Vegetation Communities of Ledges State Park, Boone County, Iowa

The vegetation of Ledges State Park was sampled with 54 plots placed in representative plant communities throughout the park. The plots were ordinated by tree species and compared with topography. Seven major vegetation types were defined: Quercus alba type ,Quercus alba-Quercus rubra type, Quercus rubra type, Quercus rubra-Tilia americana type, Tilia americana type,Juglans nigra type, and slump forest type. A vegetation map of the park was constructed using field data and aerial photography. In comparison with eastern Iowa forests, the forests of Ledges State Park are a western extension of the species-rich eastern forests with the addition of xeric elements common in the Ledges but not as common in the east. Forests of the xeric uplands of the Ledges State Park do not succeed toward maple-basswood as in eastern Iowa, but remain oak dominated. The slump forest, a new vegetation community unique to the Ledges, is described

Flora and Phytogeographical History of Ledges State Park, Boone County, Iowa

The Ledges State Park flora includes 437 species of vascular plants, several of which are unusual for central Iowa. The flora is surprisingly diverse considering its western location. The current distributions and occurrences of plants in the Ledges suggest the influence of historic plant migrations. The Ledges flora is composed of three elements, eastern mesophytic species, southern zerophytic species and northern boreal species. The dissected topography of the Ledges State Park has allowed boreal species, relics of northern forests, to persist in the protected canyon habitats

Vegetation Communities and Flora of Dolliver State Park, Webster County, Iowa

Dolliver State Park flora includes 408 species of vascular plants, several of which are uncommon for central Iowa. Sixteen vegetation types were identified including four new vegetation types: Quercus macrocarpa type, Populus grandidentata type, Populus tremuloides type and calcareous seep type. The flora and vegetation of Dolliver are found to be similar to Ledges State Park and Woodman Hollow State Preserve. Hill prairies and savanna-like areas are much more abundant in Dolliver than these other areas along the Des Moines River

Characterization of Central Iowa Forests with Permanent Plots

We describe a standard methodology for establishing and inventorying the woody vegetation in 0.1-ha permanent forest plots and we utilize the data from 86 plots to characterize the mature forest vegetation of central Iowa. Obvious differences existed between bottomland hardwoods and upland forest stands, but disturbed uplands contained species typical of bottomlands. Little-disturbed upland forest plots included a variety of species associations, but variation among plots was continuous. The trees dominating the mature upland forests of central Iowa grow in a wide variety of habitats, with the result that predictability of stand structure at any location is limited. Stands on northerly and southerly aspects did differ consistently from one another, but other aspects were not intermediate in character. The overall structure of the forest stands we inventoried was typical of old secondary forests. Even the oldest forests of central Iowa are still relatively young, and their structure and composition is likely to change in the coming decades. The permanent plots we established will allow for documentation and analysis of this change

A New Prairie Moonwort (Botrychium Subgenus Botrychium) from Northwestern Minnesota

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