Generally these plants mean no more than weeds." 



May the time be near at hand when the state will own The Ledges. 

 Under our guardianship the ruthless destruction of trees, shrubs and 

 flowers, as mentioned by Prof. Pammel will not be tolerated. In Europe 

 the- tree is protected with legislation befitting its importance as a na- 

 tional asset. Its slow growth, covering a period of generations, gives it 

 a value not to be regarded lightly or within the control of its temporary 

 owner. 



That which nature builds up by the slow accretion of centuries should 

 not be destroyed by the whim of one generation of men. There is noth- 

 ing in vegetable nature so grand as a tree grappling with its roots the 

 granite foundations of everlasting hills, it reaches its sturdy and gnarled 

 trunk on high, spreads its branches to the heavens, casts its shadow on 

 the sward; and the birds build their nests and sing amidst its unbrageous 

 branches. 



The following reference to The Ledges is made in the Iowa Geological 

 Report, Vol. V., page 187: "In the south central part of the county, the 

 oldpr carboniferous formations have been cut out and replaced by a 

 younger massive sandstone. A casual observer traversing the river val- 

 ley cannot but notice the sudden change in topographic form, when this 

 sandstone is reached. The rounded salients of the coal measure shales 

 and argillaceous sandstones, give place to mural escarpments and bold 

 buttresses of the "Ledge" sandstone, amply testifying to the change in 

 stratigraphy. This terrain is typically exposed near the mouth of Peese 

 creek, a tributary of the Des Moines entering from the east. The creek 

 valley is extremely narrow and walled in by vertical cliffs, often over- 

 hanging ledges; hence the name of the formation. 



"Examples of water sculpture are numerous and beautiful. The ridges 

 and less precipitous slopes support a luxuriant vegetation. In short, the 

 inorganic and organic worlds have conspired to make this one of the 

 most picturesque spots in the region. This formation presents many in- 

 teresting lithological variations, the manifestation of which, in all prob- 

 ubility is due to, or at least has been accentuated by, the weathering 

 processes. The second member contains numerous ferruginous concre- 

 tion's varying in size from a few inches to many feet in the direction of 

 their greater dimension. Others take an almost quartzitic facies, and 

 are so hard that they will strike fire with steel. These nodules are com- 

 monly lens-shaped or spherical, but in some instances are cylindrical. 



