Hanover Bluff Natural Area
JoDaviess County, Illinois
Hanover Bluff Natural Area Plants and Wildlife
eBird Checklist for Hanover Bluff Nature Preserve.pdfIn 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 Hanover Bluff Natural Area
Hanover Bluff is the first dedicated Nature Preserve located in the Wisconsin Driftless Natural Division. This natural division represents the Illinois portion of the North American geo-biological feature known as the "Driftless Area". The area, first described in 1823 by geologist W. H. Keating, represents a landscape isolated from the direct glacial impact of the Pleistocene glaciation. The "Driftless Area" is known for its scenic topography and rare plants, several of which are considered Midwestern endemics. Hanover Bluff is located on a high dolomite ridge that forms a valley wall of the Mississippi River. Here, six native plant communities survive: sand hill prairie, dry dolomite prairie, dolomite cliff, dry-mesic and mesic upland forest and seep springs. The sand hill prairie is one of the most interesting communities. Only the very steep, drier, less accessible slopes escaped grazing and still display beautiful prairie wildflowers. The highest quality slopes are dominated by little bluestem, sideoats grama, hairy grama and over 80 other native prairie species thrive there. The large forests and moister areas add to the diversity of this already unique area. White oak, black oak, red oak, basswood and sugar maple are a few of the canopy species, while several rare wildflower species occur in the herbaceous layer. These communities provide habitat for many nongame wildlife species such as the bald eagle, scarlet tanager, wood thrush, timber rattlesnake, prairie ringneck snake and several species of frogs and toads. Management here includes cutting cedars and burning the prairies.
Click here for more information from the IDNR webpage for this site.
Amenities
None
How to Get There
Proceed southeast from Hanover for approximately 1.5 miles on the Hanover Hill Road to the Whitton Road. Turn south on the Whitton Road and proceed approximately 0.25 of a mile. The preserve is on the bluffs on the east side of the road.
Literature and links:
Click here to view a Google Scholar search for additional literature using the pre-filled search terms of "Hanover Bluff Preserve Illinois"
Click here for the IDNR's Hunter Factsheets for this site.
Click here to search Google Scholar for additional literature sources with the pre-filled term of " Hanover Bluff Preserve Illinois."
Click here for the Natural Land Institute's webpage for this site.