Botany in the Natural Areas of Southern Illinois

What's it like to live in Carbondale, attend Southern Illinois University, and be a student in the Department of Plant Biology? The purpose of this web page is to showcase some of the unique Natural Areas found in the Southern Illinois region. From this, it is hoped that you will see how our department is an ideal place to pursue botanical study.

Where are We Located? Southern Illinois is sometimes called "the land between the rivers" because it is bordered by the Mississippi River on the west and the Ohio River on the east. Carbondale is situated in the extreme southern portion of Illinois, ca. 100 miles southeast of St. Louis, Missouri (star on map at right). Southern Illinois University is strategically located in the transition zone between several North American biomes and is thus in an ideal location for the study of many natural communities. The University is at the juncture between two distinct communities found in Illinois: the tallgrass prairies that occur on glaciated terrain (shown in black on the map) and the forests (shown in green) that were not extensively glaciated. The southern quarter of the state that is shaded green includes the Shawnee National Forest (250,000 acres, 101,174 hectares) as well as extensive wetlands. The abundance of State Parks, State Forests, State Recreation Areas, State Conservation Areas, National Natural Landmarks, and National Wildlife Refuges makes Southern Illinois an excellent locale to engage in botanical study as well as recreation. By presenting a brief glimpse of a few selected Natural Areas, it is hoped that you will get a "flavor" of what is like to live and work in this scenic part of the Midwest. Click the thumbnails to enlarge the photos.

Little Grand Canyon and LaRue Pine Hills National Natural Landmarks

In terms of biological diversity, one of the richest regions in the state of Illinois is located less than one hour's drive from Carbondale. Two adjacent National Natural Landmarks, Little Grand Canyon and LaRue Pine Hills, are found in southwestern Jackson and northwestern Union Counties, respectively. In 1959, Southern Illinois University established a Field Station in Pine Hills, named for the population of Shortleaf Pine (Pinus echinata) that is native to this area. Over 1000 species of vascular plants have been recorded from this Field Station - a high number that can be attributed to the diverse number of habitats found there. To quote from Mohlenbrock and Voigt (1965):

"Swamps, unspoiled mixed deciduous forest, cold water springs of even temperature, clear-running rock-bottomed streams, steep-sided and shaded valleys, dry rocky uplands, acid cherty slopes of varied aspect, grassy openings or hill prairies, and limestone provide a wide habitat range."

"Coming down the shute" at Little Grand Canyon. Photo by D. L. Nickrent	Kelly Davidson, Angel Maden, Thomas Johnson, and David Garbary. Photo by D. L. Nickrent
View of Fountain Bluff in the distance and the LaRue Swamp, from Little Grand Canyon trail. Photo by D. L. Nickrent	View of Mississipi River from Pine Hills. Photo by D. L. Nickrent
Overhanging rock face at the bottom of Little Grand Canyon. These moist ravines harbor a great number of plant species. Photo by D. L. Nickrent	View of bluff from trail at Little Grand Canyon. These dry limestone bluffs typically have Post Oak (Quercus stellata) and Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana). Photo by D. L. Nickrent

Garden of the Gods Recreation Area Camel Rock in the Autumn. S of Harrisburg IL. Photo by D. L. Nickrent	Camel Rock, another view & season. Photo by D. L. Nickrent
A strange type of rock called "Liesegang". Photo by D. L. Nickrent	Tower Rock. Photo by D. L. Nickrent

What Types of Plants Occur in Southern Illinois?

As mentioned above with regard to the Pine Hills Field Station, over 1000 species of vascular plants occur at this one site. Therefore, when considering the entire southern Illinois region and surrounding states of Missouri, Kentucky, and Indiana, the flora is extremely diverse. For a list of some of the plants that can be seen in several Southern Illinois communities (as well as links to their photos), click here.  In addition to vascular plants, this region also has abundant bryophyte species (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts). Our department is noteworthy in having several bryologists: Dr. Dale Vitt, Dr. Barbara Crandall-Stotler, and Dr. Ray Stotler (emeritus). For more information on bryophytes at SIUC, click here. For information on the SIUC herbarium, click here.

A liverwort, Reboulia hemisphaerica. Little Grand Canyon. Photo by Miguel García.	The hairy cap moss, Polytrichum commune. Little Grand Canyon. Photo by D. L. Nickrent
The Broad Beech Fern, Phegopteris hexagonoptera, one of about 20 genera of ferns found in Southern Illinois. Little Grand Canyon. Photo by D. L. Nickrent	Celandine Poppy, Stylophorum diphyllum, a very midwestern wildflower. Little Grand Canyon. Photo by D. L. Nickrent

Wetland Area Research Southern Illinois offers a large number of wetland habitats for research - and general appreciation. These communities provide habitat for many plants and animals such migratory waterfowl.	Little Grand Canyon during the flood of 1993. Photo by D. L. Nickrent
Crab Orchard Lake. Photo by John Voigt	Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) at Heron Pond, along the Cache River, south of Vienna IL. Photo by D. L. Nickrent

Conservation Biology of Plants

As one might expect given a flora as diverse as that found in Southern Illinois, there still exist threatened and endangered plant species. As mentioned above, Southern Illinois is at the confluence of several distinct vegetation types and thus represents a migration route between them. Often, plants are rare because they are at themargins of the overall range for the species. Such is the case for bald cypress, which is common in the coastal plain of the southeastern U.S. but which reaches its northernmost range in Southern Illinois. In other cases, the plant species are rare because of loss of particular habitats. An example of this is Mead's Milkweed (Asclepias meadii) which historically occurred in black soil prairies, but is now extremely rare in Illinois owing to conversion of these areas to agriculture.

Bombus bumblebee pollinating a mint called Self-heal (Prunella vulgaris). For research being conducted on pollination biology, see Dr. Sedonia Sipes' web page. Photo by D. L. Nickrent

Mead's Milkweed (Asclepias meadii). Collaborative research between Dr. Marlin Bowles (Morton Arboretum), Diane Tecic and Dr. Dan Nickrent looked at the genetic diversity in this rare species. Photo by D. L. Nickrent

What's the Climate and Weather Like in Southern Illinois?

Carbondale itself is in climate zone 6 (-10 to 0 degrees F ca. average annual minimum temperature) but less than one hour's drive south one enters climate zone 7 (0 to 10 degrees F ca. average annual minimum temperature). For this reason, the winters in Carbondale are generally mild and plants with a more "southern nature" such as Magnolia grandiflora can be cultivated. Spring often arrives early and our spirits are raised by the abundance of wildflowers such as the Celandine Poppy shown above. Summers can be hot and humid (90 degrees and 90%!) particularly in the months of July and August. Autumn is generally an excellent time of year for outdoor activity, especially when we are fortunate to have an "Indian Summer" well into October or November.

Rainbow, off Rt. 4, Jackson Co. IL. Photo by J. Voigt.

The sky is ablaze during an autumn sunset in Carbondale. Photo by D. L. Nickrent

This series of photographs was taken on a very cold winter afternoon just outside of Carbondale. As the sun was setting, the lighting was changing very rapidly, so that after just a few minutes, the entire drama was finished! This is to demonstrate that, even on a frigid winter day, there is still much natural beauty to appreciate if only we open our eyes (and cameras!).

Ice pond, image 1 Photo by D. L. Nickrent Ice pond, image 2 Photo by D. L. Nickrent   Ice pond, image 3 Photo by D. L. Nickrent     Ice pond, image 4 Photo by D. L. Nickrent

SIUC / College of Science / Plant Biology / undergraduate flyer
http://www.science.siu.edu/plant-biology/information/University.html
Last updated: 26-Jan-08 / dln