thick over a layer of muck. The upper layer of mineral 

 soils was probably deposited by lake-borne sediments at 

 a time when the lake level was higher than it is currently. 



There are several distinct differences in the vegetation 

 as one moves across a transect taken from the park boundary 



(inward side) to the open water along the lake shore. The 

 community just described reaches its best development in 

 terms of tree size and structural zonation on the inward 



(upland) side of the natural area, i.e. , the side most 

 distant from the lake. This section is the best drained 

 portion of the natural area and is not flooded by lake 

 waters except possibly during severe storms such as hurri- 

 canes. The percentage of sweetgum and tulip-poplar is highest 

 in this section. Also the pawpaw and ground cover layers are 

 best developed here. As one moves towards the lake, the bald- 

 cypress become smaller, both in trunk diameter and in height, 

 and the relative proportions of sweetgum and tulip-poplar be- 

 come lower. Swamp blackgum ( Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora ) 

 becomes more common in the canopy. Pawpaw thins out and is 

 replaced by more flood tolerant shrubs such as Virginia willow 



( Itea virginica ) , elderberry ( Sambucus canadensis ) , and button- 

 bush ( Cephalanthus occidentalis ) . The herb layer is dominated 

 by moisture tolerant species such as tear-thumb ( Polygonum 

 sagittaefolium ) , jewelweed, and false nettle. 



Smaller stands of baldcypress extend out into the shallow 

 waters of the lake. Here, in a more or less permanently flooded 

 situation, they are the sole canopy species with no underlying 

 shrub or herb layer present. 



Evidence that the water level of the lake has fluctuated 

 in the past is reflected by the distinct age classes of the 

 baldcypress which become successively younger towards the 

 open water of the lake. 



The cypress fringe along the lake shore is characterized 

 from the old-growth stand (CT 1) by younger trees of smaller 

 stature, lack of a distinct closed shrub layer (and absence 

 of pawpaw) , and the presence of a very dense herbaceous 

 ground cover. This vegetation type is sufficiently distinct 

 to be designated as a community: Taxodium distichum/Boehmeria 

 cylindrica-Impatiens capensis (Baldcypress/false nettle-jewel- 

 weed) . It is not considered to have a significance value which 

 warrants its mention in the significance summary or biotic sum- 

 mary table, however. 



Many wildlife species utilize the baldcypress stand (CT 1) 

 for nesting, feeding and cover. At least 39 species of breeding 

 birds are known to occur in the cypress stand itself and an 

 additional 35 species use the lake and the surrounding farm- 



66 



