The plant lists are divided into three upland site types and
four shoreline site types.
UPLAND SITE TYPES
Dry to Dry Mesic Forest Sites (Curtis 1959). These are sites with dry, sandy soil, that often have a southern exposure. The sandy soils are relatively nutrient-poor and can dry out quickly. Native plants of this soil type are adapted to such conditions. Moist or shady microsites, such as adjacent to a large log or under a cluster of trees or shrubs, may provide conditions for species that do not flourish in the driest, sandiest locations.
Common plants found in this site include: jack pine, red pine, white birch, red oak, bur oak,
juneberry, sweet fern, bush honeysuckle, poverty oats, pipsissewa, trailing arbutus, wild strawberry,
pennsylvania sedge, wintergreen, cow-wheat, lousewort
Dry Mesic to Mesic Forest Sites (Curtis 1959). These sites have loamy sand or sandy loam soil. Sites with this mix of sand and loam host many plant species that also may be common at sandy soil sites (above) or loam sites (below), and few, if any, species that are specific to the sand/loam blend.
Common plants found in this site include: red maple, white birch, white pine,
juneberry, hazelnut, velvetleaf blueberry, fly honeysuckle, bunchberry, starflower, red baneberry, wood anemone,
pennsylvania sedge, wild strawberry, hepatica, princess pine, solomon seal
Mesic to Wet Mesic Forest Sites (Curtis 1959). This type of site typically has loam soil and moist conditions, and may also contain large rocks or exposed bedrock. Loam soil is rich and retains moisture, providing conditions for species that do not flourish on the thinner, sandier soil.
Common plants found in this site include: sugar maple, ironwood, white spruce, hemlock, yellow birch, basswood, white cedar, mountain maple, speckled alder, pagoda dogwood, fly honeysuckle, velvetleaf blueberry, jack-in-the-pulpit, lady fern, blue-bead lily, goldthread, bunchberry, evergreen wood fern, wood horsetail, stiff clubmoss, interrupted fern
No clear lines of demarcation separate these types; instead much depends on the specific conditions of a given location (e.g., slope, direction to lake (N, S, E, W), exposure to sun, presence of microsites). Overlap of native plant species is common across types.
SHORELINE SITE TYPES
Boggy, Organic Soil Shorelines. Because of the saturated, organic soils of bog shorelines, development usually occurs in the upland areas, away from the shoreline. Access to the water, however, must cross the bog mat, a fragile habitat where trails remain visible for years. Therefore, it is important to confine your access to a single path or boardwalk.
The bog mat may be floating or grounded. In both cases, the mat is covered with Sphagnum mosses (several species) and usually hosts scattered black spruce and tamarack trees and patches of short shrubs such as leatherleaf and Labrador tea. In addition to the Sphagnum mosses, you may find the following species among the ground flora: cotton-grass, swamp-candles, pink orchids (such as rose pogonia or grass-pink), and the carnivorous plants sundew and pitcher-plant.
Forested Shorelines. Forested shorelines occur on any soil type, but usually not on organic soils. This type of shoreline usually has an abrupt bank, with upland plant species growing to the edge of the bank. Below the bank is often a narrow, sparsely vegetated beach zone. Water levels probably fluctuate frequently, but rarely rise above the bank. Because upland species grow to the edge of the bank, these shorelines often have many trees and shrubs such as red maple, white pine, white cedar, speckled alder, winterberry, or sweet gale hanging over the water’s edge. Such overhanging trees and shrubs provide important habitat for wildlife and contribute to coarse woody debris both in the water and on the shoreline. The vegetation of forested shorelines is a mix of upland species (on the bank) and wetland species (on and below the bank). In addition to the trees and shrubs mentioned above, other typical species found along forested shorelines include leatherleaf, blue-joint grass, swamp milkweed, turtlehead, and sensitive fern. When attempting to restore this type of shoreline, concentrate on the bank and above the bank, as the shore area below the bank is likely to experience wave action and ice scouring.
Sedge Meadow Shorelines. Sedge meadow shorelines can occur on any soil type. Water levels fluctuate frequently here, creating a broad wetland zone. Because frequent flooding usually kills woody vegetation, trees are set well back from the water’s edge, and shrubs such as winterberry, meadowsweet, and several willow species usually grow on top of hummocks or are killed back every few years by flooding. The shoreline may be smooth and sloping gradually to the water, or may consist of sedge hummocks. In both cases, the vegetation is dense and is dominated by wetland grasses and sedges (e.g., blue-joint grass, lake sedge, wire-grass, beaked sedge, tussock sedge, rattlesnake grass) with a rich mix of wetland wildflowers (e.g., swamp milkweed, purple-stemmed aster, water arum, marsh bellflower, Joe-pye-weed, and jewelweed).
Exposed Sandy Beach Shorelines. These sandy draw-down shorelines occur where the water level has dropped. The vegetation is sparse except along the upper edge. Without following this type of shoreline over several seasons or years, it is difficult to know why the beaches are not more heavily vegetated. It may be because the water level dropped recently and plants have not yet colonized the site, or maybe the wave action is great and washes away newly-sprouted plants, or perhaps because these draw-down beaches occur in a sandy, nutrient-poor landscape where plants do not grow quickly. When attempting to restore this type of shoreline, it is best to focus your efforts on the upper edge, because water levels are likely to rise again at some time. The following native plants occur commonly on exposed sandy beaches: Gerardia, ticklegrass, beggar-ticks, silverweed, and soft-stem bulrush.
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