Rochester Cemetery Oak Savanna
Cedar County, Iowa
Rochester Cemetery Oak Savanna 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 the Rochester Cemetery Oak Savanna
Rochester Cemetery is owned by the Rochester Township and houses a very high quality remnant oak savanna; a rare habitat type in Iowa today. Grand 150-year-old oak trees tower above a diverse prairie, with over 288 native species of plants occurring on less than 14 acres. Under the wide spread of the tree crowns, shade tolerant woodland species flourish, while true tallgrass prairie consumes the swaths between oaks.
The floral display of this remnant is unmatched throughout the growing season with each ridgetop, hillslope, and draw having distinct plant communities due to varying slope aspects and soil types across the site. The spring bloom period is especially popular, with impressive displays of Canadian Lousewort, Prairie Phlox, Hoary Puccoon, Birdfoot Violet, Early Buttercup, Violet Sheep Sorrel, and a striking expanse of Midland Shooting Star.
In addition to an impressive flora, Rochester Cemetery contains burials dating back to the 1830’s with magnificent historic gravestones. Click here to view Rochester Cemetery gravestones on the Iowa Gravestone website.
Being a cemetery for the citizens of Rochester Township, respectful visitation and upkeep of the prairie is of utmost importance. A Friends of Rochester group was formed to coalesce volunteers interested in assisting in site management. To maintain the diverse savanna plant community, the Rochester Friends Group schedules work days to conduct invasive species removal, prescribed burning, haying, etc. Click here if you are interested in learning more about this group or how to participate in the preservation of this important Iowa remnant.
You can also click here to learn more about Rochester Cemetery on the Iowa Prairie Network Website.
Click here to see a soils map for the Rochester Cemetery Oak Savanna.
Interesting literature
Click here to view a Google Scholar search for additional literature using the pre-filled search terms of "Rochester Cemetery Prairie Iowa"
Heard, S. B., M. A. Campbell, M.L. Bonnie, and S. D. Hendrix. 1999. Developmental Instability in Fragmented Populations of Prairie Phlox: A Cautionary Tale. Conservation Biology 13:274-281.
Hendrix, S. D. and J. F. Kyhl. 2000. Population Size and Reproduction in Phlox pilosa. Conservation Biology 14:304-313.
Hines, H. M. and S. D. Hendrix. 2005. Bumble Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Diversity and Abundance in Tallgrass Prairie Patches: Effects of Local and Landscape Floral Resources. Environmental Entomology 34:1477-1484.
Horton, D. G. 2010. The Eastern Iowa Rochester Cemetery: A Requiem. Proceedings of the 2010 North American Prairie Conference.
Hultquist, S. J., K. P. Vogel, D. J. Lee, K. Arumuganathan, and S. Kaeppler. 1997. DNA Content and Chloroplast DNA Polymorphisms among Switchgrasses From Remant Midwestern Prairies. Crop Science 37:595-598.
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. http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/napcproceedings/81