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close print view
Allegan Pine Plains
| Recognition:
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The Nature Conservancy Natural
Areas Registry |
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| Size:
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160 acres
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| Location:
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3 miles east of Fennville, on 126th
Ave. |
| Management: |
Allegan State Game Area |
| Activities:
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Wildflower viewing, photography,
nature study |
Importance:
A contiguous area of oak savanna and dry prairie, one of Michigan's rarer habitat types.
It looks like a natural grassland, broken by individual trees and clumps of trees with the
presence of typical dry prairie type plants such as black oak, little blue-stem,
Pennsylvania sedge, bird's-foot violet, ragwort, wild lupine (see image to left), hairy
puccoon, and dwarf blazing star. These are fire adapted plants, and prescribed fire is one
of the most important tools used to manage this natural community. The area is a
wildflower viewer's paradise with color throughout the spring, summer and autumn. In late
May and early June, the wild lupine creates great patches of purple-blue. The most
impressive of all the species, the American columbo, begins blooming in late June, but
only in certain years. Butterflies arrive or emerge in large numbers later in July.
Among these is the
federally endangered and state threatened
karner blue butterfly, which
depends on lupine as a host plant. |
Allegan Pine Plains |
Lupine |
Karner blue butterfly |
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