Part 4

Of amphibians and reptiles also, the majority are typical forest species, including: the American toad (Bufo terrestris), common tree frog (Hyla versicolor), brown skink (Lygosoma laterale), common five-lined skink (Eumeces fasciatus), worm snake (Carphophis amoenus), pilot black snake (Elaphe obsoleta), DeKay snake (Storeria dekayi), western ground snake (Haldea valeriae), copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix), and timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus). Other typical forest species missing from the area include the spring peeper (Hyla crucifer), Carolina box turtle (Terrapene carolina), coal skink (Eumeces anthracinus), and red-bellied snake (Storeria occipitomaculata). Of typical prairie species only the Kansas ant-eating frog (Gastrophryne olivacea) and the ornate box turtle (Terrapene ornata) are common, and, curiously, each seems to prefer a forest habitat on this area, in the absence of their closely related eastern representatives, the eastern ant-eating frog (G. carolinensis) and the Carolina box turtle, respectively, which usually live in forests. The plains spadefoot (Spea bombifrons), garden toad (Bufo woodhousii), Great Plains skink (Eumeces obsoletus), prairie skink (Eumeces septentrionalis), slender tantilla (Tantilla gracilis), prairie rat snake (Elaphe guttata), bull snake (Pituophis catenifer), and blotched king snake (Lampropeltis calligaster) are all scarce on the area. The plains toad (Bufo cognatus), collared lizard (Crotaphytus collaris), except for an introduced colony, plains garter snake (Thamnophis radix), lined snake (Tropidoclonion lineatum), and massassauga (Sistrurus catenatus) seem not to occur on the area at all.

Annotated List of Species

#Juniperus virginiana.#--Red cedar, the only native gymnosperm of northeastern Kansas, occurs in nearly all woodlands of the region, although individual trees are widely scattered. It has increased remarkably in the past few years. No mature cedar trees grow anywhere on the Reservation, but young trees, probably several dozen in all, are widely scattered in a variety of situations on the area. Probably in every instance the seeds have reached the area in droppings of birds. Approximately 15 miles south and a little east of the Reservation is a stand of cedars some of which are 100 to 300 years old. Near the southwest corner of the section, at the site of a former farm house there is a small grove of these trees, probably planted. These may have been the source for some of the young trees on the Reservation.

On several occasions cardinals (Richmondena cardinalis) were observed to have nested in the young cedars, whose thick foliage provided well sheltered nesting sites. This shelter was utilized especially in early nestings when foliage had only begun to appear on other trees and shrubs. However, two such nests in cedars, that were checked repeatedly, were eventually destroyed by predators.

#Salix nigra.#--Black willow is localized in the vicinity of the one small pond on the Reservation. The pond was made in 1936; at the upper end of a small valley a dirt bank 100 yards long was built across a ravine through which an intermittent creek drained. Hilltop fields draining into this ravine were then under cultivation. In the next few years heavy erosion occurred in the upland fields, and the soil carried downstream was deposited in the pond. Most of the pond was filled up with a silt flat about an acre in area. On the higher part of this silt flat a dense thicket of saplings of elm, honey locust and osage orange sprang up. On the lower, wetter part of the silt bar a willow grove grew up, dominated by S. nigra, with S. eriocephala, S. interior and S. amygdaloides in smaller numbers. By 1955 some of these trees had attained a trunk diameter of eight inches and a height of thirty feet. Elsewhere on the Reservation, willow is represented only by a few scattered trees and bushes along the two intermittent creeks. The silty soil preferred by the willow is scarce as both streams are actively eroding their channels.

The moist, silty soil beneath the willow grove is covered with a dense mat of low vegetation including giant ragweed, carpenter's square, dayflower, and rice cutgrass. Short-tailed shrews, house mice (Mus musculus), harvest mice and cotton rats thrive in this habitat. Red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus), yellow-billed cuckoos (Coccyzus americanus), red-eyed vireos (Vireo olivaceus), catbirds (Dumetella carolinensis) and Kentucky warblers (Oporornis formosus) use it for nesting. The high humidity and dense vegetation in this grove render it favorable habitat for recently metamorphosed frogs and toads, especially the tree frog, which is sometimes extremely abundant there in summer.

#Populus deltoides.#--Cottonwood is one of the less common trees on the area, but it attains a larger size than any of the other kinds. The larger of the two creeks on the Reservation is lined with mature cottonwoods along the lower part of its course. Along the smaller creek large cottonwoods are also present but they are more widely spaced. A few cottonwoods are present at well scattered points on slopes and hilltops, usually in forest edge situations or in woodland where other trees are sparse. By far the largest tree on the Reservation is a cottonwood of 15-foot circumference (Plate 1), growing on a hilltop near the south boundary of the Reservation, at the edge of woodland adjacent to a cultivated field.

