NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



475 



and Eastern Traction. A. D. Howard 

 and V. E. Shelford. 



B. NORTHEASTERN TIER COUNTIES 



1. The Shore of Lake Michigan 



pWaukegan Flats. (B3.) One sq. mi. 

 sand area, level plain, with few ridges, 

 ponds, marshes and sluggish streams. 

 Some coniferous trees. A large growth 

 of pine trees of many species grown from 

 seed by the Douglas Nursery. These 

 dunes are displayed chiefly north of 

 Waukegan. Though small in area and 

 miniature in height, the flora is very 

 rich and representative. An attempt 

 has been made to preserve the Waukegan 

 dune area, thus far without success. 

 The tract contains Dead River, a base- 

 levelled stream that opens at times into 

 Lake Michigan and again is closed off 

 by sand. The water is unpolluted, 

 and contains good fauna. 



Beach, Illinois, C. &. N. W. R. R. 

 H. C. Cowles and W. C. Allee. 



2. Inland lakes, swamps and bogs 



pLake County Lakes, Swamps and 

 Bogs. Lake County is notable for its 

 glacial lakes and its innumerable swamps 

 and bogs. The largest and best known 

 of the lakes is Fox Lake. Grass Lake, 

 an arm of Fox Lake, is famous for its 

 bed of lotus (Nelumbo lutea), a rare 

 plant in Illinois except along the Missis- 

 sippi River. There is a remarkable 

 variety in the fauna and flora of the 

 different lakes. There are about ten 

 true bogs in Lake and the adjoining 

 county of McHenry, representing prob- 

 ably the only stations in the state for 

 certain plants of far northern range, as 

 the tamarack, mountain ash, Andromeda, 

 Chamaedaphne and dwarf birch (Betula 

 pumila). Very abundant here are the 

 sundew (Drosera), pitcher and cran- 

 berry plants. 



Fox Lake, 111., C. M. & St. P. R. R 

 H. C. Cowles. 



Tamarack Swamps. South end of 

 Pistakee Lake, Lake County. About 

 one square mile, including lakes, shrub 

 covered swamp, and three tamarack 

 swamps. 



Long Lake, 111., C. M. & St. P. R. R., 

 3 mi. southwest. V. E. Shelford. 



*Cedar Swamp of Kane County. Prob- 

 ably nowhere else in Illinois can there 

 be found a swamp of northern white 

 cedar "or arbor vitae (Thuja).' Fortu- 

 nately a large part of the swamp area 

 has been acquired by the city of Elgin 



and is preserved as a natural park, under 

 the auspices of the Elgin Chapter of 

 the Wild Flower Preservation Society. 

 Known as "Trout Park." 



City cars run to park. H. C. Cowles. 



C. OUTSIDE THE CHICAGO AND NORTH- 

 EASTERN TIER COUNTY DISTRICT 



/. Prairie 



Bondville Prairie. Mesophytic prairie, 

 much of the best of which has recently 

 been destroyed by plowing. 



Located in Champaign County. 

 Bondville, 111., one mi. east, 111. Trac- 

 tion System. W. B. McDougall. 



2. Deciduous forests 



pBald Knob Hardwood Forest. (Union 

 County.) This is an upland oak-hick- 

 ory forest, culminating in Bald Knob, 

 a cleared area, with an elevation of 1025 

 ft., in the Ozark Highlands of Union 

 County. It would be possible to set 

 aside here for a state forest about 30 

 sections of wooded area, of which 16,600 

 acres could be classed as upland timber. 

 (For description, species present and 

 probable yields by types, see "First 

 Report on a Forestry Survey of Illinois," 

 Bulletin of the Illinois Natural History 

 Survey, Vol. XIV, Article VIII, March, 

 1923.) In the ravines are found beech, 

 tulip tree, white oak, cucumber, mul- 

 berry and butternut. As to the fauna, 

 there are the opossum, raccoon, gray 

 fox, skunk, mink, weasel, gray squirrel 

 and cottontail rabbit, and among the 

 snakes, the rattler and the copperhead 

 (Agkistrodon mokasen). Wild turkey 

 were at one time abundant and deer were 

 present not over 15 years ago. Quail 

 are common and an otter was killed by 

 one of the topographic surveyors not 

 over three years ago. 



Bald Knob is about 3 mi. southwest of 

 Alto Pass, on the Mobile and Ohio Rail- 

 way (h). Also easily reached from Cob- 

 den, main line Illinois Central R. R. 

 (a). R. B. Miller. 



S Fountain Bluff. (Jackson County.) 

 s consists of 3297 acres of upland oak 

 forest. In a part of it the best of the 

 merchantable timber has been removed, 

 but portions still contain about 2000 

 board ft. per acre. 



Fountain Bluff is an isolated area of 

 great ruggedness and beauty, separated 

 by many miles of flood plain from the 

 main body of the Ozarks, with which it 

 was once connected. This rock island 

 stands up like a mountain from the flood 

 plain extending on every side, reaching 

 a height of three or four hundred feet 



