An associational study of Illinois sand prairie . n the bunch-grass association. Several localities just east of extensive tracts of foresteddimes show an approach to climax prairie conditions. It may pos-sibly be that wind action has been less on the lee side of thesedunes, especially since they have become forested, and that thestability favored rapid development. At any rate one finds, eastof the dune complex near Quiver Station, such forms as Oioindelapunctulata. Melanoplus differentialis, M. bivittatus, the dickcissel(Spiza americana)> the indigo bunting (Cyanoi-gpiza cyanea). thegoldf
An associational study of Illinois sand prairie . n the bunch-grass association. Several localities just east of extensive tracts of foresteddimes show an approach to climax prairie conditions. It may pos-sibly be that wind action has been less on the lee side of thesedunes, especially since they have become forested, and that thestability favored rapid development. At any rate one finds, eastof the dune complex near Quiver Station, such forms as Oioindelapunctulata. Melanoplus differentialis, M. bivittatus, the dickcissel(Spiza americana)> the indigo bunting (Cyanoi-gpiza cyanea). thegoldfinch (Astra^alinus tristis), and ruderal roadside plants, allscarce in the typical sand region, and indicative of mesophyticconditions. The soil was also conspicuously darker there. Atthe east border of the Matanzas lake marginal forest, a flat stretchwas found in which were Phymata fasciata, Arphia xanthoptera, Mel-flJioplus bivittatus, M. differentialis, and plants such as Asclepiassyriaoa. and Pycnanthemum. These are species more or less dis-. tinotive of rather dry prairie of the black-soil type. Appearances thus indicate that there is such an advanced sand-prairie association, even though most of it has been plowed has occurred to rae that a very similar association may occur inparts of the Lake Micjjigan sand region. In several localitiesthere, notably in the neighborhood of Calumet, Indiana, there isa series of very narrow dune ridges, altei?nating with swales orsloughs, usually filled with water. These ridges are of lakeorigin and are roughly parallel with the shore line. The plantsare dense grasses; cactus relics are very scarce, if at all pre-sent in this particular locality. The commonest tiger beetle ofthe region is Cicindela scutellaris lecontel, which species isrestricted to sandy soil containing a considerable proportion ofhumus. A future visit to this region will no doubt reveal impor-tant relations in the development of the association. The climax sand-pr
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