The heavy rainfall of 1951 resulted in the establishment of hundreds of cottonwood seedlings, mostly in places remote from the mature trees. So far as observed, all these were in recent silt deposits. Many of them have survived the drought of 1952-1954.

Because of their great height, towering above the level of the surrounding tree-tops, cottonwoods are preferred look-out perches of certain of the larger birds, notably red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis), barred owls (Strix varia), and crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos). Flocks of robins (Turdus migratorius) and of rusty blackbirds (Euphagus carolinus) preparing to roost have been noted habitually to gather in the tops of tall cottonwoods. In spring, large wandering flocks of goldfinches (Spinus tristis) have been seen feeding on the leaf buds of cottonwoods. Baltimore orioles (Icterus galbula) and yellow-billed cuckoos often forage in cottonwoods. Red-bellied woodpeckers (Centurus carolinus) spend a disproportionately large amount of their time in cottonwoods. These woodpeckers have been observed nesting in the hollow branches on several occasions. Downy woodpeckers (Dendrocopos pubescens) also have been noticed foraging in cottonwoods on many occasions. Certain large isolated cottonwoods along creeks were favorite stopping places of blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata) which, on trips from one wooded hillside to another, usually perched briefly in the tops of these tall trees. Calling and looking about, the jays seemed to maintain contact with distant mates or members of the flocks by using these high perches. Often after a brief pause in the top of the cottonwood they flew off in a new direction.

Both woodrats and opossums have been known to utilize hollow cottonwoods as dens. Fox squirrels have been seen climbing in cottonwoods occasionally.

#Juglans nigra.#--Black walnut is one of the more prominent hardwoods. Under original conditions, evidently many of the larger trees were of this species. Being the most valuable timber species of the area, walnut has been subjected to heavy cutting over the past 85 years. Most of the walnut trees still present are small or medium-sized, but the species is still abundant over much of the area. Along certain hilltop edges there are groves of walnuts, growing in nearly pure stands, with an occasional elm, ash, coffee-tree or honey locust. Elsewhere walnut trees are more scattered, but are distributed throughout the woodland. Although the walnut trees growing in woods are of various sizes from those of mature size down to saplings, seedlings are to be found mainly in fields near the woodland edge. In these situations it is one of the more prominent of the woody species invading open lands. The seeds evidently are transported mainly by rodents, especially fox squirrels.

In autumn every walnut tree that is bearing nuts becomes a focal point of activity for squirrels. Over a period of weeks the squirrels concentrate their attention on the walnut crop, continuing until virtually every nut has been harvested. Walnut seems to be the one most important food source, for both the fox squirrel and the gray squirrel. Most of the nuts are stored for future use. Many buried separately and never retrieved by the squirrels, grow into new trees.

White-footed mice often store the nuts in their nests, in burrows, beneath rocks or in crevices. In summer, groves and isolated trees of walnuts are favorite haunts of the yellow-billed cuckoo, which finds concealment in the thick foliage, and probably feeds upon the tent caterpillars that commonly infest these trees.

#Carya ovata.#--Shagbark hickory is one of the more important hardwoods of the area. The trees are relatively small compared with the larger oaks, elms, ashes and hackberry. However, on several parts of the area this hickory is dominant. It grows mainly on north slopes and hilltops. The trees most frequently associated with it are black oak, American elm and chestnut oak. Scattered through the woodlands are occasional mature hickories of DBH 18 inches or more. However, many of the trees are six inches or less DBH and a large proportion of these have originated as stump sprouts from trees cut in the early thirties or before.

Shagbark is especially tolerant of shading. Numerous young trees and seedlings noted all were growing in dense woods of larger hickories, oaks, or mature elms. None has been found in open fields or even in edge situations. This hickory is resistant to drought; relatively few died during the drought of 1952-1954, and these were mostly small trees in crowded stands.

In parts of the woodland dominated by shagbark hickory the trees are mostly 5 to 6 inches or even smaller in trunk diameter and 20 to 30 feet high, sometimes growing in nearly pure stands, and with a leaf canopy so dense that shrubs and herbaceous vegetation are sparse.

The mast crop produced by shagbark is an important food source for both fox squirrels and gray squirrels. Both kinds of squirrels often use these hickories as sites for their stick nests. White-footed mice also store the nuts as a winter food source.

Birds which are most often seen in groves of shagbark include the yellow-billed cuckoo, tufted titmouse (Parus bicolor), black-capped chickadee (P. atricapillus), blue jay, summer tanager (Piranga rubra), and red-eyed vireo. The Cooper hawk (Accipiter cooperii) has been recorded nesting in this hickory. In dead trees of this species that are still standing, the interiors may decay more rapidly than the armorlike bark plates. On several occasions tufted titmice and chickadees have been recorded as nesting in such cavities.

