We will be attending Sugar Creek Nature Center for this field trip.

Protected by the Illinois Land

and Water Preserves and the Illinois Nature Preserves, the Sugar Creek Nature Center aims to excite and
educate visitors, especially students, on Illinois's native flora and fauna. Located in the Grand Prairie
Division, Sugar Creek is home to various tall grasses like Indian Grass as well as various types of spiders
and grasshoppers. Through over seven miles of hiking trails, visitors can explore the prairie, forest, and
creek ecosystems Illinois is famous for. With the focus for this trip being the prairie, we will be analyzing
and experiencing Sugar Creek's abundant grasses and forbs, butterflies and any other fauna, and the
climate/conditions surrounding this prairie, to answer our core question: Is this a healthy prairie?

This central question depends on the type of prairie being analyzed; it is it a wet, mesic, or dry
prairie? In Illinois's case, the answer to this question will vary depending on which part of Illinois is being
considered. For example, along many rivers in Illinois, there are sandy deposits, which can cause there
to be sandy prairies (a type of mesic to wet-mesic prairie). Here, it would be typical to find poor
drainage in the soil, and therefore more likely to find wetland plants like yellow-eyed grasses and
milkworts (Florida Natural Areas Inventory).

At the Sugar Creek Nature Center, we will be inspecting a prairie in the Grand Prairie Division
(dnr.illinois.gov), which is known for having poor drainage, meaning that this prairie should be a wet-
mesic prairie- possibly with similar conditions to the aforementioned sandy prairies. Concerning the
prairie's abiotic factors, the soil should be very fertile (not too dusty) and saturated with water in order
to have a healthy prairie ecosystem. From the biotic point of view, this prairie should have a balance
between tall grasses (like Big Bluestems) and forbs, as well as diverse animal/insect life. As a wet-mesic
prairie, it is also very typical for there to be relatively consistent rainfall throughout the year, as well as
more moderate temperatures going from season to season. Both of these trends can be seen in this
chart from usclimatedata.com:
 Our group will attempt to answer the research questions by inspecting telling aspects of the
prairie which will at least start to indicate the prairie's health: the temperature (in both the sun and the
shade), wind prevalence, cloud cover upon arrival and departure, topography of the 10x10 quadrant,
evidence of animal and human life, and the abundance of the plant life.

In order to collect this data, we will have to use specific methods and tools for each: for
temperature we will use a thermometer, wind presence- the Beaufort Scale, cloud cover- simple
observation, evidence of humans/animals- careful observation, and finally, abundance of plants-
observation. First, a ten meter by ten meter portion of the prairie will be sectioned off with string,
stakes, and a hammer. This portion was used as the region in which we would collect the data. With a
group of 5, one person covered each corner (Bronwen, Eva, Brian, Kevin) and the fifth person (Lauren)
recorded the data reported to them. One identified and counted the dominant species in a given area,
and the other recorded the dominant species on the given grid with the number of a given species
indicated next to it. This information was noted on the half inch by half inch grid in comparison to the
half meter by half meter area. The signs of animal life were collected in the same manner. After
everything was accounted for, the individual group's data was transferred into a common spreadsheet
and used to calculate the Shannon Index.

In our 10x10 quadrant, the type of plant that was observed most often was the golden rod,
which encompassed the entirety of our designated area. In total, though, there was not much variety in
the plant and animal life in our quadrant, which gave us the idea that this prairie may not necessarily be
healthy. The little plant life that we did find included compass, tall golden rod, wild bergamot, chicory,
cup, and Indian grass. There was a large empty space in the northern upper half of our quadrant where
there was no wildlife, just short, common prairie grass. No evidence of rabbits, squirrels, or any other
common Illinoisan animals was detected, either, which further corroborates the initial perception that
this prairie was unhealthy. Our Shannon Index was calculated to be a low 1.8 based on this data, which
also strongly indicates that our prairie was very unhealthy. In contrast with this assumption, we found a
variety of grasshoppers, a caterpillar, as well as a pair of mating insects, though we could not identify
the species. Other than these insect finds, however, the area lacked a sufficient diversity of life. Moving
on to the conditions in and around our 10x10 plot, the temperature upon arrival was 61 degrees
Fahrenheit, as well as a 95% cloud cover when we arrived and when we left. This is consistent with a
normal wet-mesic prairie climate: moderate temperatures and evidence of rainfall/coming rainfall.
Kevin determined that the topography of our 10m x 10m quadrant includes the following: it was at a
lower elevation, there were no mountains, and it was flat land with very tall grasses. Using the Beaufort
Scale, Lauren concluded that the wind was a category 4 (small branches moving). These factors are also,
in contrast with our earlier findings, supportive of a healthy wet-mesic prairie.

