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Munson Prairie Cemetery Plants and Wildlife
Munson Prairie Cemetery Plants and Wildlife
In the table below:
Click on the Plant, Bird, Reptile and Amphibian, Insect and Arachnid, and Mammal tabs at the bottom of the table to scroll through the lists.
These lists are based on species identified during site visits and sightings submitted using the link in the sub-bullet point below. Submitted species are added to the table as time allows.
Click here if you would like to submit records of plants or wildlife you have seen at this location.
Bloom periods are based on those provided by the Illinois Plants Database.
About Munson Prairie
About Munson Prairie
This black soil prairie remnant is representative of the Western Section of the Grand Prairie Natural Division. Big bluestem, little bluestem and Indian grass are the dominant grasses with a variety of interesting and unique forbs including yellow star grass, Hill's thistle and one-flowered broomrape. Some historical accounts indicate that many years ago the cemetery was mowed for hay, but the prairie has remained undisturbed in recent years. It is now carefully managed with a combination of brush removal and prescribed burning.
Click here for further information from the IDNR regarding this site.
Amenities
Amenities
Mown trail. No other accommodations.
How to Get There:
How to Get There:
From the intersection of I-80 and IL Rt 82 (south edge of Geneseo), travel south on Rt 82 a distance of 5.25 miles, then west (right) on a graded, gravel road (1400N) exactly 1 mile, then south 1 mile, then east approximately 0.25 mile to the cemetery entrance. A small parking area and entrance to the prairie are visible at that point. Please follow the path.
Literature and links:
Literature and links:
Click here to view a Google Scholar search for additional literature using the pre-filled search terms of "Munson Township Cemetery Prairie"
Betz, Robert F. and Lamp, Herbert F. 1989. Species Composition of Old Settler Silt-loam Prairies. Proceedings of the Eleventh North American Prairie Conference.
Borelli, Christopher. A little history on the prairie: Pioneer cemeteries show us what Illinois looked like before European settlers. Chicago Tribune.
Bowles, M. L., J. L. McBride, and T. J. Bell. 2015. Long-term processes affecting restoration and viability of the federal threatened Mead’s milkweed (Asclepias meadii). Ecosphere 6(1):11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/ES14-00240.1
Moorehouse, Angella K. and Hassen, Harold, "Protecting Pioneer Cemetery Prairies: Balancing the Need to Preserve Cultural and Natural Heritage Values" (2004). Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences. Paper 81.
Panzer, Ron. (2002). Compatibility of Prescribed Burning with the Conservation of Insects in Small, Isolated Prairie Reserves. Conservation Biology. 16. 1296 - 1307. 10.1046/j.1523-1739.2002.01077.x.
Spyreas*, G., Pearse*, I.S., Nickrent, D.L., Greenwood, N.M., Epstein, A., and Anders. P., (eds.) 2017. Illinois Plants: a web-based database for the flora of Illinois. https://www.inhs.illinois.edu/data/plantdb
Click here to view the Wild Ones webpage for this site.
Click here to view additional information from the book, “Prairie Directory of North America: The United States, Canada, and Mexico.”
Click here to listen to the In Defense of Plants Ep. 51podcast on cemetery prairies.
Click here to view River Actions Wild Places webpage for this site.
Click here to view this sites Facebook page.
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