#Quercus stellata.#--Post oak is relatively scarce on the Reservation. One area of approximately an acre on a south slope is dominated by it. There are several other small groves and scattered trees. All are on moderately steep south slopes in poor soil. Trees often found associated with it include red elm, chestnut oak, chinquapin oak, blackjack oak, hickory, and dogwood. It seems likely that under original conditions this species occupied about the same area as it does at present. It is not spreading, and there are few young trees anywhere on the area. In every instance the groves are limited to a rocky clay soil, and edaphic factors obviously are of major importance. Under original conditions fire was probably a limiting factor, and at the present time competition with other hardwoods may be even more important.

#Quercus macrocarpa.#--Less than a dozen individuals of mossycup oak have been noticed on the area, at well scattered points. Under original conditions, it probably grew chiefly in the bottomlands that have been completely cleared of timber for cultivation. The few now present are all on hillsides, and are medium to large trees.

#Quercus Muehlenbergii.#--Chestnut oak was perhaps the one most important tree species of the original climax forest on the area. Because of its slow growth, scanty seed production, and large heavy fruits with seeds lacking effective dispersal mechanisms, it has lost ground to other kinds of trees as a result of the unnatural disturbances which have occurred.

It still dominates on rocky upper slopes that have north, east or west exposures and forms nearly pure stands in limited areas. Nearly all the larger trees of this species now present have been cut one or more times and have regenerated from stump sprouts. Seedlings and young saplings of this oak are scarce even in parts of the woodland where the species is most common. It is evident that reproduction is slow, at least under present conditions. On the lower hill slopes these oaks are scarce and scattered, but some of the largest are in such situations. Chestnut oak seems to be relatively resistant to drought. In the summer of 1954 when elms, and especially black oaks of all sizes were dying in large numbers, the chestnut oaks growing among them showed little evidence of injury in mature trees and only a small percentage of mortality in saplings.

Chestnut oak has a relatively slow growth rate. In 17 that were recorded, there were, on the average, 4.59 annual rings per inch of trunk diameter. Near Pigeon Lake, Miami County, Kansas, counts were obtained from five cut in 1952 from a virgin stand in a habitat similar to that on the Reservation. The five trees had trunk diameters of 16-1/2 to 25 inches and ranged in age from 65 to 183 years. Several still growing on the Reservation are larger and presumably are well over 100 years old.

As this oak seems to be in process of being replaced by other trees, is slow-growing, and slow in dispersal, it seems probable that the areas now occupied by its stands supported stands of it under original conditions. Whether it can regain dominance under present conditions of protection from cutting, fire and grazing remains to be seen.

The chestnut oak produces a mast crop which is utilized by many kinds of animals. Fox squirrels, gray squirrels, and white-footed mice feed upon the acorns and store them. Blue jays, red-headed woodpeckers (Melanerpes erythrocephalus), and red-bellied woodpeckers also eat them. The red-eyed vireo, summer tanager and tufted titmouse are among the birds that most frequently forage for insect food in chestnut oaks. Relatively few kinds of birds seem to use this tree as a nest site.

#Quercus prinoides.#--The chinquapin oak on this area is a small shrubby tree, usually not more than 15 feet high and more typically only six to eight feet. It occurs chiefly in dry rocky situations along hilltop edges and upper slopes, usually where the slope exposure is at least partly to the south. In such situations it may grow in nearly pure stands. Often it is associated with dogwood. The trunks are usually two to four inches in diameter, gnarled and twisted. The crowns are dense and spreading.

This oak is the dominant plant in certain small areas of its preferred habitat. In other areas of hilltop edge and upper slope it is being eliminated by stands of hickory, chestnut oak, black oak and elm, which shade it out. The species is tolerant of moderate to heavy browsing, but seemingly can be eliminated by more intensive utilization; even the higher foliage is often within reach of livestock. In "Horse Woods" one of the hillside areas that was open to livestock until 1949, this oak was almost absent, but it was abundant in adjoining parts of the woods that were fenced in the thirties to exclude livestock.

The thickets formed by this shrubby oak are frequented by cottontails, which feed upon the bark and foliage. The small acorns are used as food by rodents, especially the white-footed mouse. On several occasions, in winter, groups of long-eared owls (Asio otus) have been found roosting in thickets of chinquapin oak. Crows also utilize these thickets for roosting occasionally. The white-eyed vireo (Vireo griseus), gnatcatcher (Polioptila caerulea), and tufted titmouse, frequent the oak thickets.