Surrounding our quadrant, there was also a multitude of evidence of humans and animals.
Bronwen and Eva saw hummingbirds, bird poop, holes in tree chunks, as well as ant mounds. Brian also
saw pavilions, gazebos, houses, cars, fire pits, and an amphitheater, suggesting a variety of human life
was present. The annual rainfall would also indicate that this is a healthy wet-mesic prairie, due to its
consistent rainfall throughout the year. The temperature and cloud cover upon arrival and departure
were consistent with the common weather characteristics of this type of prairie during late
September/the fall season: cloudy (95% coverage) and 61 degrees Fahrenheit, with mild wind. According
to the National Park Service, in the bottomland prairie areas (which our prairie was a part of), species in
these types of prairies have deeper soils as well as more moisture in order to stay healthy and thrive
(National Park Service). Our prairie, due to its consistent annual rainfall and rich soil, met these
characteristics, which also seemed to corroborate the claim that this was a healthy, vibrant prairie.
However, due to our very low Shannon Index and no physical evidence of plant and animal life thriving
in our prairie, regardless of however optimal the conditions might seem to be, my group was forced to
deem this prairie to be unhealthy.
Collective Class Data

Species Number seen (class)

Big Bluestem 0
Indian Grass 121
Nodding Wild Rye 63
Switch Grass 0
Misc. Grasses 221
Black Eyed Susan 0
Boneset 33
Brown Eyed Susan 4
Chicory 11
Compass Plant 66
Cup Plant 89
Drooping Cone Flower 10
Wild Bergamot 22
Milkweed 17
New England Aster 1
Prairie Dock 13
Stiff Goldenrod 0
Sunflower 0
 Tall Goldenrod 1193
Thistle 11
Heath Aster 0
Misc. Forbs 307
Aphids 0
Grass Hopper 19
Spiders 4
Ants/Flies/bees/mosq 37
Beetles 9
Moth Butterflies 4
Dragonfly 1
Birds 1
Amphibians 0
Reptiles 0
Misc. Animals 3

The following is a map of our 10 x10 quadrant, with the included plant life:
These are the plants that were located in our quadrant:

Compass Plant:

Indian Grass:

Cup Plant:

Tall Golden Rod:

Chicory:

Bergamot:

Beaufort Scale:

0- no wind
1- smoke drifts

2- leaves moving

3- twigs moving

4- small branches moving- this was our rating

5- entire tree tops swaying

6- we won't be on fieldtrip

Cloud Cover- Arrival and Departure:

95% cover, 5% clear

Evidence of Humans: pavilions, gazebos, houses, cars, fire pits, ampitheater

Evidence of Animals: hummingbirds, bird poop, holes in tree trunks, ant mounds

Given the data our group collected from our quadrant of prairie land in addition to the class collective
data and through further analysis, we determined that the prairie was unhealthy. The overwhelming
majority of our data points indicated that the prairie was unhealthy, including a multitude of low
Shannon Index values across the board, including our own low score of 1.8.

Works Cited:
A Complex Prairie Ecosystem. National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior,
www.nps.gov/tapr/learn/nature/a-complex-prairie-ecosystem.htm.

Data, US Climate. Temperature - Precipitation - Sunshine - Snowfall. Climate Bloomington -

Illinois and Weather averages Bloomington,
www.usclimatedata.com/climate/bloomington/illinois/united-states/usil1523

Welcome to Illinois DNR. Illinois DNR, www.dnr.illinois.gov/.